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PART ONE
Can you recall the last time you had to deal with a negative or difficult person? Or the last time someone said something with the intention of hurting you? Yes... even Christians say and do things that hurt others, intentionally. How did you handle it?
Well, there’s always the process of seeking to restore your relationship with the offensive person, following the Biblical counsel on seeking and extending forgiveness. That should always be your first course of action when interpersonal relationships break down among Christians.
Unfortunately, that may be your expectation, but not necessarily the intent of the person who offends you. We are living in very stressful times and people’s emotions and nerves are more frayed than ever. Even in God’s Church, we will have to deal with people who are negative, people who oppose our ideas, people who simply don’t like us.
Interpersonal conflict is a fact of life in a fallen world. Such conflict existed in the first century congregations, among prominent brothers, even among leaders of the fledgling church. Our emotions, hurt and bruised by the insensitive actions and words of others drive us to our most basic survival instinct... “react and attack” to defend ourselves. When “forgiveness” doesn’t effectively restore and sustain relationships among brothers and sisters, what can you do to get through these situations with peace and grace?
We need to know each other very well. Most Christians fail to comprehend the importance of knowing and understanding what makes their fellow believers “tick” . Let’s accept the fact that in a sin-filled fallen world there will be difficult people, so-called Christians, working with us in the church. Dealing with them successfully, begins with having a comprehensive understanding of human personalities and how people relate to one another. Remember, not every believer is going to accept the Biblical counsel for relationship restoration, so we have to find ways to be at peace and work harmoniously with difficult people.
Usually, the difficult person is someone who is working from the negative side of their personality, rather than a conscious desire to be difficult. Remember Jesus own words... “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. A difficult person is often completely unaware of themselves and how they affect others. More than likely they will not respond positively to any corrective Biblical counsel since they don’t see their actions as a personal attack on you. If confronted, they’re puzzled ...”how could what I said have offended anyone?” You’ve heard that old “mafiaesque” expression... “It’s not personal, it’s just business”. They carry that framework of interpersonal analysis with them from their secular relationships right into their relationships in the church.
There is great value to be gained when we take the time to try to understand another person’s viewpoint. It begins by changing our attitude toward difficult people and changing our viewpoint about what makes them "wrong". We can find a wealth of knowledge to improve our own ability to work with people by taking the time to get inside their heads. Don’t think of this as a compromise. Difficult Christian people are a “work in progress” just like you are. God is transforming them just like He is transforming you. So you don’t have to compromise as if surrendering your beliefs or convictions. A little pride... yes. Your pride must be set aside, if you ever hope to carve out a foundation for building a relationships with difficult brothers!
It’s important to remember that even though some people in the Church are difficult to deal with, you should not let such people cause you stress. I know, easier said than done.
The human reaction to being constantly on-guard or in the “attack to defend mode” is unhealthy spiritually and physically. There’s an old saying that sums up the problem of internalizing stress caused by others... “Holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” The only person we hurt is ourselves. When we react negativity to difficult people, we are disturbing our inner space, creating mental anguish within ourselves and dampening the power of the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. So, we need to figure out how to rise above the turmoil created by difficult brothers... because we are all His Work in Progress.
In the next two entries, I will identify types of difficult people we often find in the church and ways of dealing with them in the spirit of love and forbearance.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Two Logs and a Bunch of Fragments.......
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Two Christians have a relationship problem. One has offended the other... said something or done something that has seriously breached their relationship. You might say they don’t see “eye to eye” on much of anything right now... especially each other. The relationship is deteriorating. Each set of “eyes” sees the problem differently. The offended person is devastated and the one who has caused the problem... is probably thinking... “what’s the big deal”... get over it. Easier said than done!
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus talks about large lumber, smaller fragment like pieces and our eyes. In verses 3-5 He says these profound words... "Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye but not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother's eye!"
So what does this have to do with forgiveness? Bluntly speaking... forgiveness will never work, no matter how hard we try, as long as we are unwilling to see the offense only through the perspective of our own eyes. Here’s what I mean.
A “splinter” and a “log” can be the very same size when viewed by two people caught up in the struggle to forgive and be forgiven. Any splinter in your eye feels like a “log.” The hurt and pain is the same. When we sense that our brother is offended because of “some little thing we did to him”... we may rationalize for our own self-defense that it’s a small splinter like offense. We must remember, that in his eye this “little thing” from our perspective, is quite possibly a log or beam from his point-of-view. We may think we are only 10% wrong, but in his eye, we are 90% wrong.
We tend to minimize our offenses done to others. We quickly seek various validations and justifications for our words and actions that absolve us of responsibility for hurting someone. At the very least, this attitude serves to build your defense posture for why you are less responsible than your offended brother thinks you are. You say to yourself... “I never intended to hurt him, so maybe he should just just let it go”. It doesn’t work that way among Christians. Letting it go only buries a problem below the surface and allows spiritually destructive bitterness to take root in your heart. Sensitivity to others is essential for laying a solid foundation upon which forgiveness can be extended and accepted.
