The Leader's Mettle

THE BLIND EYE AND THE DEAF EAR (Synopsis)

2010-10-30T17:08:00.000-05:00

This Blog is a synopsis of quotation from an incredible MUST READ ARTICLE FOR ALL MINISTRY entitled, "The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear" by Charles H. Spurgeon. The article is lengthy; hence, I have shortened it by personally extracting the most pertinent points. The entire article can be found at http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/The-Blind-Eye-and-the-Deaf-Ear.pdf . Enjoy!
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Having often said in this room that a minister ought to have one blind eye and one deaf ear, I have excited the curiosity of several brethren, who have requested an explanation; for it appears to them, as it does also to me, that the keener eyes and ears we have the better. Well, gentlemen, since the text is somewhat mysterious, you shall have the exegesis of it.

Ecclesiastes (7:21): "Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee."

Do not take them to heart or let them weigh with you, do not notice them, or act as if you heard them.

Tacitus describes a wise man as saying to one that railed at him,

"You are lord of your tongue, but I am also master of my ears"--you may say what you please, but I will only hear what I choose."

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR IN BEGINNING A NEW MINISTRY

In enlarging upon my text, let me say first--when you commence your ministry make up your mind to begin with a clean sheet; be deaf and blind to the long-standing differences which may survive in the church. As soon as you enter upon your pastorate you may be waited upon by persons who are anxious to secure your adhesion to their side in a family quarrel or church dispute; be deaf and blind to these people, and assure them that bygones must be bygones with you, and that as you have not inherited your predecessor's cupboard you do not mean to eat his cold meat.

However, I added, that all the past had gone away with my predecessors, that he must follow them to their new spheres, and settle matters with them, for I would not touch the affair with a pair of tongs.

I am quite certain that, for my own success, and for the prosperity of the church, I took the wisest course by applying my blind eye to all disputes which dated previously to my advent.

Know nothing of parties and cliques, but be the pastor of all t
he flock, and care for all alike. Blessed are the peacemakers, and one sure way of peacemaking is to let the fire of contention alone. Neither fan it, nor stir it, nor add fuel to it, but let it go out of itself. Begin your ministry with one blind eye and one deaf ear.

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR TOWARD GOSSIP

The blind eye and the deaf ear will come in exceedingly well in connection with the gossips of the place. Every church, and, for the matter of that, every village and family, is plagued with certain Mrs. Grundys who drink tea and talk vitriol.

At tea-meetings, Dorcas meetings, and gatherings, they practice vivisection upon the characters of their neighbours, and of course they are eager to try their knives upon the minister, the minister's wife, the minister's children, the wife's bonnet, the dress of the minister's daughter, and how many new ribbons she has worn for the last six months, and so on ad infinitum.

There are also certain persons who are never so happy as when they are "grieved to the heart" to have to tell the minister that Mr. A. is a snake in the grass, that he is quite mistaken in thinking so well of Messrs. B. and C., and that they have heard quite "promiscuously" that Mr. D. and his wife are badly matched. Then follows a long string about Mrs. E., who says that she and Mrs. F. overheard Mrs. G. say to Mrs. H. that Mrs. J. should say that Mr. K. and Miss L. were going to move from the chapel and hear Mr. M., and all because of what old N. said to young O. about that Miss P. Never listen to such people. Do as Nelson did when he put his blind eye to the telescope and declared that he did not see the signal [to retreat], and therefore would go on with the battle. Let the creatures buzz, and do not even hear them, unless indeed they buzz so much concerning one person that the matter threatens to be serious; then it will be well to bring them to book and talk in sober earnestness to them.

What can't be cured must be endured, and the best way of enduring it is not to listen to it.

"Thin-skinned persons should learn this motto by heart. The talk of the village is never worthy of notice…”

Above all, never join in tale-bearing yourself, and beg your wife to abstain from it also.

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR TOWARD CRITICISM

Avoid with your whole soul that spirit of suspicion which sours some men's lives, and to all things from which you might harshly draw an unkind inference turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Suspicion makes a man a torment to himself and a spy towards others. Once begin to suspect, and causes for distrust will multiply around you, and your very suspiciousness will create the major part of them. Many a friend has been transformed into an enemy by being suspected. Do not, therefore, look about you with the eyes of mistrust, nor listen as an eaves-dropper with the quick ear of fear.

When nothing is to be discovered which will help us to love others, we had better cease from the enquiry,…”

I am not, of course, referring to cases requiring discipline which must be thoroughly investigated and boldly dealt with, but I have upon my mind mere personal matters where the main sufferer is yourself; here it is always best not to know, nor wish to know, what is being said about you, either by friends or foes. Those who praise us are probably as much mistaken as those who abuse us, and the one may be regarded as a set off to the other, if indeed it be worthwhile taking any account at all of man's judgment.

If we have the approbation of our God, certified by a placid conscience, we can afford to be indifferent to the opinions of our fellow men, whether they commend or condemn. If we cannot reach this point we are babes and not men.

You must be able to bear criticism, or you are not fit to be at the head of a congregation; and you must let the critic go without reckoning him among your deadly foes, or you will prove yourself a mere weakling.

It is wisest always to show double kindness where you have been severely handled by one of who thought it his duty to do so, for he is probably an honest man and worth winning. He who in your early days hardly thinks you fit for the pastorate may yet become your firmest defender if he sees that you grow in grace, and advance in qualification for the work; do not, therefore, regard him as a foe for truthfully expressing his doubts; does not your own heart confess that his fears were not altogether groundless?

Never make a brother remember that he once uttered ahard speech in reference to yourself.

It would be better to be deceived a hundred times than to live a life of suspicion. It is intolerable. The miser who traverses his chamber at midnight and hears a burglar in every falling leaf is not more wretched than the minister who believes that plots are being spread.

Suspicion in kings creates tyranny, in husbands jealousy, and in ministers bitterness; such bitterness as in spirit dissolves all the ties of the pastoral relation, eating like a corrosive acid into the very soul of the office and making it a curse rather than a blessing.

Brethren, shun this vice by renouncing the love of self. Judge it to be a small matter what men think or say of you, and care only for their treatment of your Lord. If you are naturally sensitive do not indulge the weakness, nor allow others to play upon it.

Those who will fetch will carry, and no doubt the gossips go from your house and report every observation which falls from your lips, with plenty of garnishing of their own. Remember that, as the receiver is as bad as the thief, so the hearer of scandal is a sharer in the guilt of it.

Solomon says "a whisperer separateth chief friends" (Proverbs 16:28).

Ours is a mission of grace and peace; we are not prosecutors who search out condemnatory evidence, but friends whose love would cover a multitude of offences. The peeping eyes of Canaan, the son of Ham, shall never be in our employ; we prefer the pious delicacy of Shem and Japhet, who went backward and covered the shame which the child of evil had published with glee.

BLIND EYE TOWARD OPINIONS ABOUT YOURSELF

To opinions and remarks about yourself turn also as a general rule the blind eye and the deaf ear.

We cannot expect those to approve of us whom we condemn by our testimony against their favourite sins; their commendation would show that we had missed our mark. We naturally look to be approved of by our own people, the members of our churches, and the adherents of our congregations, and when they make observations which show that they are not very great admirers, we may be tempted to discouragement if not to anger: herein lies a snare.

Endeavour to improve for the, but do not want to hear all that every Jack, Tom, and Mary may have to say about it.

Repress your curiosity: it will do you no good to enquire. If the people should happen to agree with your verdict, it will only feed your pitiful vanity, and if they think otherwise your fishing for their praise will injure you in their esteem.

Pride is a deadly sin, and will grow without your borrowing the parish water-cart to quicken it.

A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticize you from week to week will be a far greater blessing to you than a thousand undiscriminating admirers if you have sense enough to bear his treatment, and grace enough to be thankful for it.

A BLIND EYE AND A DEAF EAR TOWARD FALSE REPORTS

In the case of false reports against yourself, for the most part use the deaf ear.

Be not staggered thereby, for this trial has befallen the very best of men, and even your Lord did not escape the envenomed tongue of falsehood. In almost all cases it is the wisest course to let such things die a natural death. A great lie, if unnoticed, is like a big fish out of water, it dashes and plunges and beats itself to death in a short time. To answer it is to supply it with its element, and help it to a longer life.

Some lies especially have a peculiar smell, which betrays their rottenness to every honest nose. If you are disturbed by them the object of their invention is partly answered, but your silent endurance disappoints malice and gives you a partial victory, which God in his care of you will soon turn into a complete deliverance.

Your blameless life will be your best defence, and those who have seen it will not allow you to be condemned so readily as your slanderers expect.

Only abstain from fighting your own battles, and in nine cases out of ten your accusers will gain nothing by their malevolence but chagrin for themselves and contempt for others.

Standing as we do in a position which makes us choice targets for the devil and his allies, our best course is to defend our innocence by our silence and leave our reputation with God. Yet there are exceptions to this general rule. When distinct, definite, public charges are made against a man he is bound to answer them, and answer them in the clearest and most open manner.

In every instance counsel should be sought of the Lord as to how to deal with slanderous tongues, and in the issue innocence will be vindicated and falsehood convicted.

The Teachable Spirit

2010-10-28T00:35:00.001-05:00

Matthew 11:29

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…”

The very nature of God is that of the great teacher. In the very beginning He created an immense earth with a very overwhelming place of dwelling for his most beloved creation: man. He then proceeded to show man all that he had made for him. He began the God-Man relationship with instruction, teaching, and guidance.

Instruction from the Voice of God is always the opening to intimacy and relationship with Him.

The Bible speaks of the “ways of the Spirit”, “the knowledge of the Lord”, and “His thoughts”. It is the intention of God to teach us His character, His judgments, and His will. Without this learning we are useless to His kingdom purpose and plan; and, throughout the Bible we seldom ever hear the voice of God speak without it’s purpose being that of teaching and/or loving.

Teaching and loving are so very closely related. Christ even said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

A new born baby is born into a world surrounded by knowledge, science, understanding, etc.; however, his mere birth does not fill him with this profuse supply of understanding. As he matures he must submit to the instruction of his parents and other influencers in this life to grow in earthly knowledge. Likewise, Christ says, “Take my yoke upon me…” and then he proceeds to say that there is more to this connection than just being yoked together with him. You must go on to “learn from me…”

Many declare to be yoked to God but they do not have a teachable spirit. The New Birth and a teachable spirit are a marriage without which no man will see God.

TEACH ME, LORD.
David cried it out to the Spirit of God 16 times. “Teach me!” The attitude that cries “Teach me!” is essential to carry the anointing of God! But it is a hard confession!

The one that cries “Teach me!” is also admitting his lack of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. He is declaring his need to submit to God’s methods: God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s Men!

An un-teachable spirit is also an un-submissive spirit.

GOD’S TEACHERS
The Word is riddled with God’s methods for teaching. God taught lessons through prayer, through His Word, and even used a donkey. There is, however, one consistent way which God chose to teach us. In the Old Testament the World declared the priest to be a “teaching priest”, Ezra stepped up and instructed the people in the “ways of the God of the land”. In the New Testament the Bible says God gave the church a faculty who were called to be “speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things.” (Eph. 4:15).

Ephesians 4;11-12
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

You can’t be truly teachable until you will hear the truth of God’s Word when it is spoken in love by the professors which God has chosen for the edification of the body of Christ. The ministry God has called must be ready to teach and preach the Word, and you must be ready to learn and have a “teach me” attitude!

I know many “stay at home” children of God who are deceived into believing they are going to graduate without ever hearing God’s teachers – there is much Biblical proof to show that they will be sadly mistaken when graduation day arrives.

YOU CAN’T PLEASE GOD WITHOUT GOD’S FACULTY
God calls men to teach us. A brief study of Ephesians 4:11-15 will show you that without this ministry of called men in your life the following will occur:

Verse 12: Without them you cannot come unto the perfection God has called you and you will not be built up to withstand the enemy of your soul.

Verse 13: You cannot come into the unity of the faith, gain knowledge and understanding at the level God ordains for you.

Verse 14: You cannot gain maturity in spiritual matters, you will be unstable, and you will be open to deception to false doctrine.

HOW CAN I ENSURE I MAINTAIN A TEACHABLE SPIRIT?
1. A man who has a Bible that is falling apart, always has his life together. Make time for the Word. Read it with a readiness to learn from God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

2. Find a pastor of a local congregation. Recognize that he is not called for your comfort, but to teach you. Lose the arrogance and pride. Understand that Submission is not tried or proven until you disagree and then still comply regardless. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

3. Find a mentor who is wise in your pastor’s eyes. Curiosity is a virtue. Ask questions and learn to listen to the answers. Prov. 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

4. Make the altar call the most important part of your church service. Fall on your knees and apply what was just preached to your life. Psalm 119:15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Complaints - Don't Waste The Good Whine!

2010-10-25T17:17:00.001-05:00

They exist. Complainers . They are part of the ministerial landscape - wherever you go. They will find a way to let you know they have been mistreated, what is taking place is just not fair, the price is too high, or it is just too hard to follow your leadership. They will come up with reasons for being upset, disillusioned, and disheartened that you never remotely considered. And you are called to lead these criticizers. The good news is, nobody complains about things they want to do!

All moving objects encounter resistance! Jesus encountered it daily and cutting edge leadership is no different. Great leaders are always embracing change and forward progression; the very nature of which is going to feel unfair to others who may be affected. I have learned that if I am addressing a group of 10 people, most likely, there will be at least one who will not like my words (or my tie)! Learn to expect complaints; do not avoid them, learn to deal with them and use them as opportunities to lead those you serve. Don't place a person's head on the chopping block just because they have a complaint; and, for the sake of your sanity, commit today to refuse to take complaints and criticisms personally. Learn to masterfully lead criticizers - even the greatest and most faithful saints will complain sooner or later! An empty church has no complainers!

TWO-THIRDS EARS AND ONE-THIRD MOUTH

My Pastor is an amazing man. He recognizes that God gave him two ears and one mouth. He endeavors to listen two-thirds of the time and talk the other one-third. That is wisdom; the kind of wisdom that really gets on my last nerve!

Listening is difficult for most leaders; but is mastered by the greatest leaders. I am not yet one of those!! If you don't take time to listen to their words, look into their eyes, and try to empathize with what they are feeling, regardless of whether or not their complaint is justifiable, you will not be able to give a sincere, genuine, and heartfelt response.

The launching pad for discussing complainers must be set before we move forward. The bottom line is this: You exist to please God. You will never please everyone. You will never please any one person all of the time; however, YOU CAN PLEASE GOD. This is your goal.

As leaders, we must also learn how to please God in dealing with complainers and criticizers.

EMOTIONAL REACTION VS. PRAYERFUL RESPONSE

Complainers usually address leadership with the expectation of your immediate reaction. You don't owe them one. Complainers come across with the attitude that you are accountable to them - you are not. Even though you don't owe them an immediate response, you should prepare a prayerful one. Although you are not accountable to them, you are responsible for them.

Do not respond "off the cuff". Let the complainer know you are going to pray and seek God about the situation at hand. You owe God's people spiritual leadership, nothing more and nothing less. Do not be intimidated into replying to them in a reactionary manner, but respond maturely. You can tell the maturity of a leader by how he responds to complainers and criticizers.

