Study Less. Pray More.

Awesome blog post by Mark Batterson, pastor at National Community Church in Washington, DC:

Study Less. Pray More.

I know this is one of those statements that could be easily misinterpreted so I better say this: study to show yourself approved. I'm not suggesting that you study less. I'm simply suggesting that you pray more. And I'm talking specifically about sermon prep. I think we'd preach with more passion if we tweaked the amount of time we pray in proportion to the amount of time we study. So maybe I should say: study more and pray even more.

Right before an important message to the nation of Israel, it says the prophet Samuel "rehearsed it with God." He prayed through his message. I think this is the missing link in lots of messages. We prepare a message, but we don't pray through the message. We don't "rehearse it with God."

All I know is this: I preach with more conviction and more energy when I "rehearse it with God." In fact, I think it's the difference between a pastoral voice and a prophetic voice. It's the difference between timeless truth and timely truth. It's the difference between a convicting message and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Study more. Pray even more.