So what do we need to understand about forgiveness? Does it apply to the splinter in our brother's eye, or to the log in our own eye? Both, and it’s not the size of the obstruction that matters! Mostly importantly, to break a negative and emotionally charged focus on trying to mitigate responsibility for an offense done to a brother, we need to stop and view the offender and offended from God's perspective. What is God thinking? Well, in a nut shell, He holds both the offended and offender equally responsible for pursuing reconciliation. No one is less or more responsible than the other. It’s not a matter of who seeks the other first or who speaks first. Both parties in the eyes of God, are commanded to seek one another and restore communication. (Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3) This has to be one of the hardest things we do as Christians!
Many Christians have incorrectly assumed that they may forgive, but they will never forget the hurt that was done to them. That’s not forgiveness... not even close. It is however a highway to lifelong bitterness. It’s true, in your mind the offended and offender may remember what happened for a period of time, but genuine forgiveness will make the offense fade into obscurity. It’s true your relationship may change... but it should become better. Conflict among Christians does not have to drive a wedge between you. It can also build bridges. Two people engaged in true forgiveness can become more connected than ever before. That’s what God wants... that’s what He expects.
A wound, especially if it is deep, won’t heal overnight. God also knows that about us. We must not allow a negative memory of a conflict with a brother in Christ to disrupt our pursuit of reconciliation. Keep this in mind... in granting forgiveness, you have effectively given a promise to the person who offended you, that the offense in question will never be mentioned again. You won’t mention it ever again to the offender, throwing it in his face when something in your relationship doesn’t go as you think it should. You won’t “open your heart” about it with someone else. That’s an attempt to find “allies” against your brother.
Finally, you won’t indulge in self-pity, dwelling on the offense in your mind. That’s carrying it around like a precious treasured wound. As soon as negative thoughts arise in your mind, turn to God and pray for the welfare of your brother’s soul. Ask God to help you keep your promise in forgiveness. Ask Him to help you strengthen your relationship with your brother. When you learn to react in this manner, you will soon discover that all past offenses will whither away to insignificance.
Seeking and extending forgiveness among brothers and sisters in Christ is real serious business. Failure to take forgiveness as seriously as God does, makes a dangerous mockery of what Jesus has commanded us to do among one another. It most certainly makes a mockery of what God the Father and the Son have done for us. (John 3:16) The Bible does not permit us to add any of our own terms and conditions to forgiveness. It’s not negotiable. We forgive one another because God has forgiven us!
Forgiveness is not easy. It takes a massive dose of humility to reach out to someone you have deeply hurt or for an offended one to reach towards you for restoration. God understands how challenging it is for us to trust someone after having been grievously hurt. Thankfully, God supplies us with love to forgive and love to rebuild a trusting and lasting relationship. Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Be a steward of forgiveness. Seek it, extend it, accept it. Forgiveness can bring peace to the soul of the forgiver and the forgiven. A cloud of anger, bitterness and resentment will be lifted, a log will be cast from your eye.
No one ever said being a Christian would be easy.
Two Christians have a relationship problem. One has offended the other... said something or done something that has seriously breached their relationship. You might say they don’t see “eye to eye” on much of anything right now... especially each other. The relationship is deteriorating. Each set of “eyes” sees the problem differently. The offended person is devastated and the one who has caused the problem... is probably thinking... “what’s the big deal”... get over it. Easier said than done!
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus talks about large lumber, smaller fragment like pieces and our eyes. In verses 3-5 He says these profound words... "Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye but not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother's eye!"
So what does this have to do with forgiveness? Bluntly speaking... forgiveness will never work, no matter how hard we try, as long as we are unwilling to see the offense only through the perspective of our own eyes. Here’s what I mean.
A “splinter” and a “log” can be the very same size when viewed by two people caught up in the struggle to forgive and be forgiven. Any splinter in your eye feels like a “log.” The hurt and pain is the same. When we sense that our brother is offended because of “some little thing we did to him”... we may rationalize for our own self-defense that it’s a small splinter like offense. We must remember, that in his eye this “little thing” from our perspective, is quite possibly a log or beam from his point-of-view. We may think we are only 10% wrong, but in his eye, we are 90% wrong.
We tend to minimize our offenses done to others. We quickly seek various validations and justifications for our words and actions that absolve us of responsibility for hurting someone. At the very least, this attitude serves to build your defense posture for why you are less responsible than your offended brother thinks you are. You say to yourself... “I never intended to hurt him, so maybe he should just just let it go”. It doesn’t work that way among Christians. Letting it go only buries a problem below the surface and allows spiritually destructive bitterness to take root in your heart. Sensitivity to others is essential for laying a solid foundation upon which forgiveness can be extended and accepted.
So what do we need to understand about forgiveness? Does it apply to the splinter in our brother's eye, or to the log in our own eye? Both, and it’s not the size of the obstruction that matters! Mostly importantly, to break a negative and emotionally charged focus on trying to mitigate responsibility for an offense done to a brother, we need to stop and view the offender and offended from God's perspective. What is God thinking? Well, in a nut shell, He holds both the offended and offender equally responsible for pursuing reconciliation. No one is less or more responsible than the other. It’s not a matter of who seeks the other first or who speaks first. Both parties in the eyes of God, are commanded to seek one another and restore communication. (Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3) This has to be one of the hardest things we do as Christians!
