Powerful leaders have in their history painful times. The difference is that spiritually powerful leaders have learned that the Lord shows up in those seasons and uses them to catalyze a future that they do not want to miss! Don’t waste your pain! Bring it to the Lord as a sacrifice and allow Him to sanctify it.
Jesus said he came so that we would have abundant life. Really? Do you know many people who would describe their life as abundant? Jam packed? Stressed? Over committed? Yes to all of the above, but abundant? Full of meaning and hope? Not quite. Which begs the question of why? Why is it that what Jesus promised we can’t seem to find? Is… Read more »
The average person, statistics reveal, attends church 1.8 times per month. That’s a churched person! That means the typical church goer gets to church 22 times per year. Other stats point to the growing number of people who attend church, but do not connect or ever truly know Jesus. And I agree, somewhat. If going to church means just showing up, dropping a… Read more »
Our church had been through a long season of challenge. The leaders had made the shift and the focus was clear. I then said to the Lord, “We need a blessing. Would you send us people?” The response was immediate, “No chance!” It was shocking, but somehow didn’t seem like a rebuke. “If I send you people now you will shift back to your… Read more »
Jesus will always call out our inner world. He did it for the disciples (Mark 9:14-33). Before we can be used mightily, we must be cleansed deeply. He does this inner work by asking the questions that deeply reveal our hearts. “What were you arguing about along the way?” He asked, knowing that the subject of the argument was revealing their inner world. What… Read more »
You can’t lead them if you need them! You can’t lead people when you need their approval. You can’t lead people when you need their finances. You can’t lead people unless you are free, whole and healthy. The inner work of a leader must go to this depth, to do the work of being “free” to lead, free to encourage and to call up… Read more »
Ezekiel’s prophetic leadership spanned several years. Multiple years. Years of living a message and speaking a message to deaf ears. Years of a “trust” from the Lord, a trust that was obviously important in the Lord’s plan. But they were years full of heartache, full of loss and nothing like the success we anticipate and long to see. How does a leader continue to stay… Read more »
Who makes that decision? That was the question a team member asked me one day. That we were making a decision was clear. Who would make it? He was the one with the oversight in the area of the decision. I was the leader. So, who would make the call? The point of leadership is not power. It is not having the position so… Read more »
Do you want to talk or do you want to be heard? Those are different! When our hearts are full of fuel (anger, anxiety, etc), we often want to “get it off of our chest,” which means express it with the full fuel we are feeling. The problem with that is that the fuel (emotion) is so overwhelming that the… Read more »
No one could figure that this promotion would change the heart of this leader… but it did. Power and prestige do strange things to the human soul. What they really do is reveal what is not settled with the Lord! Perhaps our inner world of confidence, significance, etc. appears resolved, but when we come into power, it is as if… Read more »