Be alert and of a sober mind…(1 Peter 5:8)

Yes, he is seeking whom to devour. I got up this morning with a great motivation to spend a day fasting, praying and seeking God for direction in my life.

Then the ancient serpent showed up. As soon as I opened my door, my neighbor fell on me with insults.

It almost robbed me of my date with God. But as pondered on the issue trying to figure out just where I went wrong, my Daddy just reminded me that the devil is mad because I’m going on a date with Him.

The devil like a roaring lion is always roaming around looking for whom to devour. May you never be his victim. Remember, We are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

 

 

The four deadly enemies of a Christian leader

As a Christian leader, your deadliest enemy is not the man next door who stares weirdly when you drive past to church; your worst enemy is right within.

Money: Yes, uncontrolled love and craving for money. Do you find yourself lying, cheating, swindling and even stealing in order to satisfy that insatiable urge to have more money? That enemy is out to ruin you. Face him squarely or he’ll destroy you.

Sex: What are you presently comprising just to satisfy that urge, that burning desire to be in their arms? Be sure you are not a victim of the spirit of lust or seduction, or both. That enemy will disgrace you when you least expect it.

Pride: You hate to be in a position of weakness; you always want to be at the top and in charge. You will intentionally hide the truth and engage in a lot of hypocrisy just to keep your pride. You hate to apologize even when you are sure you blew it. It’s hard for you to acknowledge you were at fault. Check your heart. That enemy will limit the extent to which God can use you.

Power: You can sacrifice everything and anything just to be “the one in charge here”. You hate to be the follower, even when you have much to learn from others. You want to teach everybody even when you’ve got nothing worth teaching. That enemy will keep you ignorant and empty, with the illusion that you know it all and can do it all. He will keep you from growing to greater heights.

We’ve got to always check our motives, re-examine our hearts each step of the journey. Our sincerity with God will earn us His timely intervention and save us  lots of future embarrassments.

I wish you the best on this journey.

 

I am, I can, I will…wait a minute; really?

I’m anointed, I’m talented, I can do this thing… I’ll do it.

Yes you can, but does it all depend on your gifting and anointing? Aren’t you leaving out something or maybe SOMEONE?

I’ll like to talk about gifting, talent, anointing and the place of God in this.

I’m gifted, talented and anointed, so why can’t I just call the shots when, where and how I want? Do I really need God’s opinion seeing He’s already given me all I need for this project? If He didn’t want me to do it, would He give me all these tools? Do I really need His opinion here?

But check this out:

• Our gifting and anointing does not place us above God’s sovereignty.
• No matter how anointed or gifted we are we can’t force God to do what He won’t.
• Our gifting and anointing is nothing else but God working through us, so we must submit to Him to get the best results.
• God’s will is greater and more important than our anointing and gifting.
• Sometimes we can be tempted to use our gifts and anointing for the wrong purposes, so we still need Him to guide us along.
• When we focus only on our gifts and anointing leaving God out of the game we could become proud and too self-confident to give Him the glory.
• In everything God must be the overall leader; we can’t drag Him along. He shows us the way. He must be GOD for the universe to function normally.
• No matter how heavy the branch is with fruit, it still needs the roots and the stem to sustain itself. A declaration of independence here will be fatal.

So, no matter how gifted, talented and anointed we are we still need God; we need to work in collaboration and synchronization with, and submission to Him if we desire the best results with no embarrassments along the way.

The attitude with which we use our gifts and anointing will either ensure a continuous flow and an increase, or a steady reduction till the tap runs dry.

 

The spot on the beautiful skin

What about a little bit of anesthesia?

Success comes one step at a time.

Compromising to Please Others: A great trap.

When you compromise your values and principles in order to please those you are called to serve, you will later on be judged by the same people you tried to please, and they’ll use the same principles you compromised.

In the book of Second Kings chapter 13 we read the story of a prophet of God who compromised God’s instruction to please another prophet. He later was judged by the same prophet he strove to please using the same instruction he compromised.