Many Christians have incorrectly assumed that they may forgive, but they will never forget the hurt that was done to them. That’s not forgiveness... not even close. It is however a highway to lifelong bitterness. It’s true, in your mind the offended and offender may remember what happened for a period of time, but genuine forgiveness will make the offense fade into obscurity. It’s true your relationship may change... but it should become better. Conflict among Christians does not have to drive a wedge between you. It can also build bridges. Two people engaged in true forgiveness can become more connected than ever before. That’s what God wants... that’s what He expects.
A wound, especially if it is deep, won’t heal overnight. God also knows that about us. We must not allow a negative memory of a conflict with a brother in Christ to disrupt our pursuit of reconciliation. Keep this in mind... in granting forgiveness, you have effectively given a promise to the person who offended you, that the offense in question will never be mentioned again. You won’t mention it ever again to the offender, throwing it in his face when something in your relationship doesn’t go as you think it should. You won’t “open your heart” about it with someone else. That’s an attempt to find “allies” against your brother.
Finally, you won’t indulge in self-pity, dwelling on the offense in your mind. That’s carrying it around like a precious treasured wound. As soon as negative thoughts arise in your mind, turn to God and pray for the welfare of your brother’s soul. Ask God to help you keep your promise in forgiveness. Ask Him to help you strengthen your relationship with your brother. When you learn to react in this manner, you will soon discover that all past offenses will whither away to insignificance.
Seeking and extending forgiveness among brothers and sisters in Christ is real serious business. Failure to take forgiveness as seriously as God does, makes a dangerous mockery of what Jesus has commanded us to do among one another. It most certainly makes a mockery of what God the Father and the Son have done for us. (John 3:16) The Bible does not permit us to add any of our own terms and conditions to forgiveness. It’s not negotiable. We forgive one another because God has forgiven us!
Forgiveness is not easy. It takes a massive dose of humility to reach out to someone you have deeply hurt or for an offended one to reach towards you for restoration. God understands how challenging it is for us to trust someone after having been grievously hurt. Thankfully, God supplies us with love to forgive and love to rebuild a trusting and lasting relationship. Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Be a steward of forgiveness. Seek it, extend it, accept it. Forgiveness can bring peace to the soul of the forgiver and the forgiven. A cloud of anger, bitterness and resentment will be lifted, a log will be cast from your eye.
No one ever said being a Christian would be easy.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Living to Forgive... no matter what!
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You will often hear people say... “there's no time like the present”. I’ve often said that to my daughters, who evidently do not comprehend what I’m saying. Early bird gets the worm! That one gets frowns, turned up noses, scrunched faces and... “Mom, Dad’s saying weird things again.”
Mark Twain once said... “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Or how about this one.... Honey, weren't you going to take down the Christmas lights this weekend?' 'No, Next weekend, Dear! Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till next weekend… or some “future” weekend!'
I’ve always believed that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later. But I’m not as good at it as I know I should be. Weeds are growing in the flower beds... maybe next weekend I’ll pull ‘em. Clearly if I leave such chores for later... they might never get done.
Human nature seems to dovetail very nicely with these humorous expressions. We delay decisions, especially those that we expect to be troublesome and burdensome in some way. We postpone delivering unpleasant or bad news as long as we can. And all of us professional “couch potatoes” are well versed in various forms of delaying until another day the chores that need to be done now. We procrastinate about most everything in our lives at one time or another. Sometimes what we delay can have far-reaching consequences. Such as saving for retirement… “we'll start next year, or the year after”. Planning for the kids college education… “they're young, let's worry about that when they're a bit older”.
You get the idea. We humans seem to be masters at putting off until tomorrow things that need our attention immediately. Some things in living the Christian life can’t be put off. Forgiveness is one of those things. Forgiving one another can’t be put off.
Forgiveness requires reaching out to someone we’ve offended or who has offended us. Doing it now... not later.
As Christians, we are certainly awed and humbled by God's gracious forgiving of our sins. Yet we seem reluctant and sometimes rebellious when the Lord commands us to forgive those who have wronged us. Why do we hold back? What do we fear? Who suffers most when we withhold forgiveness from those who have hurt us?
Make no mistake about it.... God calls us to do what we least want to do in order to expose our true nature... to reveal what's really in our heart. How powerful is the blood of Christ in your heart? Have you allowed what God has done for you to motivate you to resolve problems with your brothers?
Forgiveness binds us together
In forgiveness there is redemption, restoration, healing, transformation and change. Our sins have been erased. That’s the power in the cross of Christ. God forgiving us when we understand what He has done for humanity. We accept Him, we commit to Him, we submit to baptism... and we are reborn. A new life in Christ emerges... sins forgiven. (Acts 2:38) Now comes the hard part... paying that same gift to anyone who hurts us. We have to show the mercy that we have been shown by virtue of the cross. It is mandated that we do so.
Forgiveness can be about big issues and little issues, things of great importance in our lives and little insignificant things. In fact, those little things that we seem to turn from mole hills into mountains can lead to big things if left to smolder. Little things have the potential to accumulate knocking the big things in our lives off track. Important things like fellowship... worship... personal study... and prayer.
It’s easy to talk about the concept of forgiving “one another” as long as it doesn’t hit close to home... involving me. Forgiveness is of God, so the quality is superlative in nature and capable of refining the souls of all those involved. Wait a minute, if forgiveness is one of the defining attributes of God, and continuously admonished throughout the Bible, why do so many Christians find it to be such a bitter pill to swallow?
