HOW TO PRAY FOR THE PASTOR UNDER FIRE Thom Rainer
Have you heard of “ death by a thousand cuts ”?
The phrase originated with an ancient form of torture in China . In ling chi , which means “ slow process ” or “ lingering death ,” victims were slowly and methodically cut to maximize their suffering until they were finished off with a stab to the heart or decapitation .
Today , the term refers to a series of negative events that , in the aggregate , result in a very bad outcome . A business , for example , can make a series of small bad decisions , none of which by itself would jeopardize the viability of the company . But the sum of bad decisions could result in bankruptcy .
Many pastors receive criticism regularly , if not daily . They could brush off any one of these comments , or even a few . But as criticism piles up , the cumulative weight of negativity sabotages the pastor ’ s emotional and spiritual health . Many pastors have been rendered ineffective due to death by a thousand cutting remarks . Others have resigned from their churches . Pastors need intercession in three major ways . First , they need prayer to withstand criticism .
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