The natural response to criticizers and complainers is ANGER. If you determine today to respond to every complainer with emplathy and prayer, the emotional default reaction of anger will not be an option.

Complainers and criticizers have a very important place in your calling. They should drive you closer to God and cause you to become better in your leadership. If we are not careful, we can view them so negatively that they are a dread even to greet at church! Don't let that happen...take the upper hand.

You train complainers. You train them to push you around if you allow them to set your agenda. You train them to keep complaining or to learn to pray. You train them on what is acceptable and unacceptable. You train them on whether they will be allowed to call you at 11 p.m. or sit in your office for an hour every other week! You are their trainer - never forget that. It does go without saying that some complainers will never be taught boundaries - but they are few.

If complainers know they can exact your time, energy, and attention - they will. Time given to them should be quality; nevertheless, very short. Whatever you allow to distract you, will eventually drain you. If you train complainers to be your distraction, eventually - they will suck the life right out of you. Don't let the complainers have the time you need to be giving to the faithful laborers who are striving to do everything to see the Kingdom of God prosper!!

Some people were born crying - the Doctor never had to smack them to make it happen! They are born trouble-makers who just like to stir the pot until it boils over on the floor. Their happiness is hinged upon your unhappiness. These chronic complainers may change their complaints, but they will never change the time they spend complaining or the spirit with which it is done!

Titus 3:10 says, "Warn a divisive person once, and then warm him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him."

In my own words I say, dismiss his complaints several times, explaining to him the need for an excellent spirit. If he continues, dismiss him, not just his complaint. Don't give him ear. Let him sit in the pot he is stewing. Eventually, others who follow your leadership will also dismiss him as a "trouble-maker" as well - you won't have to tell them to do it. Wisdom will cause you to ponder a complaint in your heart in prayer to confirm it's legitimacy and if the individual is wounded, hurt, or simply concerned. If the pattern in the person is 'divisive', you would be wise to obey Titus 3:10. If you dismiss everyone who complains, you won't have enough laborers to do the work God has called you to do; however, if you don't dismiss the divisive criticizers whose spirit is that of a trouble-maker, you will not have the atmosphere and morale to get the work done!

REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT

It has been said by more experienced leaders than I, "Repetition is the best teacher." Some followers just don't understand your goals as the leader among them. You must bare your heart, give the reason why you know the Lord led you where He has. Do everything you can to repeat it to them in many ways, helping them to see the "why" of your vision and goals for the church. After doing all you can to help them understand your God-given vision for the work of God, if they still don't understand and hold the same criticisms - then you must simply group them with those who just don't understand. Leave it in God's hands and move on.

A PLAN FOR COMPLAINERS AMONG US

1. Hear them out.
2. Take it to prayer.
3. Pinpoint their spirit. What manner of spirit are they of? Is it in the right place. Let God talk to you.
4. Show them love.
5. Express gratitude for their concern. Show them the way of prayer and peace as you give a reply to those you feel need a response.
6. Dismiss the divisive complainers.

Refusing Intimidation In Ministry

2010-03-25T09:11:00.000-06:00

He walks into the room. His very presence is staunch with control. When I walk in leadership roles with almost every other person, I feel at ease… in God’s favor… able to lead and give direction, cast vision. Not with this man. He steps into the room and the ‘vampire chill’ leaves me staring on without words. Anything I say is like swinging my axe in full power and the blade bounces off the stone cold trunk of the tree, never leaving a mark.

INTIMIDATION –
The disciples felt it when the temple guard stormed the Garden and they scattered into the darkness. The 10 spies were seized by it when they heard the incessant reports of the outsized and exaggerated giants. Ahaz was overwhelmed by it when he looked at the huge army that was preparing to remove him from his throne and the Bible says in Isaiah 7:2 that his heart “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” – even though God had personally granted him divine protection.

I HAVE FELT INTIMIDATION

I have felt it as I watched others walk in the gifts of the spirit and compared myself to their work. I have felt it when I stepped out in faith while others seemed so secure. I have felt it when others are growing families and I have been declared unable to do so. I have felt it when I made decision with which my mentors did not agree. I have felt it as men of my own age appear to be so far advanced on the surface in their ministry than I.

WHAT INTIMIDATION HAS MADE ME FEEL

Intimidation has made me feel inadequate, insecure, disheartened, unsuccessful, full of failure, useless, and powerless. Am I incompetent and unlearned. Am I wasting my time and is my personal work actually irrelevant and small? AND INTIMIDATION IS VERY PERSUASIVE… It argues loudly without ever raising its voice. It echoes in the soul and zaps the passion you have for which you live from your very heart. It leaves you weak and wringing your hands. It leaves me questioning whether I have anything to offer this world, in reality…am I fooling myself and others?

THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTIMIDATION

I must recognize where intimidation comes from. It source tells me how to remedy each.

Intimidation from ME: Often, intimidation causes insecurity – but not the intimidation that comes from me. If I am simply intimidated as a result of what I see or feel, then it is actually the insecurities in me which cause me to feel intimidated, not the other way around. I have felt this type of intimidation from within when I have seen others successful in areas where I am weak, when others make suggestions against my made up mind, or when I others see an error or lack that I have and bring it to my attention without meaning me any harm. I also felt this intimidation when others' appearance is more trim, fit, in style than mine. What about the better salaried people with the nicer home? Women can battle this type of intimidation when they meet up with other women who, in their estimation, are prettier or have better physique. The other woman is probably thinking the same thing! I must recognize that I am human, imperfect, and that I will always have lacks in my life. I must recognize that I am the way God made me - in me there is no lack. If I am delighting myself in the Lord, then my feet are led of Him, I am chosen, in His perfect will, and I have no reason to feel insecurities even if I have lacks. God chose Moses and he was a stutterer – an anointed stutterer used of the Almighty!

Intimidation from OTHERS: Oftentimes others have a personality, disagreement with me, or are of such an opinionated mindset and arrogant spirit that they bring a pressure to the relationship. The motive is generally to cause you to see their power or position and is driven by a sense of having to have control. The ministry must be careful not to walk in this spirit themselves. I have felt this type of intimidation from people in positions who are not spiritually mind and would like to wield their power or control, when a mentor or leader insists that I do exactly as they say without personal reasoning, or when people with whom I have relationships try to use their close proximity to me to manipulate my decisions. Many pushers of secular leadership teach principles of driving, manipulating, and intimidating as acceptable forms of leadership.

Intimidation from THE ENEMY: The enemy can use people, circumstances, and positions to intimidate. This intimidation comes from Satanic desire to halt, impede, and hinder the will of God and the work of the Spirit. Often people who are intimidating as mentioned above can also carry Satanic intimidation. These two intimidations teamed together can create an almost overwhelming and disheartening situation. This is the intimidation that Jezebel carried – it was bold, manipulative, demanding, controlling, and beleaguered the mind of the man of God until he desired to take his own life.

REMEMBER – NO WARRING IN THE FLESH

Regardless of the source of intimidation there is only one way to deal with it. Intimidation comes from the words “in timidity”. It is a lack of boldness and confidence and fearless assurance.

Remind Yourself That It All Goes Beyond Your Flesh. No question about it. The battles you are facing, even if their source is in your flesh, the answer is always a spiritual one. The weapons you fight with as a new creature in Christ are not carnal ones. Do not endeavor to intimidate in return, do not try to overshadow those who try to intimidate you, do not try to lead them out of intimidating you, do not grow arrogant or fierce with them, do not take up your own “power” or position to fight back. If the arm of your flesh is found, then the arm of the Lord is bound. David knew he must guard his attitude and reaction toward King Saul. Intimidation must be dealt with spiritually.

If you try to battle intimidation, regardless of the source, you will find yourself endeavoring to become an expert in secular leadership, politics, business, and force. These are carnal methods of battling intimidation – to become a bigger giant than the one that overshadows you. Be careful that you do not become of the same spirit as the intimidator – in that you will find your ruin. Paul said he would know nothing else be “Jesus Christ and him crucified”. The Word of God, the gospel, the work of the Kingdom IS ALL YOU NEED. Become an expert in the love of God, the work of the Spirit, the principles of the Kingdom of God, in giving, and in serving – become an expert in spiritual disciplines. I have found that if I try to fight the intimidator by becoming bigger than he is then I will have to walk in the flesh - In doing so I will produce the works of the flesh – strife, envying, and every evil work. I will walk in the spirit of competition and I am more interested in the people I know, the social networking I have, how I appear before men instead of before God…and I will devise all types of things to cause myself to not be less or weaker than anyone else. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE. THE ONLY ONE WHO IS NEVER WEAKER THAN ANYONE ELSE IS JESUS CHRIST – That’s why I must walk in the Spirit and not fight intimidators in my flesh.

Spend Time in Daily Prayer and Weekly Fasting. Time in the presence of the ALMIGHTY will help you to see that even though you are weak and powerless – the ever increasing power of God in your life is NOT. You need daily prayer to help you notice your weaknesses, not only so that you can endeavor to strengthen yourself in HIM, but more importantly, to RECOGNIZE YOUR NEED FOR DEPENDENCE ON HIM. You will never be good enough to cover every area of possible intimidation. You will always have lack. YOUR GOD NEVER WILL. Praying for your lack, praying for your enemies, and praying for divine intervention in satanic intimidation will put your mind in the right place – to have faith in the Omnipotent and UN-intimidatable God. When I am praying and fasting I have confidence to walk in the Spirit of the unstoppable God of my strength. When I am not connected in this way I find myself self-reliant, insecure, timid, and running away from satanic intimidation like the feet of the great prophet from Jezebel. THE DEEPER ISSUE IS NOT WHO I AM BUT WHO GOD IS – I must have an assurance of His working in my life. My relationship with Him is the greatest wrecking ball to the gates of hell.

WHEN BEING PURSUED BY FEAR AND INTIMIDATION - PURSUE GOD'S PRESENCE!!

Magnify The Lord. Speak of the good things of God every chance you get. Lift him up before the people. Show others how mighty his hand is. Show them his mercy and draw a picture in their minds, via your words, of how mighty the fortress of the Lord is. Confess your SMALLNESS in comparison to his GREATNESS. Let his MAGNITUDE construct your HUMILITY.

Refuse to Be Intimidated. It can also be summed up by saying HAVE FAITH IN GOD. What you listen to goes in your mind and eventually forms your thoughts. DO NOT LISTEN TO INTIMIDATION. Surround yourself with humble people of God. Choose the company of true saints and leaders. Rid your life of intimidating people. Refuse to settle for political circles and expectations of man. WALK WITH GOD and only be intimidated by HIS SPIRIT. In that I do not mean negatively condemned or beaten down – I simply mean recognize that HE IS ALL IN ALL…and I am very, very small. I must deliberately keep this temple away from people, places, and events that minimize God and maximize man. Isaiah spoke words of reassurance to Judah which was the key of defying intimidation from their enemy when he said in Isaiah 8:11-13, “The Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, his shall you regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”

If we place God where he should be, above all powers, peoples, positions, gifts, abilities, successes, leaders, kings, and thrones…and we submit to his vast and awe-inspiring majesty – we will not be embraced for even a moment by intimidation. WALK WITH GOD!

HELPING OTHERS DESTROY

i n t i m i d a t i o n....

1) I don't have to hear from God to know that I have been called into the life of others to help them see their worth in God's eyes. The very call of God in my life to lead and the steps that I have are ordered of the Lord. It is the perfect will of God for me to encourage and exhort others to be un-intimidated - and I must believe it is one of the reasons I have been called.

2) Empower them. Help them to see that God has called them just the way they are.

3) Direct them toward God. Who doesn't have failures, blemishes, weaknesses? These are no reason to be intimidated - but they are a reason to be dependent upon God.

4) Notice their abilities and help to place them in the body for ministry. Recognize their talents. Give them credit and help them to see what they can do for the Kingdom of God if they will be dependent upon God to annoint their skills.

5) Teach them to pray, walk in the Spirit, and disciple them to follow Christ - not man.

Be Careful For The Gifts God Has Placed In You

2010-03-12T16:43:00.000-06:00

None of us has come to this earth by accident. Not a single soul has been created by God to simply float from one place to the other waiting on life to simply happen. NEVER!

God is not one who simply plays God by the seat of His pants without having any specific purpose for each of His creation.

With Him - THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES. So where does that leave you?

Then... How do you find your purpose for the kingdom of God? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION... unfortunately, many do nota ask that question EVER, and the end up at the end of life with many years they feel are not special and have no value, above all divine or eternal worth... who wants to end it all like that?

You can find your place in God by doing something I realize I did without realizing what I was doing...

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE APTITUDES YOU HAVE NATURALLY IN YOUR LIFE?

One day I had empty pockets. I would have done anything to have a few bucks, no doubt... and God bless the poor man who had a job for me to who no idea what he was getting himself into!!   An elderly gentlemen approaches this 14 year old young man and showed me around his beatiful landscaping. I have never seen such beauty with leaves in all my life. I have no idea how someone can have such a green thumb! - unfortunately this guy was fixing to find out how altogether thumbless I was!

He takes me to a line of bushes and asks if I would please trim them for him. "Do you think you can handle that?", he asked. I thought to myself, "It can't be that difficult it's a few little trees." ... "Sure! I can do it for you..." He handed me the trimmers and went n the house.

I had fun!! I whipped, I wacked... this was easier than I thought!!   I cleaned up everything real nice...figuring if barbers get tips shouldn't tree barbers get tipped also? O yeah... I was gonna make me some money!

My new boss steps out onto the front porch with a crisp fifty dollar bill in his hand and a smile on his face. "That looks great!", he said, "Good job!". I grabbed the $50.00 bill, spewed a "Thanks!" and off I went. I was now in the landscaping business - it wouldn't be long and folks would be calling on me to do more fine work!

Until the next day when I got up... I walked outside and looked across the street at the neighbors bushes to awe once again at my artistry. They were dead. Dried up. Drooping. Slouching. Brown. YOU GET THE POINT!! I have never prayed for temporary blindness as I did for my neighbor that day... it wouldn't be a few hours and that $50.00 would be back in his hand for sure!!!

THE LESSON: If you are called to be a painter do not try to be a pilot. You may end up with the nicest painted plane around, but you won't have any paying passengers!!

Naturally I am a leader. I love Spanish culture and language.  I love music. I am creative. These things are the heart of my life.  God placed these things in me - and He wants me to be confident in the gifts he has given me.
What are your natural abilities and gifts? Have you ever thought about God purposely placing those gifts in you for his kingdom? Do you think that these things are an accident? What an incredible thing to believe with your heart that God has given these talents to you, hand-picked by him, for you to develop them and use them for his glory. He is depending on you!

HOW CAN JAYSON PAGAN MAXIMIZE HIS GIFTS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD??

1. BE HONEST WITH MYSELF
Sometimes taking those tests on "What is your gift?" doesn't go over so well. Why?...The church culture and people around us choose to shine the spotlight on certain gifts. I have caught myself highlighing gifts and abilities on those test that, quite frankly, are things I WISH I had, but are not things God has placed within me naturally. There is nothing wrong with desiring to develop other areas of your life, but I must begin my development by being a great steward with the natural abilities God has given me.

I really like sports...but everyone who knows me knows within the first dabble in a sports conversation that I couldn't name three football players of the NFL during the last 30 years!! It is not my natural inclination.