We struggle to extend forgiveness because the wrongs done to us by others hurt so much. It’s hard to accept that another Christian could act towards me in that way... hurt me like they did. At the same time, we are not completely sure what forgiveness really is or what it might involve. It’s a whole lot more than words for sure. It is not that we cannot forgive someone, but that we are afraid of what it might cost us. We like to control our lives and insulate ourselves from as much outsider intrusion as possible. Things that have been done to you hurt and they become like “treasured wounds”. Hanging onto them lets you always remember what someone did to you!
The kind of forgiveness we love to sing about, that flows down from God to us through Christ, is not the forgiveness that matters when we’re dealing with a Christian brother or sister who has hurt us. Forgiveness... essential in Christian brotherhood is man-to-man, woman-to-woman so to speak. Because we have to resolve hurt and pain between each other... the characteristics of forgiveness taste bitter. Fear manifesting itself as Pride almost always gets in our way of resolving differences. You have an agenda, a sort of “checklist” , that in your mind must be resolved before you will even consider forgiving a brother. You need to get that idea out of your mind!
Don’t forget who’s in charge... God. God forgave us because of what Jesus did “for us”. Now, in the course of living the Christian life... bumping into one another, stepping on toes now and then, and saying hurtful things, obliges each of us to forgive others because of what Jesus is doing “in us”.
I don’t like to pull weeds! I’m not real fond of cleaning the house either. I hate balancing the checkbook! But these are the “laws of adulthood”. We all do these things because they need to be done. Putting them off only makes for a bigger problem another day. The “law of forgiveness” is essential for living the Christian life. Forgiving one another should be easily and quickly done... like other “matter-of-fact” routines in life. I know... easier said than done.
The single reason Christians need to be forgivers is the simple yet profoundly critical command of Jesus himself. Not only are we told to forgive anyone who has hurt us... we also learn we cannot enjoy forgiveness ourselves if we are not exercising it toward others.
The proper corollary to Jesus' prayer as he hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them,” is Jesus' imperative, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).
Now when you hear those words in the context of forgiving your brother, it rings like a sacred warning doesn’t it? Forgive one another... do it often... be sincere about it... get past your treasure wounds... be brothers again and forevermore.... or, I the Living God will withdraw forgiveness from you... forgiveness that leads to your eternal life!
WOW! Get the picture?
You will often hear people say... “there's no time like the present”. I’ve often said that to my daughters, who evidently do not comprehend what I’m saying. Early bird gets the worm! That one gets frowns, turned up noses, scrunched faces and... “Mom, Dad’s saying weird things again.”
Mark Twain once said... “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Or how about this one.... Honey, weren't you going to take down the Christmas lights this weekend?' 'No, Next weekend, Dear! Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till next weekend… or some “future” weekend!'
I’ve always believed that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later. But I’m not as good at it as I know I should be. Weeds are growing in the flower beds... maybe next weekend I’ll pull ‘em. Clearly if I leave such chores for later... they might never get done.
Human nature seems to dovetail very nicely with these humorous expressions. We delay decisions, especially those that we expect to be troublesome and burdensome in some way. We postpone delivering unpleasant or bad news as long as we can. And all of us professional “couch potatoes” are well versed in various forms of delaying until another day the chores that need to be done now. We procrastinate about most everything in our lives at one time or another. Sometimes what we delay can have far-reaching consequences. Such as saving for retirement… “we'll start next year, or the year after”. Planning for the kids college education… “they're young, let's worry about that when they're a bit older”.
You get the idea. We humans seem to be masters at putting off until tomorrow things that need our attention immediately. Some things in living the Christian life can’t be put off. Forgiveness is one of those things. Forgiving one another can’t be put off.
Forgiveness requires reaching out to someone we’ve offended or who has offended us. Doing it now... not later.
As Christians, we are certainly awed and humbled by God's gracious forgiving of our sins. Yet we seem reluctant and sometimes rebellious when the Lord commands us to forgive those who have wronged us. Why do we hold back? What do we fear? Who suffers most when we withhold forgiveness from those who have hurt us?
Make no mistake about it.... God calls us to do what we least want to do in order to expose our true nature... to reveal what's really in our heart. How powerful is the blood of Christ in your heart? Have you allowed what God has done for you to motivate you to resolve problems with your brothers?
Forgiveness binds us together
In forgiveness there is redemption, restoration, healing, transformation and change. Our sins have been erased. That’s the power in the cross of Christ. God forgiving us when we understand what He has done for humanity. We accept Him, we commit to Him, we submit to baptism... and we are reborn. A new life in Christ emerges... sins forgiven. (Acts 2:38) Now comes the hard part... paying that same gift to anyone who hurts us. We have to show the mercy that we have been shown by virtue of the cross. It is mandated that we do so.
Forgiveness can be about big issues and little issues, things of great importance in our lives and little insignificant things. In fact, those little things that we seem to turn from mole hills into mountains can lead to big things if left to smolder. Little things have the potential to accumulate knocking the big things in our lives off track. Important things like fellowship... worship... personal study... and prayer.
