You Cannot Go From Kindergarten To College

The Church and Its Leaders: 1 Corinthians 3
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

Have you ever had a leader who wanted to go straight from kindergarten to college? Here is how you can identify this type of leader:
1. They wrestle with God as He refines their heart.
2. They despise the process God has them in.
3. They say they feel underutilized.
4. They feel their way is the only way.
5. They struggle against the leadership.
6. They break ranks before they have the opportunity to watch God work in and through His leaders. They miss it! They jump the gun and try to make their way, not waiting on the Lord.

Read Job 28:1-28

Where Wisdom Is Found:
Job 28:1 There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined...28 And he said to the human race,
"The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

a. Wisdom is fearing the Lord to the point where you have such an awe of His greatness you don't move unless he says move. b. You wait for Him to reveal His plan, trust in His ways, lean not on your own understanding. Watch His plan unfold before your eyes. Anything else is just plain sin.

Pray for your young leaders. Pray they seek wisdom. Don't give them solid food, if they aren't ready for it. They will choke. It is better for you to lead and to lead well.

As a leader; The right thing to do isn't always the popular thing to do; and the popular thing to do isn't always the right thing to do. Choose wisely.

How Are You Going To Lead?

"This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites." Joshua 3:10

God drives out your enemies. You just have to trust in God and LEAD! God told Joshua to have the priests who were carrying the ark of the Lord to set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream would be cut off and stand up in a heap. Did you catch that? They actually had to set foot into the Jordan before God would show up and stop the river. Wow, incredible...do you trust God enough to take action on your faith? What is your Jordan, what is God asking you to step into? More importantly, do you have enough faith and trust in God to take that step?

I often ask the people I am mentoring, as they are going through challenges "How are you going to lead through this?" Here is what I know, people are watching you...How are you going to lead them? Are you worthy to follow? Are you leading in a way that your faith is revealed? Are you pointing them to Christ as you lead them? Joshua had to tell the priests to trust God and get into the raging water. Joshua had to lead strong.

As a leader, if I stumble, I could potentially cause my followers to stumble. I am not saying I can't have challenges, I am not perfect... however, who I choose to share my challenges with is another story. As a leader, you need people in your life that you can share your heart with that will minister to your heart. They need to be able to hold you accountable in a way that lines up with the word of God. My accountability partner is a woman of God that I can count on to smack me back to reality, pray with and for me. She is also outside of my present church. She is a person, that God has given me from the last church I served at before Church @ The Springs.

God has given me everything I need to lead and to lead strong. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" (Psalm 27:1 NLT)

I Have A Little Braveheart In Me

One of my favorite all time lines from William Wallace in Braveheart, is when he is speaking to Isabella, the princess of Wales, She is complimenting him on his new status of having been given the rank of knighthood. William Wallace replies with, "I have been given nothing. God makes men what they are." There isn't a stronger position a person can take but to know where you have been given your existence.

As I read today in my bible about John the Baptist, John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." He must become greater, I must become less. This sounds like a recipe for...how to avoid the pitfalls of pride. John's humility is quite remarkable when you consider the human dynamics. Who doesn't want to receive adulation? He has been faithful to do what God put before him, right? Doesn't he deserve to be praise?...rewarded for his faithfulness? Yeah...I said that! Oh my, have we forgotten who gave us our very existence? Yes, we are faithful... and yes, we are obedient to serve out what God has put before us. Let us not forget Who has given us the privilege. Let's look to God for our rewards not man. Stay focused on Christ.

I am personally realigning my life with this scripture: May Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

You're A Character

I have heard that statement more than once! The truth is they are right. I am a character. I am a leader. We should be more concerned with who a leader is, than what a leader does. However, what a leader does can be a game changer.

What is the character of the leader? A true leader should be reflective, my character should be holy, I should reflect the character of Christ. I should have a rhythm...a pattern of good habits that cause the people I lead to say, "I want what Emmy has." That joy that can only come from within...from the Holy Spirit that is within me. I want to reflect Christ. I have an incredible privilege to serve our Lord and influence others. It is a humbling privilege that I do not take lightly. It is critical that I, as a leader, hold my thoughts & actions captive. It is critical that I remain humble, as I represent the Bride of Christ. I influence those around me. I don't always have the luxury of being lazy. I must remain diligent in all I do, I must remain constant in Christ.

If I keep my focus on Christ, it keeps my standard high. As I cannot attain perfection, I can however, strive for excellence. As I am a recovering perfectionist, (somedays not so much...recovering that is...) I have to remind myself that I am not going to achieve perfection. I cannot attach those feelings to my personal worth. My worth is far more than what I do...or how I do it...it is who I am in Christ.

If God is for me...then who can be against me.