You need to accept your proclivities. You will find out certainly that the greatest and most peaceful place for you will be functioning within your gifts and natural abilities. These are God given. Others can be developed later - but be honest now about what your's currently are.
No se enfoque en las abilidades que, de veras, no tiene usted. Si usted trate de ser un piloto cuando usted debe de ser artista - saldrá con el avión más bien pintado del mundo pero sin pasajeros. ¡Sea Artista! No hay mejor lugar en este mundo para usted que el lugar donde se encuentra funcionando y serviendo en el reino de Dios con los dones naturales que Él le ha dado.

2. FOCUS ONLY ON THOSE ABILITIES WHICH GOD HAS GIVEN YOU
You need to write down what your natural abilities are and choose a life of growth. FOCUS!
There will be those in your life who will look at you and think you are a better carpenter than you are a leader. There are those who will determine you are best at hospitality than you are at speaking. THEY ARE NOT YOU. Know yourself - be confident. You cannot focus if you are not confident that you are aiming at the right target. Go for the gold!!
KEEP YOUR FOCUS.

3. DEVELOP A PLAN FOR GROWTH

I remember when I first started learning Spanish. I knew I had an aptitude for the language. I remember telling myself I would study an hour every day and would read 20 new words in the dictionary every day.

Not everyone will go after Spanish with such passion; however, if you know it is a gift of God in your life - you owe it to the kingdom to run after it with all of your heart, whatever your gift is.

IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO GROW... YOU WILL NOT GROW. 18 Years later, and I am still studying every day, reading, listening, growing... and I am mastering this language more every day.

If you are going to double, triple, and better yourself - your heart must be set on getting and being better. The wonderful thing is that if God has placed this gift in you, YOU WILL LOVE THE PROCESS. It's not like learning Geometry when you love history... it's like learning history when you love history. It is exciting, challenging, and it is God's will.

MAKE PLANS. Make a schedule. Make a growth plan. Buy books about your gift. Listen to audio books and teachings, seminars and look up every verse in the Bible that surrounds your gift and apply them in your best ability to your life. Pray about your gift. and WATCH THE GROWTH BEGIN TO HAPPEN!
I am amazed at the musical talent in our church. I live next door to the church. At times I will be outside and hear the piano playing and someone who is not even in the church band is inside on the keyboard. I will go over to pray at times and several different people will be on the keyboard playing. It is wonderful to see the people who I used to see focussing on practicing at the church when no one knew about it start showing up as fill-ins and regulars in the church services. IF YOU DON'T PURPOSELY GROW YOURSELF, YOU WILL NOT GROW.

4. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WITH THE SAME GIFTS.

One of the greatest decisions I ever made was surrounding myself with leaders. My pastor is a great leader. I have about 6 others in my life with which I surround myself weekly. I stay in contact with them. They help to grow, they question me, keep me accountable, check my prayer life, push leadership down my throat, challenge me in leadership, and help me to grow. I love the round-table principle. A life of mentors, both above your abilities and below your abilities is a MUST.

If you don't surround yourself with people with your gifts, you will only learn and enrich yourself and not be able to gain from anyone else. You will not grow or become mature in this way.

Find someone who can teach you how to use your gifts...and find someone with lesser maturity in the same gift that you can pour yourself into.

5. FIND A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN FUNCTION IN THE GIFTS AND CALLING OF GOD

What use is a lightbulb in plain daylight? What value does a hammer have if it sits in a drawer, unused. What difference can a great composer make when he has no orchestra or sheet music? FIND A PLACE WHERE YOUR LIFE CAN COME TO LIFE FOR GOD AND HIS KINGDOM!

If you are an administrator and organizer - find a place that needs organization and offer to give yourself away. Find a pastor that needs help. If you are a musician, find a place where you can serve God and others in leading in worship.

DO NOT WAIT TO BE CALLED ON. How many have lost out...and ended up feeling empty in the kingdom of God because they waited for someone to call on them. FIND A PLACE TO USE YOUR GIFTS !!

DON'T FIND TOO LARGE OF A PLACE... You need to find a place which accomodates your current level of giftedness and gift maturity. You need to ensure that the place you find is not too big for you. Let it be a place where you can grow; however, don't step into shoes so big that you get frustrated over what you are supposed to do. Let the demand be enough to challenge you to grow further, but not so much that you become a frustration to yourself and those around you.

You don't just need knowledge, you need ACTION. If you have a gift you need to know three things TODAY...

1) Where can I use my gift at the current level of giftedness? ... Find that place TODAY!
2) When will I be using my gift? ... Make those plans TODAY!
3) Who do I need to tell about my gift? ... Tell those people TODAY!

THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN A BURIED TALENT.

LAUNCH OUT TODAY AND BECOME WHAT GOD HAS DECLARED YOU TO BE BY GIFTING YOU WITH HIS CHOSEN TALENTS!

Lessons From A Dog's Tail....

2010-02-24T09:36:00.001-06:00

WINTER.
Biting winds whistled through the deserted streets of a quaint, northern town. The temperature continued to drop, but that failed to deter one lone man from venturing outside. Heavily bundled he plunged through the sub-zero weather, with the ends of his plaid, woolen neck scarf flapping in the wind. Jake Matthews walked with steady, brisk strides. His hunched shoulders and forward lean gave him the appearance of a man on a mission. Who else would be out on such a fearsome night?

As Jake pressed onward to a destination known only to himself, he spotted a trembling, emaciated dog cowering for shelter behind a telephone pole. Something drew him a step closer. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a child had played a cruel prank on the poor dog.

Jake squinted. Sure enough, a tin can was tied to the dog’s tail and the rope was wrapped around the pole several times. In his frantic struggles to get free from the can, he must have run back and forth from pole to tree. All to no avail. Finally, with one last desperate dash in a circle, the animal had sealed his fate. Without a break in the weather, which was unlikely, he would make his last stand entangled around the telephone pole.

What a sorry sight! Jake thought as he stared at the dog. Compassion tugged at his heart. For the moment, he forgot how cold it was. Drawing closer still, he paused and inspected the creature. He’s skinny, all right. Looks miserable. Bald patches in his coat. A stray, no doubt. . .

Jake stooped down, reached out his hand and called to the dog. Suspicious at first, and for good reason, the dog overcame his fears and gradually approached. Inch by slow inch he crept forward, whining with each step. Gently, Jake reached out his hand and stroked the frightened animal, all the while speaking kind words. After removing the string and tin cane from his tail, the man lifted the dog up, opened his overcoat and tucked the bedraggled animal inside for the journey back home.

They arrived at last. As Jake went into the house, he explained to his wife how he found the half-starved little dog on the street. He urged her, “Please, sweetheart, put a blanket in the corner of the kitchen, by the heater where it’s warm. We’ll take care of him, at least for tonight.” He looked down and shook his head, “He would’ve died if I’d left him out in the cold.”

Mary smiled to herself, knowing her husband’s soft heart for strays. One night would never be enough. She returned with a suitable blanket and together they lovingly placed the still-quivering creature upon it. He whimpered softly. They offered a delicious bowl of warm milk and bread, followed by some scraps from the evening meal. The famished dog devoured the feast. For the first time in many months, he wagged his tail (with caution) for the unusual kindness bestowed on him.

The next day, as Jake and Mary awoke to the early morning sunlight, the dog greeted his benefactors with a slightly more enthusiastic wag of his tail. As the couple exchanged a quick glance, they reached a decision. The dog, thought not much to look at in his present state, had found a home.

“What should we name him, dear?” Jake asked. “He must have a name if he’s to be part of the family.” They were both silent for a few moments, then stared at the dog and at each other.

Mary volunteered with a chuckle, “The way he looks…Old Bones might suit him fine.”

“True, he’s not much of a prize right now,” he answered. “You just wait, though! In a month or so he’ll look like he’s got royal blood in him.” He paused and thought a moment. “How about Monarch for a name? Rather regal-sounding, don’t you think? Besides, that’s the name of a butterfly. You know how different they look from the caterpillar that spins a cocoon!”

Monarch he became.

Days and weeks passed since the new addition to the family. Time revealed an incredible metamorphosis taking place in the old dog. His eyes became clearer, his nose grew cool and moist, and his tail wagged vigorously whenever anyone even glanced his way. More remarkable, though, was his coat. The silky, russet-colored fur glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window onto his favorite napping spot. What a change in Monarch! After lots of good food and tender loving care, Jake and Mary could scarcely recognize the fine-looking animal as the same miserable stray of four weeks ago.

Each afternoon about four-thirty, Monarch whined and scratched at the door to go outside. He trotted to the end of the walk, sat by the gate and waited for his master to come home from work. The sound of the family car coming up the street was etched clearly in his memory. As soon as the familiar noise reached his ears, he would begin barking excitedly and thumping his tail with wild abandon. Joy… JOY! Master was home!

Then, when Monarch heard the car door slam shut, he could restrain himself no longer. He ran in circles and bounded about, almost knocking over his beloved Jake as he came through the gate. From that moment on, master and dog remained inseparable for the rest of the evening.

One night after dinner Jake was snoozing in his favorite easy chair with is arm dangling over the arm rest. Monarch lay nearby in utter bliss. Suddenly, Jake awakened to something wet nuzzling his hand. As he leaned over the side of the chair, his gaze met two of the most loving eyes any dog ever had for his master. He nodded and smiled as, over and over, Monarch licked the hand of the one to whom he owed his very life. It was the same hand, in fact, that had reached out to him in far different circumstances.

Above all else, one thing stood out in the scene. It was obvious that Monarch had followed Jake into the room and had lain by his side out of sheer devotion. He didn’t beg for food or whine for attention, but merely expressed gratitude for being able to rest in his master’s presence. Looking up with eyes filled with rapt adoration, and as the best way of expressing the love he felt – licking the hand of his master – Monarch was content. (A story by A.P. Gibbs)

Lessons Learned from a Dog’s Tail….

RECOGNIZE THE HURT

We cannot only recognize the hurting when they are brought to our attention. We must keep an eye open for the condition of people and the soul. Often our greatest enemy to finding and loving people is our “full speed ahead” mindset.

We walk so briskly through life “doing ministry” that we fail to see where to truly “minister”. If you do not desire for your schedule to be interrupted by people who are “tied to the pole”, then ministry is not for you. We need an eye for the hurting and must learn to “make haste slowly” enough to recognize where hurting is present. If you are so focused on YOUR destination how do you expect to get other people to THEIR destination? Isn’t that what leadership is about?

This was not Jake’s first rodeo with one stray. His wife recounted his ‘soft heart for strays’. Jesus had a soft heart for strays as well. He said that the true shepherd leaves the ninety-nine protected sheep to launch a search for the one who has gone astray from the fold. Self-serving ministry, leadership, and churches chase the strays off with brooms and rocks – not us. WE MUST DEVELOP A HEART FOR STRAYS.

LET COMPASSION GRIP YOU

When Jake saw the dog he did not judge where the dog had come from or determine how stupid the dog was for having run back and forth from pole to tree, sealing his own death sentence. Blame is not issue here – COMPASSION IS THE ISSUE. Even Jesus, who knew every detail of every life, saw people “tied to their pole” by their own fault, and was ‘moved with compassion’. Jake was so enveloped by this compassion that he forgot how cold it was. His present circumstance of sub-zero temperatures was forgotten when his eyes fell on the near death circumstance of this poor wounded dog. YOUR COMFORT and COMPASSION OF CHRIST are not easily married. Generally, having compassion on someone else will mean placing yourself in an uncomfortable and self-denying place.

DRAW CLOSER

People need faith. People need to feel like there is hope and help. People need to feel that they are worth finding and salvaging – that they have value to someone and to God. The presence of these needful feelings takes place when you draw close to them. A phone call with genuine concern, a visit with authentic relationship in mind or a sincere prayer will do wonders. Leaders are often afraid to let people in, but you cannot help them if you cannot reach the wound to bandage it. REACH OUT YOUR HAND AND CALL OUT .... but

EXPECT RECOIL AND SUSPICION

Remember that the last time they came near to someone there were “strings attached” – for this puppy, in a literal sense. The puppy was bounding around to play with some kids, pouncing, jumping, and rolling. He thought he was having fun. No walls. No boundaries. Just fun – relationship! You see where that openness and naivety got him? – a lonely bitter-cold death sentence. Don’t expect everyone to just trust you because others do. More often than not, just as the wounded dog hunkered down at the ‘reaching out’ of Jack’s hand, people will be suspicious of your motives as well- don’t take it personally.

MOVE GENTLY AND KINDLY

Leaders are used to ‘get it done!’ brisk, task-oriented lifestyle. People are not paperwork. You WORK with things, paperwork, tasks – you SERVE people. You do not WORK with people. If you look at people as WORK you will find yourself punching a time clock and feeling that people invade your life. They become a problem, not a calling or a burden.

You have to switch gears when serving people. You have to slow down…be GENTLE…and be KIND. This is when the fruit of the Spirit is so needful in ministry. People need to feel that genuine gentleness and sincere love and kindness – not the fake kind that sweetens the conversation until they walk away from you. They need the gentleness that comes from a leader who has met God in prayer for them before they meet the person face to face. A Kindness that flows from a heart who is willing to be give back to others from the bounty of goodness that God has given them. The more we take time to remember God’s so awesome mercy and gentleness in our lives, the more readily we will allow the same to flow out of us onto the ones who need it in desperate measures.

You must move to help, but you cannot ‘slam’ healing into someone. You cannot grow a garden overnight. Some things God needs us to handle gently and kindly.

REALIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE STRING AND TIN CAN ARE GONE, THE WOUND IS STILL THERE

It took Jake only a few seconds to unravel the tin can and string; however, it does us well to understand that deliverance may take a moment, healing can take some time. How many times I have met people who were raised a certain way, have experienced horrible things in their life, and because they came to God, people expected them to “shape up or ship out”. That attitude is as ungodly as it gets. We cannot underestimate the long-term effects of horrors that have befallen those God decides to rescue.

OFFER PROTECTION

Drawing close is not enough. Somehow we must offer protection. Jake took the wounded even closer than his hand; he put him under his coat in a warm sheltered place next to his heart. Stopping by to say “hi” is only the beginning of your position in helping someone to heal. They need to know you have totally committed to them. They need a place near your heart. They need to know you will protect them from others who have ‘strings and tin cans’.

One of the greatest ways of doing this is helping them to leave the cold. Get them into a different environment, physically and spiritually. And then, CONVINCE OTHERS OF THE NEED TO LOVE AND AID THEM. Jake told his wife of the sub-zero rescue in detail – and he rallied her compassion and willingness to sacrifice for the healing of the dog along with him. Others will wonder why you have chosen to open your life to ‘such a wretch’. Do not defend the wretch, but take that person to the pole, pour your heart out and endeavor to rally them to help and sacrifice for the same. In this way you are protecting the wounded. If people will not be rallied, they may have a few ‘strings and tin cans’ tied around their own tail.

RECOGNIZE YOU WERE SENT TO THEM BY GOD – AND DEATH WITHOUT YOU WOULD BE IMMINENT

It is true. It is a fact. It is simple. God knows every situation and you were sent to this person – no questions asked. The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. Do not take it as an option. God called you for this purpose. Jake look a final look down at the dog before he retired, exhausted for the night – and as he reviewed the whole scenario he stated, “He would have died if I’d left him out in the cold.” It is undeniable. You are irreplaceable. Without you, they will die.