It’s easy to talk about the concept of forgiving “one another” as long as it doesn’t hit close to home... involving me. Forgiveness is of God, so the quality is superlative in nature and capable of refining the souls of all those involved. Wait a minute, if forgiveness is one of the defining attributes of God, and continuously admonished throughout the Bible, why do so many Christians find it to be such a bitter pill to swallow?
We struggle to extend forgiveness because the wrongs done to us by others hurt so much. It’s hard to accept that another Christian could act towards me in that way... hurt me like they did. At the same time, we are not completely sure what forgiveness really is or what it might involve. It’s a whole lot more than words for sure. It is not that we cannot forgive someone, but that we are afraid of what it might cost us. We like to control our lives and insulate ourselves from as much outsider intrusion as possible. Things that have been done to you hurt and they become like “treasured wounds”. Hanging onto them lets you always remember what someone did to you!
The kind of forgiveness we love to sing about, that flows down from God to us through Christ, is not the forgiveness that matters when we’re dealing with a Christian brother or sister who has hurt us. Forgiveness... essential in Christian brotherhood is man-to-man, woman-to-woman so to speak. Because we have to resolve hurt and pain between each other... the characteristics of forgiveness taste bitter. Fear manifesting itself as Pride almost always gets in our way of resolving differences. You have an agenda, a sort of “checklist” , that in your mind must be resolved before you will even consider forgiving a brother. You need to get that idea out of your mind!
Don’t forget who’s in charge... God. God forgave us because of what Jesus did “for us”. Now, in the course of living the Christian life... bumping into one another, stepping on toes now and then, and saying hurtful things, obliges each of us to forgive others because of what Jesus is doing “in us”.
I don’t like to pull weeds! I’m not real fond of cleaning the house either. I hate balancing the checkbook! But these are the “laws of adulthood”. We all do these things because they need to be done. Putting them off only makes for a bigger problem another day. The “law of forgiveness” is essential for living the Christian life. Forgiving one another should be easily and quickly done... like other “matter-of-fact” routines in life. I know... easier said than done.
The single reason Christians need to be forgivers is the simple yet profoundly critical command of Jesus himself. Not only are we told to forgive anyone who has hurt us... we also learn we cannot enjoy forgiveness ourselves if we are not exercising it toward others.
The proper corollary to Jesus' prayer as he hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them,” is Jesus' imperative, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).
Now when you hear those words in the context of forgiving your brother, it rings like a sacred warning doesn’t it? Forgive one another... do it often... be sincere about it... get past your treasure wounds... be brothers again and forevermore.... or, I the Living God will withdraw forgiveness from you... forgiveness that leads to your eternal life!
WOW! Get the picture?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thoughts on Leadership in Today’s Church...
____________________________________________
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership. It’s probably something many of us have been thinking about considering that the apparent lack of it has plunged business, government and many other trusted institutions in economic chaos.
What Makes a good Leader? Is it the ability to navigate in the choppy waters of change? Do leaders see the hidden opportunity in every setback? You know, the old “silver lining” philosophy. Is there really any such thing as a “born leader”? I’ve even thought about Dilbert.
One of my favorite comic strips is Dilbert. Dilbert’s boss is an empty headed individual who sits behind an empty desk. He never does any work, except to think up useless assignments for his staff. The staff, for their part, largely ignore him and figure out how to get things done in spite of him. Is that how we deal with ineffective leaders? It might shock us to discover there’s more truth in that cartoon than we care to know.
Dilbert’s boss reminded me of a story about a fellow, a supposedly good leader, who had figured out an innovative way to start each work day with an empty desk. He had a credenza behind his desk with 10 stacks of papers on it. At the end of each day, he would pile up the papers on his desk and put the stack at the left-hand end of the credenza. Then he moved all of the other stacks to the right. The one furthest to the right, representing work from 2 weeks ago... he would throw that stack away. Zap... file 13! He was of the opinion that, if he hadn’t touched a document for 2 weeks, he would never need it. His staff, who loved him dearly, made allowance for this questionable habit by quietly backing up all his documents without his knowledge.
Seriously though, what makes a good leader? Let me offer the following portrait of qualities and attributes that might comprise a good, maybe even great leader.
