The Next Leaders...

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho but where did he get the know-how? Well, I imagine he watched his predecessor, Moses, follow God into some sticky situations and walk by faith instead of sight. When the time came, he knew how to trust courageously. 

Elisha, the prophet, begged Elijah for a double portion of the Spirit that was upon him before he was whisked away to heaven in a chariot of fire. What made him ask? I imagine he watched some of Elijah's bold prophecies come to pass and observed the wisdom that Elijah maintained in the face of a dark and evil generation. 

The disciples followed Jesus for the bulk of three years, observing His lifestyle, His miracles, His tears, His prayers, and the very essence of His heart. When He ascended up to glory, He sent His beloved followers an overwhelming portion of His Spirit. 

As I survey the three accounts above, I get a pretty good picture of what it takes to be a good leader. 

1) Following and serving well 

2) Being appointed to a position in due time

3) Being filled with the Spirit and walking in dependence on God

I would venture to say that every single person, above the age of infancy, is a leader to some degree. We lead others by example if nothing else. Even the quietest person in the room affects the atmosphere by their demeanor, actions, words or lack thereof. And so, we all lead. Of course, some people are called to lead much larger groups of people and in much more prominent ways than others, but the question remains, How can we be good leaders?

And so, the topic of mentoring comes up. All three of the above leaders walked for some time with the leader who preceded them, before stepping up to the plate themselves. It is clear to see, that people in leadership positions such as mothers, fathers, teachers, pastors, older siblings, elderly grandparents, etc etc. have a strong responsibility to pass skills, wisdom, and guidance on to the people following their footsteps. Someday, we will die and go on to our reward and someone will fill our place. Not only that, many young people are full of energy and simply waiting for something to do with it. What better way to help them (and God's kingdom) than to invite them into our work. Allow them to observe, learn from our mistakes, walk with us, so that they can begin preparing for the day they will carry on our position. Allow them to ask difficult questions and to wrestle with them. Aid them in their search for answers but always make sure they have their own mind too. It is a weak Christian whose entire life is based on the conviction of others. 

It is obvious that a leadership position must be prepared for. Many of us want to do great things without doing the work required to get there. We hope God will miraculously call us out of our pit of self-indulgence and laziness to do some great eye-catching work for Him. I believe there is a reason God often calls the unassuming and "background" sorts of people to be His strongest instruments. They have learned how to be faithful when no one is watching and to stick to the hardest tasks when it would be easiest to quit. They will be the most humble and loyal leaders because they remember where they came from and the miracle of grace that called them. 

In conclusion, if you want to be a leader, find good people to shadow. Mentoring is important. Don't be afraid to ask the right people to speak into your life and by all means dig into the opportunities that are in front of you. He who is faithful in that which is least will be faithful also in much. Those tiny things you attend to now will enhance your larger space someday. Develop your mind according to God's word. Wrestle with difficult passages and seek God's heart. Good leaders must be able to hear God's voice clearly. Become a person of principle and discipline. Above all, follow God's will for your life diligently. He will call you to the place He has for you and only in His perfect will can you ever hope to accomplish the full potential your life has. After all, it never was about you or me. Only about the One who has called us adopted, a peculiar people, chosen, anointed, saints, and His children. We owe our lives as a sacrifice - whether in the trenches, at the ironing board, or on the stage. 

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How Can We Stop Being Afraid of Each Other?

This question was posed at one of our youth discussions in reference to being open and honest with others versus carefully guarded about all things personal. 

I've done some thinking on it since, and it seems to me there are a number of factors that play into this dilemma. One, as I've mentioned on a previous blog post, Will You Be That Place?, is people who gossip and are not trustworthy. These types of people cannot and should not be trusted with anyone's personal life.

A second factor is the playing of the victim card. I have met people who believe everyone is out to get them and they are constantly feeling criticism that doesn't exist. Sometimes this is because they are overly critical themselves and expect the same in return. Other times it is caused by harsh treatment in the past where they were significantly belittled or falsely accused. Fear results, and they continue to live out of that wound of rejection. 

Then a third factor that I have come upon is the way we as humans judge. If we go back to the Pharisees and Jesus, it is quite easy to see a vast difference in the way they viewed and handled people. 

The Pharisees were quick to trample and criticize anyone who was even mildly different than their strict interpretation of the law. There were no grounds for mercy if an action went against what they had deemed to be correct. They watched with horror as Jesus came into a picture:

#1.He loved a woman caught in blatant adultery. 

#2. He healed lepers. 

#3. He asked a Gentile woman for a drink of water.

#4. He spoke to a searching ruler at night. 

Now let us view these activities through the eyes of the deeply religious. 

#1. The woman should clearly have been brutally stoned. 

#2. The lepers were desperately unclean and to be avoided at all costs.