REALIZE THAT HEALING CAN TAKE LONGER THAN YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE

Jake’s wife sees the horrific state of the poor dog. Even though the dog’s rescuer, Jake, says, “we’ll take care of him, at least for tonight”, she recognizes the fact. This may take more than a night or two. There are some things, as ministry, we can control and determine, but when it comes to how long healing will take- that determination is God’s. We must simply be committed to service, and when someone inquires, “How long?”, we should reply, “As long as God needs, “ because – One night may not be enough. Jake set out to be a hotel, but when God gives you a stray he has one thing in mind – A HOME. There is a big difference!

UNDERSTAND THAT FAMISHED PEOPLE DEVOUR WHAT IS OFFERED

I have personally stood in amazement of how much a dog can eat. I have heard it said that they will eat themselves to death if you allow them. I don’t know how true that is, but as ministry we should understand that famished people devour. They can easily be mistaken as ‘sponges’ and always looking for a ‘handout’. Is it so strange that starving people in third world countries are often arrested for violence which they committed in the name of hunger? Strays will get what they can – the thing is, no one owns them, so everything they get will generally belong to someone else. Jake feeds the wounded dog, and he inhales quickly to the last crumb. The dog knows nothing about stopping to enjoy the blessing or sharing with other dogs or doing something to deserve the meal – strays are scavengers and have learned that if they don’t demand or steal they will not lie down with a full belly. It causes them to become wild and mean… and they are not easily re-trained.

I was once confronted by a stray while on a door to door outreach campaign. That dog was incredibly intimidating. It was not afraid to show its teeth-it was territorial and threatened by my close proximity. This is the life of a stray. Always remember, “Hurt people hurt people”. They generally have no idea they are doing it – it is simply the way they were taught by someone’s example or maybe they were abandoned and had to ‘hit the streets’ and fend for themselves.

It is important to understand that this does not go away just because they are delivered from the ‘string and tin cans’. They must have someone to feed them, lead them, love them – and after they learn to trust, they will begin to see that God and you will be faithful. You must teach them how much they can have, how to get more, and bring balance to their diet. If they are not taught, they will maintain the same disposition as a stray, but now they will be in your home. Don’t be surprised if they tip over the trash can on the kitchen floor and bring havoc. It is your responsibility to train them to abandon the ‘devouring nature’.

REALIZE THAT DURING RECOVERY, YOU USUALLY AREN’T GOING TO GET ANYTHING IN RETURN

A small wag of the tail- that’s it! Don’t do what you are doing with the motive of getting something in return. You will be disappointed in them and frustrated in the relationship. You are in this for God. You are in this because God sent you, it is your calling, you are here to serve, and you know God’s reward will be incomparable to anything the stray has to offer. Jake fed the dog milk that took time to warm, along with bread and other food that someone had to buy, and just gave it to a nameless stray – and all he got in return was a few hesitant wags of the tail that were probably more directed at the food than the person giving it. You cannot expect people who are hurt to show gratitude – it’s just not realistic.

NAME THE PERSON AFTER THEIR POTENTIAL, NOT THEIR PRESENT CONDITION

David’s ‘mighty men of valor’ were really just a bunch of mess-ups. David was royalty in the making. Instead of labeling them as warriors, soldiers, or fighters, David said the vagabonds be called ‘mighty men of valor’. DAVID HAD A HEART FOR STRAYS – and loved the men more than himself.

Jack didn’t go to the store and get dog food and a water bowl. He made it more personal than that. He heated up some milk and took some fresh bread from the cabinet. He showed hospitality to the undesirable guest. When it came time to name the dog others suggested the name “Old Bones”, which was indeed the perfect name based on his current condition. Jack never stopped seeing beyond that ugly dog. When others would have taken the dog to the vet to have him put to sleep, Jack took him home and made a place for him. When others would have fed him water and dog food, Jack ransacked his cupboards. When others wanted to name him “Old Bones”, Jack refused and wanted to name him “Monarch” - A title of royalty. If you are their leader, how you treat people and how you view them is generally the way they will turn out. How many times David’s vagabonds risked their lives, breaking through gates of cities, storming the enemy while devouring their foe one by one – because David acknowledged them as MIGHTY and full of VALOR. If you treat people like dogs don’t be surprised when they come home with fleas. When you treat them like princes, don’t be surprised when they produce loyalty, bravery, courage, and become assets to the kingdom. Good leaders don’t see Old Bones, they see Monarchs.

TIME WILL REVEAL AN INCREDIBLE METAMORPHOSIS TAKING PLACE

Commitment to service brings true results. The true reward doesn’t come from untying ‘strings with tin cans’, it comes from the long-term permanent transformation. The result of your commitment to God and the hurting is undeniable. Sadly enough, a lot of leaders aren’t willing to stick around long enough to witness the transformation. It doesn’t happen fast enough for them.

Misery is turned into overwhelming joy. Clouded eyes are clear again. The physical appearance is renewed. The timid, hunkered down, freezing, fearful, and physically ravaged dog is now alert, mindful, loving, and other remarkable differences are obvious. It takes time and sacrifice to lead someone from ashes to beauty, but it is well worth the price.

LOYALTY AND WORSHIP TO THE MASTER WILL FOLLOW

This is the ultimate goal. If the loyalty of this ne-made creature is only to the human who rescued him, the rescuer has failed. Human relationship without the GODly connection is dangerous and lifeless. Jack was the rescuer and the Master – but that’s in dogland. In Godland it is different – we are used by God to rescue, lead, and bring healing. But we are called to lead people into the presence of the ONE that truly transforms. We do this by our example of aggressive love and persistent faith.
There are many leaders, but only one healer. Leaders deserve loyalty if they have nurtured thus far, but God deserves WORSHIP for the power of his amazing love and operation of Calvary. We must show them the cross and the source of our power. Take them to the one who took us to them.
How do you get people to be loyal to you as a leader? This happens automatically to the true godly leader who is leading toward the right things. Loyalty is a natural result of godly leadership, but the sole motive of men who would rather that others follow them than to worship Christ. Lead people to Jesus Christ, and forget about gaining their loyalty…they are one in the same. Show them the power of his presence, relationship with him, and the greatness of his regeneration in their life. If you have lead them to the Jesus I know, they will be sure to be more loyal to you than to any other person on earth. You will have a very strong sense of fulfillment as they ‘run to meet the Master’ every day…

Words easily written… not easily done.

ARE YOU TO COMFORTABLE FOR GOD?

2010-02-15T09:47:00.004-06:00

God wants to bless us. Better job. Better cars. Higher salaries. Make us happy. Give us comforts in life we never had before. He is such a wonderful God. Right?

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe God’s definition of blessed and ours is not congruent?
Have you ever thought about how the supernatural move of God took place n the Word in the lives of Biblical characters whose life examples leave us with horrible occurrences?

If Abraham was a friend of God then why did God make him leave his family, friends, home, to go to a place he didn’t even know the name of and then, to top that off, God demands the sacrifice of his only son? If that happened today I would look at the guy and probably say – “YOU are out of the WILL OF GOD, BOY!! Go back home!”

If Moses was in the will of God then why would God remove him from a palace and put him in a desert herding sheep? Can the will of God be for anyone to take a lower position in life? Many leaders look at those who do so today and declare, “I think that God is going to elevate you in his will, you may need to wait for the next opportunity where your benefits aren’t taken away…”

All the heroes of Hebrews “Hall of Faith” were incredible! Look how these men walking the power of God during their lives! They had a God who was totally in control of their lives! They must have had 401K benefits, comfortable living, increased blessing, and bliss! Let’s take a look….

Abraham was in the perfect will of God, promised lands, nations, and blessings. The only ground he ever owned after he went through all he did was the small parcel of ground on which he and his wife were buried.

Noah was in the perfect will of God… but he ended up building a boat in the middle of the desert and was misunderstood by his generation and ended up with a church of 8 folks. Not one convert (he must have taken a pastorate out of the will of God, right?)

Jacob was in the perfect will of God… and ended up being tricked and deceived by an ungodly relative who stole years of his life.

Joseph was in the perfect will of God… having dreams from God, yet abandoned by his family, tossed in a pit, sold into slavery, accused of rape, imprisoned.

No one was ever in the will of God like Jesus Christ. He was led of the Spirit and full of the Spirit.

Yet, he was born in a stable, almost murdered by a king, the most misunderstood man of his day, couldn’t rub two nickels together, forsaken, beaten, abused, crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb.

He never married. He never built a new home, never saved money, never advanced, never built a real kingdom… he lived a life that was obviously NOT blessed!

If we looked at

someone today

with the same life

characteristics as Jesus Christ

we would say,

“What a wasted life!!”

Yet the perfect will took him here… HOW COULD THIS BE THE WILL OF GOD? The will of God isn’t always what we think it should be.

Born in a stable – yes, but I doubt three rich kings could find him at the Comfort Inn.

Almost murdered by a king – yes, but what an opportunity for his father to have angelic visitation.

The most misunderstood man that ever lived – yes, but also the most quoted man that has ever lived.

Couldn’t rub two nickels together – yes, but he could get money from a fishes mouth.

Forsaken, beaten, abused, crucified, and laid in a borrowed tomb – yes, but he changed the course of all humanity!

God is more interested in our walking by faith than in our comfort! The life of faith will not always give you palaces and pleasantries, raises and royalties – THE SUPERANTURAL MOVE AND WORK OF GOD FINDS ITSELF IN THE PLACES OF DISCOMFORT.

Have you ever been changed by a comfortable message?

Have you ever been healed by a comfortable prayer?

Has anyone ever been transformed by a comfortable altar call?

Has there ever been a soul born again and discipled via comfortable means?

Has there ever been a financial miracle not preceded by uncomfortable and sacrificial giving?

Has comfortable worship ever launched you into his presence for long term transformation?

NO! NO! NO! – These people of the Hall of Faith are not just to be admired by us – they are our EXAMPLES which we should follow!!

Name one miracle that came as a result of comfort? Jesus never said, “Sit in you Lazy Boy and be thou healed!”… ANYWHERE YOU FIND THE TRULY SUPERNATURAL YOU FIND AN ABSENCE OF THE COMFORABLE! Muddy spit in the eyes, Paul and Silas shackled in prison, Naaman dips 7 times, and rooftops being ripped off are always the atmosphere of the miraculous!!

We want to know, are the pews padded? How long is the prayer meeting going to be? Is he going to preach long? Can we just fast from sun up to sun down? How much money can I give and not be uncomfortable?

Peter was in the boat. The storm is raging. He sees what seems to be Jesus.

He doesn’t get ‘spiritual stupidity’ and just jump into the water and try to walk on it. He asks, “If it is you, bid me come!” I am not talking about taking drastic measures just to see if something will happen… I am trying to get us to see that God has already made provision for the miraculous in our lives. We know it is him on the water! We need to get out of the boat where we know he is out of the boat!!

We need to rid ourselves

of this “the will of God is

comfortable, pleasing,

smooth sailing” mentality!!

Jesus said that particular

dimensions of his will won’t

even come without the elementary

discomforts of prayer and fasting!!

We are crying out for comfort! We like our salaries, our vehicles, our clothes, our styles, our ideas, our fashions – AND GOD SAYS WE ARE POOR, NAKED, AND LUKEWARM!!

He said we are to receive a

“New Comfortor”…

A Comfortor granted by heaven that gives us the only comforts we should be thriving on! When we are comfortable in the flesh this NEW COMFORTOR is grieved!! We are praying for God to resurrect living flesh and He is resounding – NO!!- my resurrection power will only be found where the flesh has been killed!

Paul, if you are not shipwrecked you won’t get to Melita. If you are not in the storm you will not reach the barbarians on the island and shake off the vipers!

God did not save us and turn us into little sheltered, ideal, materially prosperous, happy, giddy, living in bliss little children of the Almighty! I think not. If we looked at the lives of the disciples and all of the battles they went through we would shake our fist at hell and declare this is an “attack of Satan!”… but, just maybe Jesus put you guys in that boat, told you to meet him on the other side, then he roused up a storm, tossed you on the see, so you could have the chance to know him as no one in the history of all humanity ever will – the water walker and wind-calmer!

Maybe when we think we are under an “attack of Satan” we are really under an “attack of God”. I need more of those. So Lord, move me from my comfortable place. Maybe I should understand that if I am not walking with some sort of limp, Jacob, I have probably not experienced the blessing that God really wants me to have.

I NEED AN ATTACK OF GOD!

Are you to comfortable for God?

KNIFE JUGGLING OR GRANDSTAND MINISTRY?

2010-02-09T13:29:00.002-06:00

During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.

Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.

At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.

And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty.

WE HAVE BEEN CALLED….from the womb as a leaders! We cannot minimize the meaning of that! You are not where God has placed you to steer a boat; but, God has called you to chart the course. There is a big difference! With your call to kingdom leadership, God is depending on you to tap into the resources buried in the land he has prearranged for you. You can’t just live on relief, trying to build a spiritually wealthy church with the likes of grass, water, and sheep, when – in the depth of the land there is an incredible potential of life-changing substance! We must start doing more than leading sheep, we must start drilling!!

The impact and influence the church has in your community is all hinged on the leaders at the front. Whether the church will be fledgling or thriving will be largely based on how we lead. God intends to use the current leadership of the church to develop, grow, and influence the release of potential for new leadership. There is no greater empowerment than that of empowering individuals to lead in their unique spiritual gifts!

IT TAKES MORE THAN BODIES

Mega-churches. I have read from “mega-pastors” that mega-churches aren’t everything they are cracked up to be – yet everyone wants one. We live in a generation where bigger is better, reach the masses, fill the stadiums, and have more than one church campus. I am not against doing kingdom work with the masses, but if all we have is a assembly of bodies, we are going to have flocks of flesh! Numbers may prove our ability to get the crowds to draw near, but it is about the only thing it proves about our leadership.

We need more than a group of bodies. Paul says in I Cor. 7:7, "Each one has his own spiritual gift." Also, I Peter 4:10, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another." Our first responsibility as land owners is to make sure land ownership is definite, but our second greatest responsibility is to recognize, develop, and employ the spiritual gift(s) that the work of Salvation implants into the people God has given us. God gave you the land, but don’t forget that “there’s gold in them there hills!” The true difference is made when we are able to capture the gifts in those bodies.

As Kingdom Leaders we must understand that…

God determined the place and time of each person’s existence. People are given by God to you for the ministry God has given you. Look at what Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” Sounds like Paul was making some decisions “on purpose” to build his team.
You need EVERY person’s gift to fulfill the work God has called you to do. I Cor. 7:7, "Each one has his own spiritual gift.” If each person has a/some spiritual gift(s), and God has given them to you, then every person’s gift must be harvested. NO GIFT LEFT BEHIND. You can’t be prejudiced or have likes and dislikes or pre-determined ideas about who can be used and why or why not. If God saved them, God intends to use them in YOUR ministry for NOW.
You must become an expert at recognizing what spiritual gifts are and what proclivity to certain gifts are in what people. Familiarize yourself thoroughly with the 21 different gifts listed in Eph. 4:11, Rom. 12:3-7, and 1 Cor. 12:1-12, 28. They are generally assigned to one of three categories, as listed below:

                                   • Ministry (office) gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.
                                   • Motivational (practical) gifts: Service, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership,
                                     Mercy, Helps and Administration.
                                   • Charismatic (spiritual) gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Prophecy,
                                     Tongues, Interpretation, Faith, Healing and Miracles.