The younger prophet is sent on mission by God and is instructed to neither eat nor drink in the place of his assignment. An older prophet comes along and deceives him into dishonoring the instruction. He goes back, eats and drinks.

While they are seated at table the older prophet receives a prophecy from God condemning his colleague’s disobedience and pronouncing judgment on him.

In the end the prophecy comes to pass. When the older prophet is informed about what has happened he makes a very telling statement:

It is the man of God who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord had delivered him unto the lion, which has torn him and slain him according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke unto him (1 Kings 13:26).

What do you think about this? The same man he compromised in order to please is now passing “righteous” judgment against him.

Who are you trying to please now even to the extent of compromising your values and principles? When you get into a mess because of your compromise the same people will be without mercy. So be wise.

Passing the submission test

What if you aren’t going to have that mega church you so dream of having?

• What if God does not heal you when you want and how you want it?
• What if you’re asked to serve in an environment you really don’t like?
• What if you are required to work with people you don’t like?
• What if the finances you’re expecting don’t come in?
• What if that kid you’re praying for dies anyway?
• Will you like Job’s wife desire to Curse God and die?
• Will you succumb to pressure from your followers and do it your way like King Saul?
• Will you like David say “your will be done?”
• Will you go consult “the witch of Endor” like Saul
• Will you try to prove to God He’s unfair like Job?

Sometimes the trials we go through are a test for us to express what lies dormant in our hearts.

I pray you won’t fail your test as a leader in God’s school of ministry.

 

 

Selflessness: A leader’s heart

Let’s examine an episode in the rich life of King David that is recorded in Second Samuel chapter 15.

David is informed about the conspiracy against his leadership organized by his son Absalom.

He has the man power and ability to overthrow this rebellion and maintain his position as king. This can be verified by the number and caliber of enemies he’s defeated in the past.

But David decides to flee. He leaves the throne and the glory and gets out of Jerusalem.

Why does the King decide to flee in spite of his ability to overthrow his adversary?

• In verse 14 of the above passage he explains to his entourage that if he stays behind Absalom will destroy the city and endanger innocent lives. He does not want to put other people’s lives in danger because of his leadership position.
• The selfless love he has for his son will not allow him to stand and fight even if he has the full right to do so.
• He puts his trust in God and believes that the God who put him on the throne is well able to restore him to his position if necessary (2 Samuel 15:25-26).
• David does not carry the Ark of the Covenant of God out of the city as a sure protection for himself. He gives priority to the people and asks the priest to carry the Ark back to the city.

 

• Christian leadership puts God first, the people second and then self interest later.
• A Christian leader considers himself/herself as a servant and a steward of God’s inheritance and grace. He’s not the proprietor.

What do you think about leaders who will rather see their people suffer than step down from power?

They don’t deserve it, but they need it: the place of love in the healing ministry

Christian leadership usually reaches out to those who are in great need. Most often we are called to minister to people who are going through a lot of trauma which could be physical, emotional or spiritual. This category of people needs our compassion and sympathy the most. In fact, they need our love more than any other group of individuals.

When Jesus saw the multitude He was moved with compassion to heal all their sicknesses and liberate all the captives. After ministering to them He then told them to stay out of the mess.

Love and compassion are very necessary ingredients when it comes to administering healing and deliverance.

This is especially so because those we are called to minister to might be very “undeserving” and “unworthy” people according to our human wisdom and calculation.

Most of them do not know God. Some do not want any relationship with God. They want a quick fix and that’s it.

How then do we reach out to such individuals without judging them in relation to their attitude and character? How do we show love to those who are hurting, yet despise and ridicule our faith?

It takes a heart that has been remolded by God himself; a heart that can love unconditionally; a heart that can love the unlovable.

God is looking for such vessels so that He can fill them with His anointing and then use them to reach out to a hurting world.