You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'leadership' tag.
“I am perfectly confident that the man who does not spend hours alone with God will never know the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The world must be left outside until God alone fills the vision…God has promised to answer prayer. It is not that He is unwilling, for the fact is, He is more willing to give than we are to receive. But the trouble is, we are not ready…”
–Oswald J. Smith
this resonates within me, as i see men and women in the church rush after ambition and power and popularity with people but forgetting that the true way to fulfill the call of God is to obey where God calls us and to know him.
Daniel 11:32 says the people that know their God will be strong and do exploits.
to me i read this and i see that my empowerment to do exploits comes from my knowing God and that true knowing God is done in the secret place of prayer and worship and devotion and surrender….it is when we are alone with God and in prayer and listening that he transforms us and changes us and challenges us and shapes us.
God empowers us to serve him and demonstrate his love and glory.
“I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” — Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so that they could be with him. He also wanted to send them out to preach and to force out demons. Mark 3:14-15
Jesus chose 12 disciples to be wtih Him and to then go out and serve Him.
He chose them to KNOW HIM and MAKE HIM KNOWN.
the call is still the same.
the challenge is still the same.
we are called to firstly know Him. and we are called to make Him known.
the second part of the call, the going out and making disciples, the making God known, comes out of the first call. It comes out of the context of relationship.
Be someone who knows God and is strong and does exploits. Daniel 11:32
Be someone who knows God and makes Him known!
before you read this passage about peter denying that he even knows Jesus – think about this one thing – how did this end up in our bible? how do we know this happened?
While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus from Galilee.”
But in front of everyone Peter said, “That isn’t so! I don’t know what you are talking about!”
When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”
Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, “I don’t even know that man!”
A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, “We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee.”
Peter began to curse and swear, “I don’t know that man!”
Right then a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went out and cried hard.
This account is found in Matthew 26. It is found in each of the gospels.
We know this account happened because Peter didnt hide it away and keep it to himself. He told his friends, the other disicples, and he told new chrsitians and church leaders and the gospel writers. he shared about this dark sinful regretful shameful moment of denial. he didnt cover it up. he exposed himself.
we could of being left thinking that he stayed strong and didnt deny jesus. we could of being left thinking he was uber faithful and a super disciple. instead we see a fallen man, facing fear of man, denying his friend and lord, crumbling under the pressure.
but we also read this with hope. because we know that peter was specially called to the tomb by jesus (make sure peter knows was jesus said to mary) and that peter delivered the first sermon on the day of pentecost and went on to become a great leader in the church and write 1 and 2 peter.
he repented. he was restored.
we make mistakes. we sin. we deny jesus in our words and our actions. and there is hope. we can repent. we can be restored.
peter was humble. he shared his story of failure so that we could rejoice in the victory God gives. peter was humble and he made sure that we all knew what happened in that time so that we would know the grace of God.
we can see that God transformed peter. peter went from denying jesus to preaching on the day of pentecost. he went from hiding away to standing for his faith. he went from being fearful to being bold. there is transformation available for us too by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. be like peter, surrender.
i have hope, because of Peter.
what’s stopping us from serving the Lord with our whole hearts? Is it our if onlys?
If ever a person had justifiable excuses not to serve God, it was Maria Woodworth-Etter (1844 – 1924).
Maria knew as a young girl that she was called to preach the gospel, but she also knew the problems with being a woman preacher. Woman preachers were not accepted at all in the middle 1800’s. Pulpits were for men.
Maria felt her only hope was to marry a missionary, and thus she prepared herself to attend college. But her father died and hopes for a college education for herself had to be set aside.
During the Civil War, she met an injured soldier and was married after a whirlwind courtship. They soon set up farming, but their hard work and labor only produced failures and debt.
Sadly, her husband never cared about ministry for himself or ever wanted his wife to preach. Plus, they had six children, of which five died from a horrible disease. The last child’s dying words were, “Moma, you have to serve God.”
During her whole life, Maria had felt the persistent call of God on her life. So, she tried explaining to the Lord what she couldn’t do, her list of if onlys.
