3. Integrity. In Alice Smith’s book Beyond the Veil, she writes: “If we accept an assignment from God, we can be sure that He will attempt to build integrity into our lives. I (Alice) love Psalm 26:11-12: ‘But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me. My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord.’
“My paraphrase would read: ‘In all my public trust I will walk uprightly and pay strict attention to truth, honesty, justice and mercy. I will not plan evil schemes or use myself to promote my own cause. I will be true to the integrity of the Word. I will live a moral life in private and in public. I stand firmly on principles of proper conduct, and I will not turn aside.'”
See Also: Why Worship Leaders are the Worst (and the Best)
4. Objectivity and empathy. Objectivity and empathy are tricky. Both are necessary, but they must be kept in balance.
If we are empathetic intercessors who cannot find objectivity in prayer, we will soon be consumed emotionally and ultimately overwhelmed with the prayer needs we bear. Remember the words of the old song “Leave It There” by Charles Albert Tindley: “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”
On the other hand, if we are objective intercessors without empathy, who cannot feel the needs of those for whom we have been commissioned to pray, our prayer life will grow stale and eventually dry up.