#3. The Gentiles were absolutely untouchable and despised and women in that time period were typically seen as having a lower status than men. Any self-respecting Jewish man would never have stooped low enough, other than spitting, to associate with anyone in that category.

#4. This man was beginning to stray from his proper upbringing. He should have been severely reprimanded and brought back into the correct way. No time for questions when things were already clearly figured out.

And so, I'd like to point out that the Pharisees judged everything through their own hearts and eyes. They saw things from the outside and made judgement calls based on their own understanding. Jesus, on the other hand did not. Of course, He had the extra advantage of being God and being able to see into people's hearts, but it is clear that His entire method of viewing people was completely different than the religious leaders. He valued people for who God had made them. Not by what they did or didn't do but instead for who they could be. 

I wonder what would happen if we would all begin to view people with Jesus' mindset. I believe we would listen a little better, speak a little gentler, and offer a lot more kindness. Perhaps we would all begin to feel safer and more confident, and our churches would become places of healing instead of hurting. ❤️

Behind It All

This morning I asked Jesus how He could ever walk on earth where there were so many people who were broken and hurt. Then, for a moment, I entered His heart. I sensed the deep compassion He carries and the pain of watching His people suffer.

There was a reason He wept over Jerusalem and the unrepentant, blind Jews. There was also a reason He let Mary wash his feet with her tears and anoint them with perfume. He didn't care about the opinions of others or attaining a high level in the local pecking order. He cared about people and their hearts. He saw straight past religious facades, through tears on faces, beyond handicaps, and into the heart behind small offerings. He answered desperate cries for help and refused to get hung up on religious trifles. His heart was like His Father's, bent on redemption.

And I see us today, much like Jerusalem of old. Some of us are ensnared in religious fabrications and some of us lost in empty living. Others are sending out cries of desperation and a remnant bring their small gifts of thankfulness. 

Jesus' heart still breaks. Otherwise He wouldn't send us as Christians out into the world. In His own words, "I pray not that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from evil." John 17:15 He wants us here to be the salt and the light, and to bring others back to oneness with Him. 

And yet, some of us need healing, forgiveness, and grace before we can go out. And in my experience, it takes the powerful cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to attain that. There is no substitute for His love, His grace, and His righteousness. I have watched Him open the eyes of the religiously blinded, heal the demonically oppressed, gently and gradually heal childhood wounds, and bring deliverance to those who were abused. He is able to reach into the lowest situations and bring restoration in miraculous ways. 

How about you let Him reach into yours? ❤️

Behind

Verse 1

He knows the pain you're holding 

Sees the tears that never fall 

He knows that you are breaking 

And afraid to lose it all 

It seems dangerous to trust Him 

'Cause everyone has let you down 

Letting go seems like a failure 

Turning your world upside down.

Chorus
It's a simple song of grace, 

A simple song of love
A song of healing mercy
A song from up above.
A song to say He's with You
He sees your hiding face
He knows the fight you're fighting
And He wants to be Your peace.


Verse 2

He knows the unsung heroes
The ones who held it all
Who fought until the finish
Then carried home the scars
He sees that you are hiding
Ragged wounds beneath your smile
He's saying you let go now
I'll take the extra mile.

                          - Corrine Horst

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When Love Hurts

 Sometimes I've asked myself the question, "Why do I even care?" When I see someone that's near to my heart going through a time of struggle, loss, or confusion, it tugs on my heart and brings me to prayer over and over again. Love hurts. It is simply part of the bargain. We will hurt for and with people if we care. And yet, the opposite life looks shabby and worthless at best. Were I to go through life simply attending to my own needs and ignoring the hurting around me, what would I have to show for it at the end of life? 

My own Master's example was one of extreme sacrifice and dedication regardless of the cost. Because of His unwavering love, He brought many souls to new life and glory.

And so I will continue to love and love hard. The sacrifice may be great, but the reward will outweigh it. 

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"Let us love one another, for love is of God." - 1 John 4:7

What If?

I was reading some books tonight that I ordered from Voice of the Martyrs, and to say I was challenged is an understatement. It wrenched me to the core. I mean, how could it not, when I read about people, namely my brothers and sisters in the faith, laying down their lives, being tortured, enduring imprisonment, etc. while I sit here comfortably in America, sometimes too timid to share my faith because of what my family or friends would think. And then I think about the fact that North Korean Christians who share their faith only have a 3 month life-expectancy. I mean really! I begin to wonder what I am doing?

I fear too many of us are lukewarm, back-slidden, focused more on Instagram and novels than the Bible, spending more time in leisure activities than with the broken, and more consumed with our friends than Jesus. Yet, we claim the name of Christian and wave it like a banner. There are still many of us in North America who hold the Name of Christ as our victory. 