“If only, I knew what to say,” she told the Lord. His reply, “I’ll fill your mouth with words.”
“If only, I knew the Bible better,” she told Him. He showed her an illuminated Bible on the wall in front of her.
“If only, I had been born a man and not a woman,” she said. As she searched the Scriptures, the names – Hannah, Hulda, Miriam, Phoebe, Narcissus, Tryphens, Persis, Julia, the Marys and Priscilla – jumped off the pages to her.
Finally, Maria launched out into a preaching ministry which eventually led her all over the United States. Few have ever matched her triumphs and successes in preaching the gospel, especially with signs, wonders and miracles.
So what are our if onlys?
pinched with permission from Larry Who
dont let anyone but God put a limitation on how you serve him.
dont let anyone limit you in fulfilling what God has called you to do.
dont limit yourself in fulfilling what God has called you to do!
dont live in if only. dont look back and say if only.
live. serve. obey. pour your life out.
My name is Jeremiah. I am a priest, and my father Hilkiah and everyone else in my family are from Anathoth in the territory of the Benjamin tribe. This book contains the things that the Lord told me to say. v1
I love the directness of the CEV (contempory english version) – very straightforward. Jeremiah was a priest and this is the words and the messages God gave him to share.
The Lord said:
“Jeremiah, I am your Creator,
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to the nations.” v 4-5
Hey – did you notice that Jeremiahs message is STILL going forth to the nations – in fact more nations than he was even aware of at the time he was alive! God anointed and appointed Jeremiah before he was even born for this task and calling.
I replied, “I’m not a good speaker, Lord, and I’m too young.” v6
oh Jeremiah – you’re so funny! Jeremiah is trying a Moses here BUT he should have taken notice and great hope that GOD CALLED HIM before he was born and thus knows all about him – his age, his abliities etc – in fact GOD CREATED Jeremiah to be the way he is. He is Creator God and formed him. Jeremiah had all the answers to his insequrities in what God said back in verse 5 “I am your creator and i call you to speak for me.” Likewise for each of us God has the answers!
“Don’t say you’re too young,” the Lord answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! v7
strong challenge we call all learn (and be challenged) from! what excuses are we saying and thinking? what restrictions are we placing upon ourselves and upon God! when God has all the answers and when he calls us to obey.
I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don’t be afraid.” v8
again another answer to all the questions in Jeremiahs heart. I AM WITH YOU says God. What a promise! with that promise JEremiah can take on teh world. Likewise Jesus said to us “Lo I am with you always”. nothing should restrict us our limit us!
The Lord reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, “I am giving you the words to say, 10 and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again.” v9-10
Again God has a supernatural answer – he empowers Jeremiah for the mission.
The Lord showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” v11
God now begins to practically train Jeremiah for his mission. He calls, equips and trains us for His purpose. God is actively involved in partnering with us!
Bright red. The hue of bullseyes. The exact opposite of camouflage. That’s the colour Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the red baron, chose to paint his warplane during WW1. This was not the irrational decision of a self-destructive mind however, but rather the calculated intimidation of a seasoned, deadly hunter. The Red Baron did not want to hide. He wanted to be a beacon of arrogance in the sky. A challenge. A dare.
I read this at the Blenehim Airport in July as I was returning from a holiday with my family. It is on sign advertising the Air War Museum at the Air Force base.
But it hit me in my spirit and I could feel God speaking to me right there, in the airport.
To wear bright red on a battlefield means you are declaring who you are that you refuse to back down and hide. You’ve picked your side and you’re not afraid to declare it.
We are a Christian. We are forgiven. We are righteous. We are a child of God. We are loved. We are saved. We are redeemed. We are the light of the world. We are called. We are chosen. We are a servant of God. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We are witnesses empowered by God. We are ministers of reconciliation. We are ambassadors. We are supernatural. We are Christians.
Matthew 5:14-16 says “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lamp stand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”
Every day we have a choice to let our light shine or to dull it and hide it.
Philippians 2:15-16 says that we are “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.”