Salvation is not enough. God wants YOU as the leader to take responsibility for unveiling the gift, guidance in developing the gift, and leading an open way for the gifts to be used.
You cannot be stuck on the obvious outward gifts; some gifts are not overtly noticeable. You can’t build a healthy church on the obvious gifts alone.
If we are spending more of our time developing our technology, encouraging trendy worship experiences, new methods, etc. than we are developing the spiritual gifts of the people of God, we are failing as leaders. What we begin in the flesh will have to be maintained by the arm of the flesh, what is initiated by the Spirit, the Spirit will maintain.

RECOGNIZING THE PROCLIVITY

To elaborate a little more on our calling as a leader to develop the spiritual gifts in people….
Even if you feel you know, it is not your position to tell people where they are gifted; however, it is your responsibility to lead and guide them into a relationship with Christ that will set them on the course to the discovery of their gifts.

A man is pulled over by a police officer for a broken headlight. The cop looks in the car and sees a collection of knives on the backseat. "Sir," he says. "Why do you have all those knives?"
"They’re for my juggling act," the man replies.
"Prove it," says the cop.
The man gets out of the car and begins juggling the knives just as two men drive by.
"Man," says one guy. "I’m glad I quit drinking. These new sobriety tests are hard."

Not everyone can juggle knives! Some people are more prone to certain spiritual gifts. If you want to help people find their spiritual gift, take a look in their “back seat”. What is currently there? God generally uses what they already have, baptizes it with His Spirit, and uses it for his kingdom. Moses was a shepherd, and when God went to use him he asked him, "What is in thy hand?" The answer - a common rod. When given to God, the rod becomes a powerful tool.
Often a person’s spiritual GIFTS are what comes easy to them that is not so easy for others?

Giving guidance is just as much about expressing what a person is not. Due to the fact that there are gifts that are outwardly worked and recognized more often, many are prone to covet them. I know men who, because preaching, prophesying, and the gift of tongues and interpretation are seen as the ‘best’ gifts, try to walk in these gifts and do so in utter failure. Do not be backward about being lovingly honest to the ones you lead about what you see – honest feedback is a leader’s responsibility. People who insist on working in gifts to which they have not been called will bring utter frustration, confusion, and become more of a liability to ministry than anything else.

As a leader, we must not allow ourselves to be single focussed about gifts – only developing and nurturing those with the obvious and outward gifts that are expressed ‘congregationally’, such as preaching and teaching. You must bring balance by consistently teaching ‘every person in HIS own gift’. You will do the kingdom, the church, and your own ministry a great injustice if all gifts are not pursued and cultivated. Bring the ministry God has given you to its FULLEST POTENTIAL, not just its OBVIOUS POTENTIAL. Remember, the iceberg above the water is obvious, but it is small compared to what is below the surface. If we only nurture the obvious gifts and fill in the gaps with talent and other attributes, we endanger the church body of being led by the flesh, not by the Spirit. The Spirit chooses to operate through gifts given to EVERY person. If the gifts are not in operation, quite frankly, the spirit is not in operation. We cannot dismiss this as the structure that God has established.

WE MUST NOT CREATE A GRANDSTAND CHURCH – where people fulfill Acts 2:38 and if they are not called to the function of one of the gifts necessary for the church platform, then they stay out of the playing field and find a seat in the grandstand. Listen, the only ones who are supposed to be onlookers are those who are not yet filled with the Holy Ghost! As leaders, we have to take active steps to getting folks out of the grandstand and into the ‘playing field’!

KINGDOM MINDED LEADERS MUST

GRASP AND TEACH THE FOLLOWING

You cannot be spiritually connected and committed if you are not using the gifts God put within you.

If there is a lack somewhere in the church, in ministries, worship, community/social work, children’s ministries, etc. – then there is someone not functioning in their spiritual gift. God creates no dismembered bodies. What are you NOT doing?

There is no substitute for YOU in the kingdom work. You are a necessary member of the body of Christ, locally and worldwide.

Don’t covet the best gifts. Don’t seek gifts you don’t have – function fully in the gift you do have.

The true church doesn’t wait for God to show up, they understand that he chose spiritual gifts through which to make his presence known. If he shows up here, we rarely need a pillar of fire!
If you will function in your spiritual gift, you will not constantly be asked to do things that are not your spiritual gift. Operating in the gift God has given removes frustration from the body of Christ.

Abundant life is truly found in functioning in the gift God has given you.

The church begins with individuals and the work of the church begins with individuals.

You cannot have active ministry without active gifts. The Spirit chooses to minister through people who have gifts he has given. If people are not ministering, the Spirit IS NOT ministering.

If you are not serving in the kingdom, you are not surrendered to the King. God’s spirit enables us for a life of service after we surrender ourselves to him. You cannot surrender yourself just to receive salvation and then pick your ‘self’ back up after salvation and be pleasing to God.

The more one uses his spiritual gift, the more he grows in Christ. You cannot obtain this growth via any other method- it only comes by exercising the spiritual gift God has placed in you.

Church attendance is no substitute for individual spiritual commitment. Tabulating the work of the Spirit is much more important than counting bodies on an attendance roster.
The flesh is still a yoke to the born again believer. The greatest deliverance God gave us was from ourselves – so we should not rely on ourselves to do the work of God in this earth.

Operating in the spiritual gift God has given you will bring fulfillment, remove envy of other’s gifts and abilities from your life, stop you from thinking everyone should have your gifts, and launch you into being a spiritual giant. The greatest remedy for spiritual dissatisfaction is operating in your spiritual gift.

The more you know the gift in you, the more you know God.

There is more to walking than the phraseology of it – to walk in the Spirit is to actively function in your gifts.

You were not saved by works, but you were saved to do works – if you find yourself not working in the kingdom, you are not functioning in your gift.

If we are not working in our spiritual gifts, we have transformation of salvation, but we will not transformation of the church as a whole.

Take your gifts seriously - just as seriously as your pastor takes his.

You must develop your gifts FULLY by studying the Word, reading about subjects surrounding your gifts, prayer, and fasting.

You must consider the presence of your gift as the only invitation you need to exercise it. Deploy your gifts boldly – do not wait on human invitation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The only guarantee we have of the power of God meeting with us is the yielding of each individual to the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. This is God's method of operations.

Currently we focus so much on preaching or music as the conduits through which God does the work in each service to our detriment. We limit the operation of the Spirit among us to those gifts alone. What if we were all connected? Can you imagine the diversity and fullness of the work of the Holy Ghost we would experience? Talk about new dimensions!

TRY IT…
Take a church directory and a pen. Go down the list and write down the spiritual gifts of the people next to their names. Now write down how they are developing that gift and deploying that gift in active ministry in the local church? Is it happening….? What does the current percentage of active members say about your leadership at this point?

I tried it. It seems that we are only tapping into about 25% of the gifts in our local congregation! Unbelievable! I have no idea whatsoever what some of the member’s gifts are! Imagine what would happen if we had 300% more of the work of the Spirit and the power of God in operation in our church throughout the week…

Are you ready to take them to a new dimension??? We better start unwrapping the gifts God has given us!

The Beast or The Prince?

2010-02-06T13:51:00.001-06:00

THE BEAST OR THE PRINCE?

One moment he is KING. Truly savage and baring his teeth to protect his kingdom. He lunges with his claws and releases a roar that sends chills to the bone and curdles the blood. In short order darkened eyes turn tender and he becomes approachable, kind, generous, and wholeheartedly open to the world. His gentleness and meekness is almost unbelievable.

These are the two sides to every leader, without exception. I must confess today that my heart is human, but my calling is from heaven – all leaders struggle to ensure the BEAST in us does not rule but that we allow the PRINCE locked away in our hearts to arise and be the honorable leader God has created in us.

Believe it or not, King Herod was known by the magistrates of his day to be the one who kept the peace. He was a magnificent architect and builder. He constructed a winter palace in Jericho and a palace so beautiful in Arabia that it astonished the premiere architects of the hour. He had no problem fighting for his people. He would take a stand and refuse to allow those he lead to be captured, mistreated, or treated as a lower creation.

He was a fabulous leader – UNTIL…

UNTIL his position was personally questioned…then he murdered his wife, Mariamne.

UNTIL he heard how others believed in his sons to be great rulers… then he had three of his most successful sons assassinated.

UNTIL he heard a new ‘king’ was born in Bethlehem… then he unleashed a mass murder upon the newborn males in Judea.

UNTIL he was more interested in his own pleasure than the good of the people… then he allowed foolishness to take the head of the forerunner of Jesus Christ.

HEROD DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO KEEP HIS BEAST AT BAY!

There were differences between what the Spirit of Herod would allow and what the Spirit of Christ would allow – and we have the Spirit of Christ!

HEROD’S SPIRIT focused on production, results, and using people as the stones on which he built his kingdom.
CHRIST’S SPIRIT focused on building men. His focus relationships, developing others, and becoming the stone on which other’s could be built.

HEROD’S SPIRIT began naming palaces, landmarks, and mountains after himself to promote his power and fame.
CHRIST’S SPIRIT thought not on earthly gain and used the power of his name to benefit other’s, not himself.

HEROD’S SPIRIT was threatened, insanely jealous, full of selfish ambition and self-protection at any cost.
CHRIST’S SPIRIT was secure and confident, recognizing that authority began with God, and was willing to protect and shield others, regardless of the personal price he would have to pay.

HEROD’S SPIRIT took life from the earth and wounded those closest to him.
CHRIST’S SPIRIT gave life to the earth and aggressively sought out the broken hearted to bind up their wounds.

HEROD’S SPIRIT created a kingdom that after Herod’s death, was divided, went to ruins, and crumbled.
CHRIST’S SPIRIT built a kingdom that became eternal, united, and still thrives in our generation.

There is a Herod in us all…

It is constantly trying to become king of the mountain…
It longs to rule, feels threatened by others, wants to build for himself, and is passionate about getting his way even at the expense of others.
He refuses to become a servant to anyone. He thinks power and influence is gained by ‘knowing it all’. He feels people are disposable and leaves a path of fractured relationships wherever he shows up. He will spend people, not himself. He will fulfill his needs, not the needs of others. His only influences are power, fear, and position. His monuments are things, not people.

There is a Christ within us all…

He sees the chosen ones as those he serves. He exists to serve not to be served. He understand leading is not godly unless serving is it’s central focus. He sees no one as they are- but he seeks a way for the power within him to build the people he encounters. He looks beyond the present weaknesses and faults and seeks a way to ensure they are not permanent. He keeps his eye on no earthly gain but remains thoroughly fixed on the heart of his mission – God and people. He gives his love, his life, his breathe – and chooses Calvary over self. He will die so others can live. He hurts for the hurting and is burdened for those yoked by the hardness of sin and life. He seeks to promote others and to protect them. He covers sin with his love. He spends himself instead of others. He does not see people as a way to complete what he wants to accomplish, but he sees them as the reason he has been sent. People are his monuments. He gives power and strangles fear. Even with his obvious power, he lives to sacrifice.

Will Herod live in you or shall Christ live in you?

It would be nice if it was simply a matter of choice, but I must understand…. The Spirit of Herod tried to murder that newborn baby king in Judea, and the spirit of Herod in me stills tries to do the same…

How do I keep the Spirit of Christ in control of my leadership?

Joseph and Mary had to steal away to a place beyond Herod’s reach….and there they found protection for the baby to grow…

If you want the Spirit of Christ to grow in you and remain in control of your leadership, you will have to steal away beyond Herod’s reach…

The most valuable thing you can do as a leader is to ensure you daily find a place in the presence of God and in His Word…a place beyond the reach of Herod.

And Herod will not reign… but the Prince of Peace. That’s the kind of leadership that changes the world!

Six Myths Leaders Need To Know About the Will of God!

2010-02-02T11:51:00.011-06:00

Our city has a deep history – literally. We have strip mines throughout all of Southern Illinois. As a matter of fact, the city of Cutler, Illinois where I reside was built on top of underground shafts. It is astounding how many millions of dollars in resources, equipment, manpower, and other wherewithal was used to get to one thing: COAL. Picking and digging around the clock to get to the carbon source which fueled locomotives, homes, factories, and entire industries. It seems some leaders exhaust themselves endeavoring to find that precious resource that fuels our lives – the will of God; however, being in his will is paramount in leadership.

I have labored in study over this subject for several months so it has become a recurring theme in my writing. I don’t feel bad, though, as it is the recurring theme of the entire Bible. Regardless of where you flip the page men are deciphering the moral will of God, endeavoring to understand the sovereign will of God, and pondering the particular will of God. I would like to share what personal revelation God has given me about the particular will of God for leadership, ministry, and the followers who journey with us.

There are some things that are simply not true about the will of God!!!

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Saul was knocked off his horse and Elijah was surrounded by wind and fire and earth tremors; but,there does not have to be a “shaking” experience as proof that a particular direction is the will of God!

We must not forget that God has spoken his will to millions of called men and yet seldom did the earth shake or magical fire flare to the sky. Sometimes God chooses to shine a heavenly light, send angels, or shake the earth, but more often than not, he speaks his will in passing. You find him in I Kings 19 speaking with a ‘still small voice’. The will of God is a knowing that comes to us when we genuinely long to know his purpose and plan. In reality, God was showing Elijah where the will of God WAS NOT. Elijah found no will of God in the fierce wind, flaming fire, or quake – but he did find the voice of God in a whisper. How many times I have had the wrong motive or my heart was seeking my own "super showing" of God trumpetting to the world and beyond his perfect will for me. Maybe the key is more in seeking HIM, and somehow, by default, the will of God just happens to be a part of the package that comes along with intimacy with Jesus Christ.

Adam got to the point where he looked for that voice to take his daily stroll. Adam walked with the Voice of God in the cool of the day. If you walk with his voice, you will hear his will. You don’t need fireworks.

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God truly detests the mundane and ritualistic. He is not interested in giving you a point by point, step by step, level by level synopsis to follow. Following God will never come from a road-map, but from relationship. How many preachers have gone astray from the will of God because they followed the, pardon the expression, “denominal” MapQuest to ministry: (1) Go to Bible School (2) Marry a wife (3) Pastor a church…. ???

The children of Israel are wandering in the desert. Remember when God calls Moses to the mountain and gives him a MapQuest?? – I don’t think so! He gave him the recipe that ends "wandering". He gave him guidelines on entering into a pleasing and holy relationship with Jehovah. Afterwards, he installed stop lights on their journey - a pillar of fire in the night and a pillar of cloud in the day. The only thing differently God could have done was shouted, "I want you to stop your wandering so why don't you start spending time with me, pleasing me, and following me daily!!! When I am your REASON for living, you will find yourself in downtown Metro Canaan! The Almighty reveals his will through the relationship you have with him. When you are following him, it seems, you will most definitely end up in Canaan – it is that simple; so, quit searching for Canaan and start search for God. (He knows where Canaan is!)