And yet, what victory? Isn't it one that was bought with blood? One that was purchased by a simple godly Carpenter who lived in mockery and solid opposition for nearly all of His ministry? I would think that something that cost so much would also cause us to pay a high price in return.

But sometimes I wonder if we can ever truly understand the price when we are paying so little. I believe very few of us have truly identified with the suffering of our Lord like our brothers and sisters in persecuted countries. And it brings me to my knees begging my Lord for His anointing, His heart, His truth, and His fire. 

If only we as His people would burn with His Spirit and walk in His ways. Imagine the revival that would come to our communities, churches, and nations. Imagine how powerfully He would work and the lives that would be changed. Oh, if only we would fall on our knees and beg Him to take us as we are and mold us to be like Him. Oh, if only we would be willing to let go of all to follow and never look back.

THEN we would see Him work.

What if...

But I Can't Do It...

Many of us make excuses as to why we cannot speak for God or do things in His kingdom. We say we are too young, inexperienced, not educated or smart enough, not gifted enough, or simply too tied down with responsibilities. Some of us curl up in a corner and mourn because we feel we will never amount to anything with our sad lack of talent.  Then we get side-tracked with our work and play and completely lose sight of the purpose God has for us. 

As I study the word of God, I have come to believe that God specializes in situations like this. You see, He didn't pick the educated Pharisees to be His disciples or the well-versed chefs of the day to cook for Him. In fact, His disciples were described by the following: 

- too young

-inexperienced

-not educated 

-used to catching fish, collecting money, or farming

-cheats, betrayers

Yet, they all dropped EVERYTHING and followed Jesus. And in that move of faith, they also dropped their inability and exchanged it for Jesus' ability.

You see, when we say we can't go because of who we are, we effectively remove God with His grace and power from His post and focus on the depressing sight of ourselves. This sadly, limits His grace working in and through us.

The truth is, we may be uneducated. We may be young. We may be poor. We may be inexperienced. We may be tied down with obligations. But, if our God is so small, inexperienced, weak, and foolish that He can't use people unless they are flawless and perfect, then we are not truly serving the God of the Bible. 

Our God is the One who commanded Moses to speak and used Aaron. He is the One who used young David the Shepherd boy because of his faith. He is also the One who called Joash to be king at age 7. He used a little maid to help Namaan the leper. He is the One who delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons. And He is the One who started His church with twelve young men who hadn't an iota of an idea what He was doing. 

The question may come to Your mind, "How? What does He want me to do and how do I do it?" I would advise you to show up and let Him teach you how to follow. 

The disciples learned by living with Him, watching Him, and asking Him questions. I imagine that the same process would yield the same results today. 

You see, when Jesus called them, He said, "I will make you fishers of men." Not, "Please become fishers of men and I'll hire you."

He specializes in taking the unreachable, unusable, unlikable, and unholy and transforming them into His likeness. 

So, in answer to the question... No, you are not good enough, but He'll take you anyway if you'll let Him. ❤️

The Walls That Won't Move...

Sometimes we find ourselves in places we never wanted to be. Frustrating places. Places where things seem to be stuck more than they move. Places where we can't do what we thought God was calling us to. 

Lately I have been reading the book of Exodus and God has been giving me faith to believe that He will move some of these seemingly unmovable barriers. 

You see, the Israelites were in bondage for years. They suffered under the harsh yoke of Egypt and cried out to God. Did God hear them? Absolutely. They were His people. Did He shake heaven and earth and come down immediately? No. He waited over 400 years. 400 years of work and dirt and pain and crying. Why didn't He come sooner? I don't know, but He knew what He was doing. 

I have learned a lot through waiting in my life. It seems to me that when we as Christians camp beside walls that God has allowed to be there and begin praying with fervor and patience, it changes us in ways we never expected. Sometimes God leaves a few walls in order to bring us to a spot of complete dependence on Him and trust in His timing instead of ours. It may look difficult and be outright frustrating, but I know my God enough to know that He is doing a couple things behind the scenes. And when the time is right, He will bring the wall down in the way only He can. 

You see, He could have had another nation come and kill the Egyptians or do it in some other regular way, but no, when God delivered His people, it was unmistakable who had accomplished it. He used a death angel, spoke through two simple men, and then collapsed some walls of water on an army. His way, not the Israelites'; not according to common sense, but His. 

We all have walls in our lives. People that don't change, bad habits to overcome, physical ailments, financial difficulties, family problems, trauma, waiting to step into our life's calling, and the list could go on. Just remember that there is nothing that escapes the eye of our Creator. He is  accomplishing His perfect purpose in you and the lives of the people around you. Keep believing, keep trusting, keep waiting. Hold out an arm of faith and watch God bring the wall down in His time and His way.

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