We carry within us The Light of the World, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us to reveal Jesus to those around us who are lost and in need of the rescue of the Gospel.
Light brings hope in the darkness. Light shows the way when people cannot see the way to go. Light illuminates.
Light will always overcome darkness. The law of nature reflects the truth in the spiritual realm. “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]” John 1:5 Amplified. Put simply, when the light of God shines the darkness is overcome. Darkness does not overcome light – light always overcomes the darkness. Light shines. Light wins.
The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
Our job is to shine. We are the vessel. God empowers us like the electricity in that empowers a light bulb.
Don’t hide your light. Don’t hide The Light of the World, Jesus Christ! As Manfred von Richthofen would say “Camouflage is for sissies!”
The goal is not to live gray lives but to live lives knowing our awesome amazing God that stretched out His arms on the cross, as Jesus Christ, dying to make the way for us to be saved and clean and forgiven and new.
Today the call is to live our lives knowing God and following Him and making Him known… to be bold and radical and Christian! Christians are not called to wear camouflage. The call is to not blend in but to stand out as lights in this world. The challenge is to not be assimilated into this world but to be Christians in it – demonstrating the love and grace and power of God as He leads us and empowers us.
“God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose.” — John Piper
Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is. Matthew 6:19-20
What does treasure in heaven look like?
How do we “make it”?
How do we earn it?
When do we get it?
Lord, show me what your treasures are. please give me revelation on this.
I read something on Facebook (an internet social networking community) the other day that resonated within me and kept coming back to my mind as I went through my day…
“Life is a journey most of us are happy to take with little or no regard as to where we will end up, yet none of us would leave home with the same intent”
I believe that life is more than breathing… we are more than just a random collection of cells, more than just even people existing – we are children of an awesome and almighty God who are called to serve Him and follow Him and demonstrate His love and grace to those around us.
God calls us to partner with Him in “getting His message” out there about salvation and hope and His Good News! That is awesome!
Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God has a plan and a purpose for YOU. For ME! I believe we need to be intentional in living for God and serving Him and living out His plan.
John the Baptist came and got the people ready for the return of Jesus. He said, “Turn back to God! The Kingdom of Heaven will soon be here.” John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said, In the desert someone is shouting, `Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.’ “ (Matthew 3:2-3) In part we have the same mission, to prepare people by planting seeds and having conversations that lead them to know God and His salvation through Jesus Christ, who is our coming King!
Today take the opportunity to be outworking the plan of God for your life! Today prepare someone to meet with God! Today take regard for the journey you are called on!
(for those who dont know i write, edit and format our quarterly church mag… this is my editorial for our upcoming eidtion)
Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. He said, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said,
“In the desert someone
is shouting,
`Get the road ready
for the Lord!
Make a straight path
for him.’ “
John wore clothes made of camel’s hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey. Matthew 3:1-4
John had a message:
PREPARE
PREPARE THE WAY
GET READY
TURN BACK TO GOD
REPENT
CHANGE
THE KINGDOM IS NEAR
THE KINGDOM IS COMING
CHANGE AND BE READY
BE AWARE
BE LOOKING
BE EXPECTANT
BE PAREYRFUL
John was a sign and a wonder. he was a demonstration of God and the coming kingdom. He was wierd on the outside – but living a life of obedience set apart for God. His mission was to get people ready – ready for the incarnation of the messiah – ready for a saviour – ready for Jesus – ready in their hearts and minds and spirits – watching and waiting and expectant for teh reality of God!
John was all about:
SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
NEW THINGS
A NEW AGE
in our own lives we should be living lives that demonstrate the love and grace of God. we should be living and DOING what God has called us to do. it is important and part of His plan. we are preparing people too – we are planting seeds and sharing the message of the good news – that Jesus CAME and LIVED and DIED and ROSE AGAIN that we may draw near to God and be new and clean and forgiven and holy and loved and forgiven. Jesus is coming AGAIN and we should be sharing the message of his reality to those around us, our family and friends, getting them ready for the kingdom of God – be they meet it through death or Jesus’ return. Be like John – have a message, live a message, BE the message!
Recent Comments