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This is what makes the will of God so difficult for folks like me! How many leaders refuse to say, “Lord, I will do whatever you want!”, because they fear what his reply may be. When you refuse to make that declaration, you fail to be a leader. True leaders follow God - whenever, wherever, however...

After chewing up the Word on this subject for months, I am more certain now than ever that God wants you to know his will more than you want to know it. I am also more certain that even though, at first glance your "promise land" may include ‘giants’, once you pitch your tent there will be no place you would rather be!

What father, after his son has said, “Dad, I will do whatever you want?”, would look at his wife and say, “Wow, our son just surrendered everything to me and said he will do whatever I want him to. How can we make his life utterly unhappy?”? Your joy will be full when you follow God’s will, not destroyed!

Furthermore, God WANTS to show his will… He desires to reveal his will… He is passionately waving it in front of your face! I do not believe the will of God is lost – so I equally declare it is wrong to say you must find it!! It may be unseen by you but, as your relationship in him grows; the will of God becomes much clearer. You will walk in his perfect will according to the level of your relationship with God!

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After study, it is my view that your life’s journey is the will of God. Often, because God intends for it to flow from our daily relationship, the will of God is revealed to us daily.

How often do you take steps? The obvious answer would be EVERY DAY – unless you are bound by some extreme handicap. The Bible says, “The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.” This doesn’t mean that you stand in one place by the car waiting for God to tell you which direction to walk toward the entrance of the grocery store!! It means that a man who seeks after God’s righteousness, right living, and pursues his relationship with God ever so passionately will one day realize that the will of God is nothing he has to find, but it has found him.
His steps have been ordered of the Lord as a result of his love for God.

The will of God may keep take you to a different landscape than where it has you today.

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Let’s face it. Generally, the more materialism we gain, the more earthly authority we are given, and the more comfort we obtain, the less we can hear the whisper of God. The things of earth are cottonballs in our ears when we approach to hear his faint voice. God is interested in blessing us and taking us to new dimensions of physical prosperity; however, never at the cost of insensitivity to his loving voice and quality time.

I have erred in my thinking on these lines. I shouldn't be so foolish and arrogant that I believe if I am the assistant at one church then it is automatically God’s will for me to be the senior pastor at the next church. If we are pastoring 50 then, if God transitions us, we will pastor a greater number. The will of God is about your relationship with him and whatever gets him the most glory – that may just require you to shift gears downward, not upward. The beautiful thing is, as long as you walk in his will, you will always move to a greater dimension in the things that truly matter to God - intimacy and anointing.

Do not let anyone convince you that the kingdom of God is like the corporate world – God’s view of me moving “up” may not be what the corporate world signifies moving “up”.

Often, God moves us to places of discomfort so that our dependence and trust is found in Him - alone.

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Elijah is confronted by prophets of Baal and chased by Jezebel – in the will of God.

Paul has to continue as a tent-maker, is beaten, shipwrecked, and seized by barbarians and a viper – in the will of God.

John is boiled alive in oil – in the will of God.

Need I go on?.... In the will of God you will have peace, but God has never promised "smooth sailing". The will of God often takes us to storms. Storms have a way of stealing our independence. Storms shatter our human talents and they bring a quick end to our dependance on our abilities. Where we end, God begins. Where our natural efforts become useless, his supernatural work begins. Storms are the only place where you walk on the water with him. God’s men are generally ‘storm chasers’.

Some transitions toward doing the will of God are very smooth; but, more often than not, people, peoples'opinions, finances, the “ideal”, and a myriad of other variables will endeavor to cut you off from doing what God has spoken. Do it anyway – this is where true Apostolic power and anointing are born, in the womb of adversity. It was the will of God for David to slay Goliath, but he had to run toward him in spite of his esteemed elder brothers calling him nothing more than a lunchboy and trying to send him home. Sometimes, the people we love and respect the most insist on making the will of God a place of heavy burden - they insist on forcing us into that heavy and impossible armor.

(HERE'S A SEVENTH BONUS MYTH FOR THE ROAD...)

Myth Seven: Everyone will know it is the will of God.

Simply not true. It is understood that you will know it is the will of God – but no one else has to know. When my mother passed away the only one that knew her will was the executor of the will. All others could have fought what the executor stated - but that would have been foolish wouldn't it? It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks - God's will for you is, well - GOD'S WILL FOR YOU!

If a man checks his spirit and knows he has sincerely and genuinely sought the face of God, his heart is uncontaminated, and his motives are pure, then he should do what he knows God is calling him to do. Case closed.

I would like to speak to those who are leaders of other leaders. You will have the responsibility to prayerfully offer your viewpoint to those who are seeking the will of God. You are not a Lord over God’s heritage – you are an overseer of the flock of God. You must passionately and wholeheartedly deliver your soul to this person; but, it is imperative that you remember you can only give people two things (1) Godly direction (2) genuine love. If those people receive your godly direction but do not follow what you feel needs to occur, then all that remains is genuine love. Love them as they endeavor to do what they feel is the will of God for their life. It is not easy, especially when you feel they are making a mistake; nevertheless, often no one knows the will of God, except the one who KNOWS what God is speaking to them.

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When I came to Cutler, Illinois there was no doubt in our hearts it was the will of God. The chain of events prior to moving to the Mexican border was ordered of God. The steps of a man who truly wants God’s righteousness always will be thus ordered. Those events left an open door through which God would bring us where we are today.

There were no fireworks or whirlwinds – one day my wife and I just had a “knowing”. Our hearts were sincere and genuine – and we found ourselves led of the Lord.

IT WAS NOT A WALK IN THE PARK EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD!

We came to Illinois without income or a residence. We actually moved into the evangelist quarters. God provided from there. Many close friends insisted that this move was not the will of God due to the lack of earthly provisions. They said, “If it was the will of God, don’t you think God would have provided a job and a place to live? God just doesn't work like this!” At times those statements shook me, but all I could reply was, “I just know in my heart this is what I am supposed to do.” Regardless of how things look, the only thing a man can do is “know” with a pure heart that what he is doing is what God showed him.

My wife and I truly desired the will of God. I was a driven 24 year old man, very impetuous, and arrogant…but I was also very interested in doing what God wanted me to do. I have learned that even though a person is growing and developing in many areas that aren't so 'tip top shape' yet, if their passion to do the will of God runs deep - God already has a plan in mind to take care of the shortcomings. I'm a true witness that His grace is sufficient!

The leadership in my life at the time of our move to Cutler was in total disagreement with my decision. I was assured that I was off target and out of God's will. They meant well.

Many of friends did not understand what I was doing. For them, it seemed I was moving backward, not forward. I had already been involved in pastoral ministry and travelled for several years on the evangelists' field - through their eyes I was taking a ministry of ten years and trading it in for a move to a church where I was offered no salary, no position, no employment, no house, and to top it all off, the town only had 500 people in it and very little hope for a fairly successful future!! I had to be out of my mind!

You just can’t look at the will of God through your human eyes - your vision will blur every time! You have to do what you know God has given you to do. I have learned that if what I am about to do doesn't require faith and trust - then it probably doesn't involve God in the first place. Listening to human reasoning, "Job's friends", will get you to seeing ashes and sacloth every time.

Don't forget that when Peter ended his night walking on the water with Jesus, it wasn't their decision to be in that boat in the first place. Jesus initiated the trip to the other side! You may end up sailing toward what appears to be a deserted island – but God orders the steps of righteous men! The majority of people in my life were against it – and some were God-fearing and wise men. Don't be disappointed in them - God will work it all out in the end.

If I listed the reasons God brought us to Cutler, Illinois, that list would never end! God’s education program and training boot camp are premiere!

Don’t fret. Love God. Seek him daily and HE WILL order your steps. If you fail at doing what you feel is the will of God YOU WON'T BE THE FIRST! If you do sink, Peter, you will have already done a whole lot more than the others who sit in the boat and are uninterested in trying to walk on the water! Swim back to the boat and continue growing in your relationship with God.

Don't be fooled by those who are seasoned and may have forgotten the days they spent soaked to the bone. When you are running with the big ships it is easy to forget how you once shipwrecked in a John-boat... If every man of God walked always in the will of God then very few would have the wisdom to help others along!

Endeavoring to do the will of God has taught me incredible things – and somehow I just “know” I’m still right where he wants me!

Does Anyone Have a Corn Stretcher?

2010-01-22T08:41:00.000-06:00

The petal to the metal. I lived it all the time. While on the evangelist field for 4 years I may have received more than 7 tickets for speeding. I’m well known by the state troopers perched on overpasses from Tucson, Arizona to Pensacola, Florida. I got friends at high paces!

VELOCITY. What does it get you? You are zipping through traffic, barely clearing the no-passing zone, hit the gas to put the one you just passed deep into your review mirror only to be sitting side by side with him at the next red light (trying not to look obvious that you are ignoring eye contact as if that is the only way for you to confess your road rage through two windows).

There is a time when “urgency” becomes a liability, not an asset. A point when in order to get on with revival, the will of God, the next step in your ministry and life, or the next level in our churches we are barely clearing the passing zone. I have known some people to become so reckless in an automobile that I have refused to go along for the ride unless I was controlling the wheel.

Can you force a flower to spring from the ground on your time-clock? Can you compel a two month baby to walk by duct taping him to a walker? I don’t think so. God is more interested in us learning from the process of things, the means, than the end. It is the process that teaches us to depend on Him and to love people – to be personal, kind, and patient and to grow in His image. Even the Almighty could have thought about blinking His eye and created the world in less than a mille-second. Did He? No – He did it through a process.

If something is in your power to do – then you must do it quickly, yet efficiently. But you must determine which things you control and which things you have ZERO control over. Those ‘God-reserved’ processes are set aside for God’s calendar, not ours’.

I AM LEARNING THAT WHEN I TRY TO SPEED THROUGH LIFE AND MINISTRY

• I lose sight of the details.
There is no scenic route for the urgent leader. I find that if I am simply interested in getting from point A to point B, everything in between becomes a blur. I hate to think of all the experiences that I have lost because I wanted to rush things.

• I seem arrogant and unconcerned about people.
I am a pretty driven person – so much that I will DRIVE right past the people that matter. A key indicator of my ‘going to fast’ is that I am doing a whole lot on my own. If I am flying solo, then there is no one on the jet with me. I am going someplace on my own – and I find myself blaming people for not wanting to follow or being lazy. The bottom line is, no one wants to ride with a reckless driver. People want to feel leisure and relaxed around me – not like I am going to pounce and prod every time I catch a glimpse of their face.

• I take unnecessary risks.
I love going fast. I own a Chrysler 300C with a HEMI. My wife loves it, too. She’ll hit the petal, the car will fish tail, her eyes turn red and she starts screaming “HEMI POWER!”. Ok, it’s not that bad (her eyes don’t turn red), but close enough. The fact is once you gain such a high speed your surroundings control you instead of the other way around. What happens if, in the middle of the HEMI rage, we hit a patch of water and hydroplane or we didn’t have time to see another car pulling from a side road? Focusing on ‘speed’ will force you into places of unnecessary risks. I am not talking about necessary risks that will produce results; I am talking about hazardous, unnecessary risks that can produce chaos, havoc, failure, shame, failure, frustration, and ultimately SIN. There is a big difference between taking a bonafied risk and being foolish or careless. Even though there are whole sports divisions that maximize on the 'fast and the furious', as leaders, we should not be so enticed by these dangerous and fun-looking speeds - it just doesn't work in leadership.

• I live in a state of frustration.
A young farmer has planted a huge field of corn. After two weeks into the crop he sees the corn has only sprouted about 5 inches high. He makes his way into the field and starts with the first row. He grabs the little leaves of the sprout and talks to it gingerly and starts to tug at its leaves. The leaf breaks. He moves to the next one and pulls on the stalk to try to stretch it a little thinking that because it is a little thicker it may be able to take it. The stalk snaps. By this time he is frustrated and well into the afternoon he has gone through a whole row of seedlings.
He has left utter chaos in his path. In his trail he has left behind a whole row of broken, snapped, uprooted, and withered plants. He is frustrated. He wonders what he has done wrong. He has ruined a wonderful crop. He has done irreparable damage. HE COULD HAVE PLANTED THE SEED AS FAST HE WANTED – that was in his control. But the growing of the seed is in God’s hands. When I am sincerely frustrated I need to take a look at my speedometer.

• I find myself disappointed in myself and God.
I have reasoned with God about where He has me. I have inquired about why things are no different. Sometimes I have done it with true inquiry in mind – I simply needed to ask and I wanted to know the answer. Other times, I knew the answer – I just asked out of pure arrogance and disappointment. Amazing how the farmer thinks he knows better than the Creator. With God, timing is everything. But not ONLY timing, but the rate or speed we do His will. He wants us to love people and slow down and take time with Him. I have seen so many pictures of cowboys wrangling stampeding cattle, but I have never seen a picture of a shepherd wrangling stampeding sheep. Sheep are 24/7 grazers. True leadership must understand that God’s great works take time and that on the road to true ministry there are more yellow lights and red lights than there are green lights.

God only has one speed. HIS.

What Do I Do When They are Caught Between the Stones?

2010-01-21T12:46:00.000-06:00

The movie The Ten Commandments shows a scene where an elderly lady is laboring in the hot sun among the many Hebrew slaves who are being driven to build Pharoah's kingdom at record speed. The elderly lady is greasing the ropes being used to set the monstrous stones in place and the hem of her clothing gets stuck between the joints. The stone moves in to crush her. The Hebrews are yelling for the work to halt to prevent the woman's death. The slave-drivers see her, turn their heads to the horror, and demand the work goes on. Her blood will become the mortar between the stones. This kingdom must be built at whatever expense - it matters not. Well, it is good to know that Joshua swings down a rope from nearby and opens the way for the salvation of this woman at his own cost. He was willing to bring the whip of Egypt upon his back to ensure the preservation of someone other than himself. A true comparison of the difference between worldly leaders and godly leaders. Who are you more interested in preserving - Yourself or others? Do you look at others as facilitators of your work, leadership, and life, mere slaves, or do you see them as people you must serve, protect, and sacrifice for to see their potential maximized and futures changed?

I must ensure that I do not prioritize my self-preservation at the expense of others'.

When I develop solutions, look at the lives of others, endeavor to influence and lead, I MUST NOT HAVE A ME-FIRST MINDSET. Decision making is not about ME. It is first about God and then about the other person. God will take care of me if I will serve Him and others first.

Peter grabbed the sword and sliced Malchus' ear from his head. He did it for self-preservation. He could never grasp that things were going to change. He feared that change - so he made a last ditch attempt to stop it instead of trusting Jesus' own words.

What if his self-preserving plight had worked? What if he had stopped the soldiers and the crucifixion? We would never have never known the power of the cross, the forgiveness of sins, the glory of the resurrection, the birth of the church, the saving of the world would have been halted. This is what self-preservation does - it stops everything and everyone from building, developing, or moving forward for any other kingdom than the one you are building. Peter did what he did thoroughly convinced that it was the right thing to do. Self-preservation is contrary to true leadership.

I can view change as a threat or an opportunity. If a new minister is added to our staff at church I can look at it as a threat to my turf or I can view it as an opportunity to build a better team.