Visionary. Good leaders create a vision, a picture of the future, of where they want to take their organizations. Leaders can improve both the quality and acceptance of the vision by partnering with their peers, the executive team and key employees throughout the organization or even outside consultants. To get the best vision a good leader encourages lots of ideas, because he knows people support what they help to create. Inspirational. Once a vision is established, great leaders can inspire everyone in the organization to get onboard. People in great organizations are passionate about what they do. This inspiration extends to customers, investors, suppliers, boards of directors and all other stockholders. This doesn't mean good leaders have to be charismatic or great public speakers, though some are. Leaders may inspire by example or in more subtle low-key ways. Every word and action demonstrates their passion for the vision. Strategic. Strategic leaders are clear and directly face the strengths and weaknesses of their own organizations, as well as their external opportunities and threats. They think in terms of leverage, fishing where the big fish are and partnering to gain market advantage. While interested in one sale, they would rather create pipelines and strategic alliances that generate thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of sales. Tactical. Good leaders are bottom-line oriented and extraordinarily committed to results. They thrive on facts, figures, numbers and data. They're interested in ROI, ROE and EBIDTA. If not numbers-oriented themselves, they surround themselves with strong financial talent who thrive on this type of analysis. Focused. Once vision and mission, a brief, clear statement of the reasons for an organization's existence are established, good leaders achieve what they set out to do before launching new initiatives. By contrast, poor leaders may have dozens of conflicting programs and priorities running at the same time and crashing into each other. Leaders with too many priorities essentially have no clear priorities at all. Persuasive. Good leaders can bring others to their point of view using logic, reason, emotion and the force of their personalities. They motivate by persuasion rather than intimidation. The key here is the leader speaking from his or her heart. Likable. Good leaders are people-centric. Whatever their background is, they recognize interpersonal communication skills as paramount. They display high degrees of emotional intelligence, and thrive on finesse and likeability. They want to be liked -- and they usually are. Again, the key is what's inside the leader. Likeability comes from the inside out. Decisive. Sometimes shooting from the hip, good leaders can make decisions quickly... often with incomplete data. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Rarely is a leader able to get 100 percent of the information needed for a decision. Good leaders have the uncanny ability to make decisions on “gut” and go... expecting to make minor to major course changes as needed. Ethical. Good leaders are direct and straightforward. They set clear performance expectations and hold people accountable. This requires being direct and truthful, which can be difficult but - more often than not - is natural for the principle-based leader. Good leaders know it's hard to beat the truth. Open to feedback. Good leaders are open and dedicated to lifelong learning. They seek feedback about their performance through direct conversations and objective tools such as 360-degree reviews. Seeking continuous improvement in their organizations, they also seek it for themselves.
Well there you have it... the perfect leader! Personally, I don’t think such a person exists, but if they did, what a leader they would be! A person possessing all these remarkable qualities could do so much for God’s Church! Or could they?
The aforementioned characteristics that may well define the perfect leader in the secular business world... do not necessarily define a capable leader in God’s Church. Such a person possesses what we think are optimal skills that will enable miraculous performance. It’s so easy for us to be lured into believing that these are the attributes of the leaders God wants at the helm of His churches. Christians assume that leaders must have "vision" and all these business-oriented skills in today's church.
God has already provided the vision... long ago. It hasn’t changed and needs no enhancements. Inspiration, Strategy and Tactics... already provided and defined by God. As for a Leader... God provided the very best we could ever imagine, possessing all the essential leadership qualities and attributes needed to accomplish great and even miraculous things... his name is Jesus. He is really the perfect CEO of an organization who’s people have been accomplishing his plan, The Great Commission, for nearly 2000 years.
In the context of our churches, we Christians may not intentionally marginalize Christ, but we do place too much emphasis on humanistic attributes that we think are essential for leaders of God’s Church. We get caught up in our own contributions to God's work and how successful we have been in building His Church. Our tools and measurements, statistics and research studies all suggest we know best how to accomplish His work. So we need to ask ourselves.... what is driving us and our leaders? Is it God and His influence or is it seeking our own glory?
Effective leadership in the church is “vessel oriented”. By the Holy Spirit we are transformed into vessels, molded and shaped by the Holy Spirit into useful tools for God’s purposeful use. A far more simple and humble concept than the complex business-oriented schemes and strategies of man applied in the workings of the Church.
One final thought.... a couple of qualities are missing in the aforementioned list of leadership attributes. These are things you will never find in successful business leaders. They are attributes, if they are to exist at all, only will in leaders instep with the Holy Spirit. The first attribute is a quality defined and emulated by our leader Jesus. Closeness. The elder-shepherd leaders of our churches must know their flocks intimately. Closeness is essential to being a good shepherd. Closeness is only developed through prayer. It requires an understanding of “agape love”... unconditional love that puts others first... before yourself. It is cultivated and worn by humble leaders only through intimacy with God through prayer. The closer you come to God, the closer you can be to His people.
That’s why Jesus could talk about how well the shepherd knew his sheep and the sheep knew the shepherd. The mark of a leader is how well he or she knows those whom they are leading. Without that sense of togetherness trust is always a little out of reach. Closeness is an essential part of shepherding and leadership.
The second essential quality of an elder-shepherd is that of being a good Follower. Following is a key trait for any would-be leader. To be a good leader, one must first be a good follower. Jesus was the ultimate follower... in his humanity, during his earthly ministry and now as He leads His Church from Heaven. Christ obediently followed the Father’s plan... all the way to death on the cross.
An elder-shepherd honors and obeys his Leader, Jesus Christ, in everything he does – in his life, in his interactions with his family, in his interactions with the flock, in the example he sets for all the world to see. He is always intensely aware that he does not of his own knowledge... know how and where to lead the flock without constantly referring to his Leader's instructions, the Bible, and seeking direction from his Leader in prayer.
God makes the leaders He needs for His Church... His Way!
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership. It’s probably something many of us have been thinking about considering that the apparent lack of it has plunged business, government and many other trusted institutions in economic chaos.
What Makes a good Leader? Is it the ability to navigate in the choppy waters of change? Do leaders see the hidden opportunity in every setback? You know, the old “silver lining” philosophy. Is there really any such thing as a “born leader”? I’ve even thought about Dilbert.