If I am fighting for my own rights as a leader. If I have to battle for turf. If I have to manipulate people. I do all of this because my leadership is not growing and I am endeavoring to gain ground by other ways rather than for my leadership speaking for itself. I am losing my merit and I am trying to make up the difference in other ways.

If I view change as a threat to me. If I am insecure about who I am as a leader. If I am not growing personally and spiritually. If I fear new realities. If I feel incompetent....then eventually, I will begin to show signs of arrogance. I will begin to fight for my territory. I will begin to do whatever it takes to preserve me, myself, and I.

People are all around me needing me to let them go. I must spend more time serving and aiding the people I lead. By defaul, men build their own kingdoms - and quite frankly, I am guilty of it myself. The kingdom of God will be enlarged if I can enlarge the people. I have to get rid of my self-preservation. As long as I am focussed on me I cannot be focussed on them.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Self-interest is the enemy of all affection." and General George S. Patton said in his writing A Soldier's Prayer, "Strengthen my soul so that the weakening instinct of self-preservation, which besets all of us in battle, shall not blind me to my duty to my own manhood, to the glory of my calling, and to my responsibility to my fellow soldiers."

Serving and Giving do not come automatically to most people. You will have to purposefully and actively find a way to build, love, and grow other people. You take care of others and God will take care of you.

How Do I Know it is the Will of God??

2010-01-20T14:27:00.000-06:00

Am I going the right way? Am a thinking too much? Why does the "will of God" have to be so frustrating? Sounds like many of the questions I have asked myself over the past 5 years of my life. I just had another conversation about the will of God with my Pastor this afternoon. It doesn't have to be such a hard topic.

I have been anxious so many times. I have listened to opportunity after opportunity knock, call after call, friend after friend speak to me of different 'open doors'. I have waited on a call I was sure would come..and days turned into weeks and months. I'm still waiting on that call!!! It is embarassing to think of how, at times, I would jump when any number would show up on the caller ID that I didn't recognize hoping it was someone calling about the right place for us. Those times were necessary and I am grateful for the gracious leadership in my life that helped me to work through them. They have been an experience I needed to learn a good deal...

I CANNOT REPLACE THE PAST 8 YEARS. They have been a time of incredible learning, growth, maturity, and have given me life experiences that have groomed me for the future. They have taught me that WHEN GOD DOES NOT DO WHAT I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE DONE HE WAS REALLY JUST PROTECTING ME AND MY FAMILY. I have learned that where I am now is the perfect will of God, and there is no timetable for how long I will remain here. I am happy to be in His will.

One of the greatest things I have learned is to truly know my wife and myself. I have no doubt about where God has me or is taking me because I have had a good deal of time to know us much better. The God-brand of us.

1. I know that I will Pastor. I know it is where I fit in.
2. I have learned my limits and the telltale signs of different areas of failure.
3. I know my leadership style - my strenghts and weaknesses, as well as my wife's.
3. I know I will work with a bi-lingual culture. I know my gifts, callings, and talents.
4. I know when my motives are about the kingdom - and when they are not.

Before you can know what the will of God is... YOU MUST GAIN A KNOWING!! Many people can have opinions and ideas about you... but they are not you. YOU must know in your own heart the things that God has placed in you and how He wants to use you in those gifts and callings. It takes time to learn your DNA.

GOD DOES NOT IGNORE THE GIFTEDNESS HE HAS PLACED IN YOU WHEN HE PLACES HIS LEADERSHIP UPON YOUR FUTURE. He always equips - and then He leads you to the place where you can use that equipping in His perfect will.

GOD ALWAYS PREPARES THE MAN BEFORE HE PREPARES A PLACE FOR THE MAN. It was the case with Moses, the disciples, and countless others. God puts in and takes out what he needs to - making you to match the future he has for you.

RIGHT NOW I HAVE A NEW SECURITY IN WHO I AM AND WHAT GOD HAS GIFTED ME TO BE IN LIFE. It is my opinion that your future will be very blury until you are in a place long enough to really truly evaluate WHO YOU ARE in life and in ministry. Until this happens in you - you may have hopes of being something or doing something that is wonderful in your eyes, but not in the mind of God at all. The last place you want to be is where you are not called to be or gifted to function. It may look pretty, but you probably got that pretty picture from seeing someone who was right where they needed to be working the will of God in symphonic harmony and wonder. If you don't know yourself well then you will imagine yourself to be in places where you have no business. You will become discontent with where you are right now and it will make the future even more of a blur. You need to get to know yourself. You are no accident - so see what it is God has naturally placed within you and you will have a more realistic view of where God may be directing your future.

OPPORTUNITIES WILL COME YOUR WAY - HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE WILL OF GOD?

Ask yourself the RIGHT questions. Not the wrong ones. Do not ask how will it benefit yourself?.. are you moving up or down?.... is it good timing for you?, etc.

I am 32. I am blingual. I have many talents and gifts, and so does my wife. Opportunity knocks often. We have a lifetime of ministry ahead of us - we just want to make sure that it is not just opportunity knocking, but GOD knocking.

1. Did this opportunity beging with me or did it begin with God?
I have learned that just because I catch a fish doesn't mean it was the will of God. If you bait the hook and put it in the water - most likely, given time, a fish will take the bait. If you are asking about opportunities - they will come. Their arrival doesn't mean it was the will of God. It is my experience that ALL opportunities that begin with ME are dead-ends - period.

Thessalonians 5:24 says, "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
Simply put, if God has called you, He will do it. If it began with God then you have the responsibility to pray about it.

2. Am I as willing to stay where I am as I am willing to go to the next place?
Discontentment can have many motives. If I am honest with myself, I can ask myself this question and find out if I am willing to do anything God wants or if I am just willing to get away from where I am for any opportunity that comes along. God wants to know our willingness - to stay or to leave. If we are unwilling to stay where we are we may need to check our motives and ambitions.

3. Is it time or not? I once had a vision of my future. I have not gotten there yet. That was 17 years ago. Just because something moves your heart and you are willing to do it doesn't mean it is the will of God - or that it is the will of God for RIGHT NOW.

On the other hand, sometimes God shows me something that seems to be bad timing in my eyes or someone else's eyes. When it comes to timing, no one knows but you and God. You have to find a place on your face before God and seek his perfect will. If your motives are pure and your heart is in the right place, He will speak to you one way or the other. WHEN IN DOUBT, DON'T DO IT. Stay where you are until you know. Period. God is not intereested in anyone's timing but his own. Look at which decision will bring him more glory...

4. Would this opportunity be wise? Wisdom is critical in making the right decision about the will of God.

James 3:13-18 (NIV)
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Notice that worldy wisdom often shows up as a good counterfeit for Godly wisdom. I have often found myself asking about potential pastoring opportunities by wondering how the town was in population, was there a University, what was the income going to be, and the list of questions goes on and on. GOD DID NOT SAY THAT YOU COULD LOOK AT THE RESUME OF EACH OPPORTUNITY AND THEN HIRE YOURSELF A CITY TO PASTOR IN, DID HE? No - He has a will. I have had more of my share of selfish ambition than I would like to admit. It is very earthly.

Then James goes on to say that spiritual wisdom from God is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. WHEN LOOKING AT ANY OPPORTUNITY AS THE POSSIBLE WILL OF GOD YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT IF GOD IS SAYING ANYTHING TO YOU PERSONALLY THROUGH THIS VERSE OF SCRIPTURE. It helps to keep our hearts in check.

5. Do I choose or does God choose? I only write this from my personal experience, and so it may seem out of line to some, but this has been my journey. Sometimes God will allow opportunities to come in order to check who is doing the choosing. Are you choosing or are you allowing him to choose? I have had opportunities come my way that were, in the earthly sense, much more appealing and wonderful than where I am currently. I could have chosen to go the other way, but I knew what God's choice was. These opportunities prove to noone else but ourselves the status of our character and the level of our integrity. Today I have confidence that God truly knows my heart and motives are about Him, not about my personal desires. I may have never known that if I hadn't had the opportunity to refuse the 'greener pastures' for the place I am now.

The bottom line is - life and ministry will take you to many places of uncertainty. If you cannot trust God for your future (and stop trying to figure it all out), then how can you preach to others to leave their future in the hands of a sovereign and wonderful God?

I have learned that if I just chill out and live what Paul told that young preacher, Tomothy..."I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day."... that I can escape discontentedness, discouragement, anxiety, etc... because because I will live my life and ministry believing God. Isn't that what we are supposed to do anyway?

Sooner or later, since much of ministry is about your future, you are going to have to learn to believe God. This doesn't mean don't think about it or look at doors when they open, but just believe God to work His will. I have a feeling this principle will serve me well all of my days!

I have tried to trust myself. I have tried to trust minister friends. I have tried to trust my Pastor. I have tried to trust in new methods, creative tools, map reviews, and I have come to one conclusion - I MUST TRUST GOD HIMSELF ALONE AND HIS WORD FOR MY FUTURE LIFE AND MINISTRY. I CAN TRUST HIM.

If God opened the door - he will guide you through it. Quit sweating it. If God wants you where you think you should be, then you will get there. Stop the fretting! From the womb God has called you...and the greatest gift you can give your spouse, your mentors, and the people you lead now and in the future is a leader who is secure in who he is and who knows how to trust Jesus Christ. You need this one under your belt - you can't afford to not have this testimony in your future ministerial handbag, because it is the center of all we preach and teach as Apostolics. If you don't get a grip on trusting God now, you will not have the passion, the clarity, and the confidence to preach it with conviction when the people you lead need to hear it.

TRUST IN GOD was what took David forward to slay the giant. It is the most important lesson you can learn today.

Getting Nowhere By Accident...

2010-01-18T13:03:00.000-06:00

I was running down the dim hallway of the house... faster than a bullet. The pounding of my feet could be heard throughout the house. And then it happened...I had my eyes glued on the corner I was about to turn when I lost my foothold and began to stumble. I slammed into the wall to my left. I had no idea what was about to happen - I was headed for a nail protruding from the wall where a picture once hung. I slammed into the wall, the nail plunged about 1/4" into my arm and ripped through my skin several inches before I could stop.

The meat in my forearm was bulging from the open gash. It turns my stomach even as a I type.

My mother was the first responder - never afraid to tackle anything after having 7 children. She pours alcohol on the open gash while screaming at the same time, "How did you do this? What happened?" I cried my reply, "I was running...and... IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" In her stern voice she snapped back, "ACCIDENTS CAN BE AVOIDED!" (Can I get a little sympathy here??? Hello!!!?? My arm is practically hanging off and all you can say is, "Accidents can be avoided!" while pouring acid on my wound!!)

That was 25 years ago... and Mom was right. ACCIDENTS CAN BE AVOIDED.

THEY CAN BE AVOIDED BY DOING THINGS 'ON PURPOSE'.

If leaders don't look where they are going they are apt to build up so much speed getting there they ignore the dangers that come with leadership. If they lose their foothold, the only thing left behind will be a bloody mess of carnage and tears.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE OF YOURSELF BY ACCIDENT - but a good leader must value others and give of themselves. You will have to do this on purpose. Pay attention!

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE BY ACCIDENT - but a good leader must be accountable. You will have to find a good leader/mentor to whom you will purposefully submit and be transparent about your thought life, motives, desires, passions, hurts, etc. No one is going to ask you these personal things - you had best be purposeful about divulging such information to a trusting leader.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LOVE PEOPLE BY ACCIDENT - but a good leader loves with the love of Jesus Christ. You must decide today how you will value all humanity and not be swayed by circumstantial variables.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WALK IN THE SUPERNATURAL BY ACCIDENT - but a good leader must always be connected with the mind of God. You must schedule your priorities in such a way that they are God-centric. You will not be annointed "by accident"! It requires discipline, time in the presence of God, and commitment to grow nearer to the Almighty. If you sideline this principle you will find yourself trying to "fake" the annointing... but I must say the place you need the annointing the most is not behind the pulpit or when leading a team. You need it when you are in a valley, confronted with a temptation, or wounded by someone... and it will not show up "by accident". True leaders are obsessed with getting Jesus Christ and His presence involved in everything they do - generally as the starting point.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO EQUIP OTHER LEADERS BY ACCIDENT - but a good leader knows his leadership is lifeless if he does not multiply himself and empower those he leads. You must look at your people, individually, and study their talents and gifts so you know how to get them where God is sending them as well. That takes time and purposeful energy.

How many men have fallen into pornography addiction or extra-marital affair "by accident"?

How many leaders have hurt the people God sent them "by accident"?

How many have gotten 'burned out' on a dead-end street "by accident"?

How many men have lead churches into utter failure "by accident"?

How many leaders do not exist today because they were never equipped or believe in "by accident"?

Almost everything that happens "by accident" is chaotic, unplanned for, and distracting from true purpose. The very word "accident" implies a collision of two contrary forces resulting in mounting negativity.

If you are leading and think that things are just going to 'happen' and 'fall into place'... you may need to re-think some things. You cannot take a puzzle from a box, toss the pieces on the floor, and expect them to produce 'connectivity' by chance.

Start doing some things "on purpose". Pick some of those puzzle pieces up today - you will be thankful you did, and the people you lead will suddenly see that the picture is coming together via your leadership.

ONLY DUMMIES ARE PURPOSEFUL ABOUT THEIR ACCIDENTS.

What are you not paying close enough attention to that could quite possibly turn into an 'accident'?

A Great Investment for Pastors - "The Launch"

2010-01-14T10:33:00.000-06:00

What an inspring, challenging, and most mind gripping presentation of a vision from David Bernard, the General Superintendant of the United Pentecostal Church International.

Please take the time to listen...but before you do, get some paper and a pen - you will want to take some notes!

Leaders Out In The Cold...

2010-01-12T09:18:00.000-06:00

You are a workhorse! Most true leaders are.
Workhorses get worn down. They get tired.
They feel unnoticed, unappreciated, and often - misplaced.

These feelings can pull your eyes toward "greener pastures". You just feel out of place where you are right now. You feel God surely has to open a door so you can launch into the deep of what seems will be fresh, new, and successful.

***WARNING***WARNING***WARNING***WARNING***WARNING***

SLOW DOWN JUST A MINUTE...and think this through.

EVERYONE gets burned out at some point in time. Regardless of whether you are the CEO or the janitor, secular laborer or in ministry. Burnout, by automatic default, does not mean "move out". Ministry, especially bi-vocational ministry, is tough. Mr. Ox, don't think that tredding out the corn is an easy job. You may simply be exhausted and need a 'breather'.

We must also take into consideration that Ministry has seasons.

It's not always spring and harvestime... sometimes you have to rake leaves and deal with the numbing cold. Seasons in ministry and life are simply God's method for cycle of growth.

Also - as a leader, you are not the only one to consider in the equation... the leaders or the organization you serve may be going through a season in their life cycle as well. It serves leaders well to develop their discernment of seasons.

The leader has to determine whether they are going through a season... or is this a climate norm? Is this weather condition in my life the way it will always be, or will it change? Is it something you cannot change? Is it something that you cannot control? Are you experiencing 'variable cloudiness with snow showers" or have you permanently moved to the Tundra? Are you stranded in a desert?

There is a HUGE difference between a 'season' in ministry and a 'climate' in ministry.