One of my favorite comic strips is Dilbert. Dilbert’s boss is an empty headed individual who sits behind an empty desk. He never does any work, except to think up useless assignments for his staff. The staff, for their part, largely ignore him and figure out how to get things done in spite of him. Is that how we deal with ineffective leaders? It might shock us to discover there’s more truth in that cartoon than we care to know.
Dilbert’s boss reminded me of a story about a fellow, a supposedly good leader, who had figured out an innovative way to start each work day with an empty desk. He had a credenza behind his desk with 10 stacks of papers on it. At the end of each day, he would pile up the papers on his desk and put the stack at the left-hand end of the credenza. Then he moved all of the other stacks to the right. The one furthest to the right, representing work from 2 weeks ago... he would throw that stack away. Zap... file 13! He was of the opinion that, if he hadn’t touched a document for 2 weeks, he would never need it. His staff, who loved him dearly, made allowance for this questionable habit by quietly backing up all his documents without his knowledge.
Seriously though, what makes a good leader? Let me offer the following portrait of qualities and attributes that might comprise a good, maybe even great leader.
Visionary. Good leaders create a vision, a picture of the future, of where they want to take their organizations. Leaders can improve both the quality and acceptance of the vision by partnering with their peers, the executive team and key employees throughout the organization or even outside consultants. To get the best vision a good leader encourages lots of ideas, because he knows people support what they help to create. Inspirational. Once a vision is established, great leaders can inspire everyone in the organization to get onboard. People in great organizations are passionate about what they do. This inspiration extends to customers, investors, suppliers, boards of directors and all other stockholders. This doesn't mean good leaders have to be charismatic or great public speakers, though some are. Leaders may inspire by example or in more subtle low-key ways. Every word and action demonstrates their passion for the vision. Strategic. Strategic leaders are clear and directly face the strengths and weaknesses of their own organizations, as well as their external opportunities and threats. They think in terms of leverage, fishing where the big fish are and partnering to gain market advantage. While interested in one sale, they would rather create pipelines and strategic alliances that generate thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of sales. Tactical. Good leaders are bottom-line oriented and extraordinarily committed to results. They thrive on facts, figures, numbers and data. They're interested in ROI, ROE and EBIDTA. If not numbers-oriented themselves, they surround themselves with strong financial talent who thrive on this type of analysis. Focused. Once vision and mission, a brief, clear statement of the reasons for an organization's existence are established, good leaders achieve what they set out to do before launching new initiatives. By contrast, poor leaders may have dozens of conflicting programs and priorities running at the same time and crashing into each other. Leaders with too many priorities essentially have no clear priorities at all. Persuasive. Good leaders can bring others to their point of view using logic, reason, emotion and the force of their personalities. They motivate by persuasion rather than intimidation. The key here is the leader speaking from his or her heart. Likable. Good leaders are people-centric. Whatever their background is, they recognize interpersonal communication skills as paramount. They display high degrees of emotional intelligence, and thrive on finesse and likeability. They want to be liked -- and they usually are. Again, the key is what's inside the leader. Likeability comes from the inside out. Decisive. Sometimes shooting from the hip, good leaders can make decisions quickly... often with incomplete data. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Rarely is a leader able to get 100 percent of the information needed for a decision. Good leaders have the uncanny ability to make decisions on “gut” and go... expecting to make minor to major course changes as needed. Ethical. Good leaders are direct and straightforward. They set clear performance expectations and hold people accountable. This requires being direct and truthful, which can be difficult but - more often than not - is natural for the principle-based leader. Good leaders know it's hard to beat the truth. Open to feedback. Good leaders are open and dedicated to lifelong learning. They seek feedback about their performance through direct conversations and objective tools such as 360-degree reviews. Seeking continuous improvement in their organizations, they also seek it for themselves.
Well there you have it... the perfect leader! Personally, I don’t think such a person exists, but if they did, what a leader they would be! A person possessing all these remarkable qualities could do so much for God’s Church! Or could they?
The aforementioned characteristics that may well define the perfect leader in the secular business world... do not necessarily define a capable leader in God’s Church. Such a person possesses what we think are optimal skills that will enable miraculous performance. It’s so easy for us to be lured into believing that these are the attributes of the leaders God wants at the helm of His churches. Christians assume that leaders must have "vision" and all these business-oriented skills in today's church.
God has already provided the vision... long ago. It hasn’t changed and needs no enhancements. Inspiration, Strategy and Tactics... already provided and defined by God. As for a Leader... God provided the very best we could ever imagine, possessing all the essential leadership qualities and attributes needed to accomplish great and even miraculous things... his name is Jesus. He is really the perfect CEO of an organization who’s people have been accomplishing his plan, The Great Commission, for nearly 2000 years.
In the context of our churches, we Christians may not intentionally marginalize Christ, but we do place too much emphasis on humanistic attributes that we think are essential for leaders of God’s Church. We get caught up in our own contributions to God's work and how successful we have been in building His Church. Our tools and measurements, statistics and research studies all suggest we know best how to accomplish His work. So we need to ask ourselves.... what is driving us and our leaders? Is it God and His influence or is it seeking our own glory?
Effective leadership in the church is “vessel oriented”. By the Holy Spirit we are transformed into vessels, molded and shaped by the Holy Spirit into useful tools for God’s purposeful use. A far more simple and humble concept than the complex business-oriented schemes and strategies of man applied in the workings of the Church.