Seasons have to do with necessary cycles - Climates have to do with the present chemistry, atmosphere, and the unchanging LOCATION. Both conditions require grace and mercy... and a heart for God and not self.

Either way... weather is always a determination of 'atmosphere'.

There have been times I thought that I was at the end of my rope, with icecicles hanging off the end of my nose... but the season changed. However, it doesn't always change for every leader - if it would have been a permanent climate condition, eventually the icecicles would have turned into hypothermia and frost bite. God never intended for this to be. If you are in a place of permanent climate, it will eventually bring harm and, often, irrepairable damage to you, your family, and the people you lead.

Leaders must determine...

...am I to work through this season, winterize the house and shovel snow until spring...
Or ... am I locked in Antartica?

It is not the will of God for anyone to live in an igloo... it is the will of God for us to submit to the 'seasons' and allow them to work the process of growth in our lives.

BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE FROM THE LOCATION OR POSITION YOU ARE IN...

you need to determine if you need to just "settle in for the winter" and allow time to balance things out or if you need to keep an eye open for the next step of your ministry.

Prayer will be your forecaster - the weather may be changing down the road.
Have you thought it through?

Money for Your Vision... and More!

2010-01-08T13:29:00.000-06:00

Does it cost you to live in your house? If not, I want to meet your banker!
Do you have a water bill? If not, you may need some Right Guard!

Bottom Line Is... WE ALL NEED MONEY! and if you don't have any, Mr. Leader, it may be your own fault. Wait, don't leave just yet!!! Keep reading...

Have you ever made little pledge cards to hand out to the church folks... and then step to the pulpit and tell them it takes so much money to run the place. Give your best... fill it out, drop it in the offering basket. I HAVE. The response wasn't that bad either... probably better than normal. But that is all we will get from those folks...is their money. And little of it.

Think about it... You ever watch a foreign missions film about the vision to reach the world, build Bible schools, and start churches in cities with millions of unreached people HALF WAY THROUGH? I don't think so... by the time that film is over I can hardly see to get into my wallet for the tears in my eyes!

What's the difference in the pledge card and the heart gripping, soul stirring presentation of a missionary?... I'll tell you what it is...

IT IS THE PRESENTATION OF A CLEAR, AUTHENTIC, SOUL-GRIPPING VISION!!

Who wants to pay the water bill with their offering? NOT ME. If given the choice between giving $100.00 to a bus ministry that has changed lives that you know personally or paying the utilities... Which would you give to?

We are too small minded... Mr. Leader. WE HAVE TO DO WHAT THE MISSIONARY DID IF WE WANT THE PEOPLE TO GIVE US THE RESOURCES THAT WILL MOVE GOD'S KINGDOM FORWARD!

Isn't your church reaching your world? Aren't their families without the gospel? Is there not a need to reach children, feed the needy, and mend to the broken hearted?
YOUR MINISTRY HAS THE SAME MISSION AS EVERY OTHER MINISTRY - IT IS THE VISION ABOUT GETTING THAT MISSION DONE THAT MATTERS. I'm not saying you are missions so don't give to foreign missions... That is pathetic... I'm just saying the only difference between you and them is they are 'foreign' missions... Get their PASSION!

YOUR OWN MISSIONS PRESENTATION

I think we should take the time to convey our church through the eyes of a missionary. I think we should paint a picture through media,graphics,music, stories, drama,and personal testimonies of changed lives - HELP TO MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE VISION - so that Passion is ignited in them for their own mission field. Time to stop selling pizzas and tamales - VISION CASTING IS THE GREATEST FUNDRAISER IN THE WORLD!

The days of telling people "we need $6,000.00 a month, now make a pledge" are over. Show them what your church is doing in ministry! Engage them.

PEOPLE GIVE TO VISIONS. Not just money... if all you want is money, ask for it. It is my view that Jesus never had a fundraiser. He told people, "give your life to this"... when the vision is big enough to get people to give their life, their money comes with it. If the vision for your church is not big enough to demand my life then tell me...Why should I follow you?

THE GREATEST FRUSTRATION

Well, if you have done a thorough job of casting vision, people will give till it hurts. My Pastor has always said, "give 'til it feels good!". And they will... if you challenge them with Vision.

You may think the greatest frustration is walking away without enough money to get the job done after you have gone through adding all of your pledge cards.

That is not the greatest frustration... The greatest frustration is when you have just cast a vision so clear, so real, so passionate that my heart is burning and my eyes can see it all vividly in the future. I feel like I am called to be right where I am for this very hour... I step forward to give my time, energy, and money...and I am frustrated.... FRUSTRATED because I can not give MORE!

DO IT TODAY... MR. MISSIONARY

Do you have a clear vision? Can you put it on paper? ... Can you put it in THEIR hearts? It's not your mega-plan. It is the vision of what God sees happening in your ministry... it is a God-honoring, heaven sent design for the future of your people and city that has been engraved in your heart by the finger of God after many hours spent on your face before HIM, embracing the awesomeness of what He can do.

If it requires only you - it is too small. It should demand faith and the inner talents and gifts of an army of people - and it should demand their very lives! It should be saturated with the need of the supernatural in such a way that everyone involved is on their knees and fasting for visitation.

This is the kind of vision that pulls at you when the missionary comes by... This is the kind of vision that pulls people from every selfish walk of life to buy in and invest their hearts in the work of Jesus Christ.

THE ONLY REGRET THEY WILL HAVE IS THAT THEY COULD NOT GIVE MORE THAN WHAT THEY DID.

THE INSIGNIFICANT LEADER

2010-01-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

In*sig*nif*i*cant

1. Not significant, especially:
a. Lacking in importance; trivial.
b. Lacking power, position, or value; worthy of little regard.
c. Small in size or amount.
2. Having little or no meaning.

You don’t want to be included in the definition of ‘insignificant’! How does one move from earning the place of leadership to down spiraling into being small in influence and having very little value when it comes to moving people forward?

Although this list is not complete, you will find here several attitudes, dispositions, and habits of THE INSIGNIFICANT LEADER. I have struggled with them ALL.

1. BELIEVE IN THE TEAM OF ONE.

You are the leader. As leader you will be the most important person on your team. You will be responsible to bring talent, creativity, conviction, vision, and momentum. You can do it – it is what God called you to do. People need you, not the other way around.

If you believe this, you must also buy into the inevitable fact that you will become very frustrated, burned out, intolerable, and inconsistent. No leader can bring everything a team or church needs to go where God wants to take it. That is why God gave you a team. You are not the only leader, you just happen to be the one out front. People are the resource God gave you to do His work. You must learn to love them and guide them into becoming an empowered and anointed group of team players whose gifts are unleashed into the atmosphere of the church.

The vision and goals of any worthwhile leader require more than his two hands, one head, and one heart. If all you need is YOU to get where the group is going, you probably don’t have a vision worth following. Get on your knees until God baptizes you with a vision that causes you to rise up and passionately recruit the inner-workings of the people God has given you. Stay on your knees until you have something so big from God you could never do it on your own.

Remember, no one leader or team is successful unless a whole lot of people want them to be. You need people. Nothing is more your job than loving, working with, and leading people. The days of simply “tasking” your way through are over! Peoplework must become the heartbeat of your life as a leader. I heard it once said by a good friend of mine, “You can’t just love souls, you have to love PEOPLE!”

Learn to know your people. Tap into their creativity. Work jointly together on the vision that the whole group feels God is giving. Delegate and let them go. There is no “I” in ‘Team”, and there are no teams of “one”. Take time to let people know that, “Without YOU, We can never do this!”.

If you believe that the present and future of your leadership is all wrapped up in YOU, you will soon join the masses of insignificant leaders.

2. NEVER WALK IN THE SUPERNATURAL.

Insignificant leaders only offer human results. Who wants to give away their very life blood- time, energy, money, etc. for something that a well-talented man can do? Not me.

Joshua was a pretty strong guy. He had proven his leadership in dynamic ways. But when it was time to take the 'invencible' city of Jericho he realized that ‘human leadership’ without spiritual vision and empowerment was an ill attempt at greatness. It would only get him through the door of that city. ‘Human leadership’ would never bring those walls down! The voice of God doesn’t just jump out of a bush and give you an instruction sheet for the next steps in your leadership journey - At some point in time Joshua had to find a place away from the people and the impending battle and get direction from the Almighty. Leadership without the supernatural is insipid, flavorless, mediocre, and unexciting. It seldom calls great men to follow; however, when the leader leads his team to see a vision from God, and rallies them to fast, pray, and exercise faith, people start coming out of the wood-work to see “what’s happening down in Jericho.”

If you don’t discipline yourself to hear the voice of God and allow that voice to impassion you for the supernatural work of God, you will find that followers will have very little true regard for your leadership.

3. LIVE ONLY FOR TODAY.

Today is the most important day you live. This is true for everyone; nevertheless leaders are different. Imagine that! Leaders have to think ahead of next week, next month, next year!

Much of the influence you gain as a leader is because you know what is going on. You are prepared. You are organized (or you have someone help you keep organized like my incredible wife!). You are on top of your game.

One of the greatest things leaders offer people is solutions to problems and the ability to see them before the bomb goes off. Much of this comes from planning, foresight, and analyzing the risks and possible issues that may arise in the future.

People need forecasters!!! Mainstream media spends millions of dollars each year to offer 1,001 ways to access Mr. Weatherman’s indications for the next hour, day, and week. People want to know someone is looking out for tomorrow! You do not CONTROL the future, but you need to at least own a good calendar, watch, and thinking cap. People are drawn to leaders who seem to have a grip on where we are all going; on the other hand, they also drift away from leaders who have no idea what time it is.

One of your first roles as a leader is to forecast. Forecast everything you see - both victories and challenges. Get a vision for what you feel God wants to happen. Get the vision to them. Get your team. Plan. Set goals. Set timelines. Set SOMETHING!!!! Remember, what gets measured, gets done!!!

Think about the future of your people. Think about them individually. Think about talents. Think about their dreams. Think about where they want to be in a year from now. Think…Think…Think. Sit down with the next month’s calendar of events today and THINK!! What?????...you don’t have a plan for the next month? Then how do you expect anyone to follow you into next year?

Get a plan or get a plot in the graveyard of insignificant leaders.

4. CALL PEOPLE TO PLACES YOU HAVE NEVER GONE.

We need to pray an hour a day, fast one day a week, and read the whole Bible through in a year. Funny how many times I have said that. Leader’s sure know how to turn inspiration into perspiration!

Don’t waste your influence on asking people to live a fairy tale life. Be transparent. Look at where you are and then calculate where you can realistically call them to be.

You can only take people to places you are or have been. If the best that you have to offer others is not more than what they already have then you can not take them any further than where they are right now.

Focus on leading yourself, first. Gain the discipline to go places in God and in life, so you can have the passion to call people there as well.

If you are always living at the same level as everyone else, never transparently and passionately able to call them to go deeper, to places you are or have been, then your credibility is in danger and insignificance is in your future.

5. DO ONLY WHAT YOU LIKE.

I love teaching. I enjoy joking around. I enjoy going to youth events, and I’ll even chaperone. I don’t mind catering to special guests when they are with us.

But, I think vacuums are from the underworld! I do not enjoy cleaning the church vans and I am not particularly fond of going to hospitals and nursing homes. If it doesn't involve working with more than 3,257 people I don't want to touch it!

If you don’t like to do something, chances are, others do not either. True leadership has much more to do with discipline than with comfort. It is hard work, and quite frankly, it is work that a lot of people do not want to do. Until God sends a faithful servant to rescue you, those jobs fall your lot.

I have often watched my Pastor make his way through the vestibule with a vacuum cleaner. I have seen him go after busted sewer lines with lightening speed. I have seen him show up on work nights when hardly anyone else would take the time to care. Once he even fixed broken steps on my porch. I don’t think he is particularly fond of any of those chores…but the fact remains… LEADERS GET THINGS DONE. They sideline all prejudices when it comes to tasks that need completed. They don’t always delegate until they are given the right people for the job who can perform the task with the adequate talent and attitude. So, instead, they plod forward doing whatever necessary, whenever necessary, with the best that they have, every time.

If you are only interested in being comfortable then you will neither get things done nor gain the influence of people. If your ‘credentials’ blow out the window- your leadership will be gone. Inaction produces insignificance.

6. NEVER SING THE UNSUNG SONG.

The spotlight starts to blind you if you get to much of it. It is human nature to enjoy the applause for your actions-after all, that means people are recognizing your leadership.

Leaders prefer to recognize, not be recognized. Prefer to direct the spotlight, not to have it in your eyes. People recognize leadership for their ability to bring the positive talents and callings of others to the light. They aren't always the best at it, but you can see in them a genuine desire to see you succeed. Compliments are easily gained, but genuine compliments toward others show your true appreciation and celebration of people as they are.

You shouldn’t have to force people to show you appreciation. If they are not doing this automatically, you may want to check your value of people. Generally, if a leader has been among his people for some time, and his leadership is effective, the followers will show appreciation and gratitude on a regular basis. Leadership is influence...and people will go out of their way if you have influenced their lives in positive and eternal ways.

Lack of appreciation will burn you out. It will also bring burn out to the people you lead. They need to have ‘public praise’ as often as possible. Try taking one of them before the church and let the praises roll…and watch the difference genuine honor can make.

Sing the unsung song. Take time to find the heroes among your team, volunteers and faithful laborers, and sing their song. Let the world know how much you value them. Praise in public, rebuke in private. Put the spot light on them. Salute them because they are the ones who make you and the team successful, powerful, and exciting.

If you have a problem saying “for he’s a jolly good fellow” then you may as well hang up your leadership party hat because if you are unwilling to make people BIG, then you will gradually become small.

7. BE CONTENT WITH YOUR TITLE AS THE UTLTIMATE SIGN OF YOUR LEADERSHIP.

How many leaders I know that were given a position because they got things done. Production was the indicator that they were ready for a promotion. Production can get you a title, but Leadership is earned. Thank God for your piece of paper, good job!...but now, the real work begins. Self-discipline and growth, and PEOPLEWORK.

People will honor you for your title for only so long. From that point you will either grow significantly in their eyes to the point of influencing them, or you will decrease in their eyes and become of little value to them. People don’t want to follow manipulative, arrogant, or egotistical authoritarians…and that is exactly what you are if you think people should follow you because of your position.

Your leadership is only as strong as your relationships. Your relationships are only as strong as your commitment to grow them by love, faith, believing in others, building others up, and harvesting the potential in people.

It may be said often, but it is true, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” If you aren’t crying, laughing, praying, and loving them in the pew, don’t expect them to follow you from the pulpit. That is just the way leadership works.

Jesus had 70 disciples. Of those He chose another group. From that group He chose 12. From that group He chose 3. From that group came John, the beloved. None of them was any more important than the other. The only difference between the 70 and John was RELATIONSHIP. Don't leave your relationship with others up to them - it is your job to lead them, and a great relationship is the foundation on which influence is built. No relationship - no true follower.

Your title or position is not the ultimate expression of what leadership is. It is the least valuable and meaningful expression of who a leader is. From that point you must be committed to learning yourself, growing people, and growing with people.

If you think people should serve you because of your position you may want to trade your diploma in for a towel and begin washing feet. People who have to demand respect seldom get it or deserve it, and those who demand it fade away into the hall of fame of insignificant leaders.