One final thought.... a couple of qualities are missing in the aforementioned list of leadership attributes. These are things you will never find in successful business leaders. They are attributes, if they are to exist at all, only will in leaders instep with the Holy Spirit. The first attribute is a quality defined and emulated by our leader Jesus. Closeness. The elder-shepherd leaders of our churches must know their flocks intimately. Closeness is essential to being a good shepherd. Closeness is only developed through prayer. It requires an understanding of “agape love”... unconditional love that puts others first... before yourself. It is cultivated and worn by humble leaders only through intimacy with God through prayer. The closer you come to God, the closer you can be to His people.
That’s why Jesus could talk about how well the shepherd knew his sheep and the sheep knew the shepherd. The mark of a leader is how well he or she knows those whom they are leading. Without that sense of togetherness trust is always a little out of reach. Closeness is an essential part of shepherding and leadership.
The second essential quality of an elder-shepherd is that of being a good Follower. Following is a key trait for any would-be leader. To be a good leader, one must first be a good follower. Jesus was the ultimate follower... in his humanity, during his earthly ministry and now as He leads His Church from Heaven. Christ obediently followed the Father’s plan... all the way to death on the cross.
An elder-shepherd honors and obeys his Leader, Jesus Christ, in everything he does – in his life, in his interactions with his family, in his interactions with the flock, in the example he sets for all the world to see. He is always intensely aware that he does not of his own knowledge... know how and where to lead the flock without constantly referring to his Leader's instructions, the Bible, and seeking direction from his Leader in prayer.
God makes the leaders He needs for His Church... His Way!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Living the Christian Life... Be Prepared!
_____________________________________________
PART TWO
The Body Part: The Feet
The Protective Device: Padded footwear made for speed and agility
A bad fitting pair of shoes can really make walking a miserable experience. When the feet are not cared for and protected, it seems like everything else from head on down the body hurts. This is also not an area Christians are giving much time and attention to protecting. When this protection is missing or ignored, you can expect your spirituality to have a noticeable limp since the primary functions of your feet are mobilization, balance and readiness. If you have a spiritual limp it will be much harder to get away from dangers that can attack you. How can you flea from temptations and sin if you don’t prepare your feet properly? You can’t. Being unprotected at the feet compromises all the protective efforts you’ve made to the upper regions of your body. All of your Christian brothers and sisters are depending on you to be in a constant state of readiness for what comes.
Follow Paul’s counsel from Ephesians 6 in preparing your feet....with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Now that sounds like you need lightweight good fitting footwear that allows you to run away from harm and temptations but to also run after opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s the ultimate all-purpose athletic shoe! Remember to protect your feet, you don't want to injure yourself or let your team down during warm-ups and especially in the heat of competition.
The Body Part: The Head to the Knees
The Protective Device: A blocking Shield that covers all the vital areas at one time
No matter how well you prepare your head, your torso, your waist area and your feet, there are still ways for our adversary Satan to blast you with so much at one time that you need “extra” protection beyond what has been described thus far. In ancient times warriors fought in battles with shields large enough to cover the entire body nearly from head to toe. They would move the shield between them and the attacking forces, crouching behind the shield for protection from arrows and spears, deflecting them away from the vital organs of the body. As Christians, we need similar full deflecting protection. This protection really requires a well-developed faith, because we have to trust that God is going to help us deflect the barbs and arrows that are sent toward us to ruin our spirituality. Ephesians 6 says it best....In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The apostle Paul is saying that in addition to all the padding and protection for you vital body parts, we need this extra layer, a shield to protect us. An impenetrable shield of Faith. Our faith hones our love of and trust in God. But how about our brothers and sisters in Christ? Our brothers and sisters also become our “shields.” Collectively as Christians we “shield each other” from the painful things that confront us everyday in this world. Sometimes these brotherly shields can actually save us from total spiritual meltdown. We build our shields through friendships and spiritual intimacy with one another. Built on love and forgiveness we are able to be a shield and we can expect many shields to come to our defense when troubles beset us. Don’t forget to develop your shield through the power of fellowship.
The Body Part: The Hands and Arms
The Protective Device: A Sword infused with unusual power
Most Christians are really not using this powerful device nearly as much as they should be using it. We’re not going to be padding our arms and hands, we’re going to take assertive and often times aggressive action with something we carry in the hand and wield with the power of our arm. The arms and hands are highly mobile and can hold things and perform a wide variety of tasks and functions. Our hand can hold a “sword” and our arm can propel it to a destination. This “sword” is more powerful than any real sword of iron or steal, for it is the Holy Word of God. The “Sword of the Spirit”. It cuts deep. It divides and conquers all things it touches. It convicts and condemns. It saves and preserves. There is nothing on this earth quite like the powerful Word of God. Even all padded up from head to feet, you can still be at great risk of injury because of a lack of essential training in how to use this powerful Sword. Christians need to be like athletes who train for events in the Olympic Games. Athletes go through rigorous training and eventually certify themselves by their winning performances thereby gaining a position on the Olympic Team. Christians need to do much the same thing in reading and personal study of the Word of God. If you know the plan of salvation, and can convey the gospel message and God’s ultimate plan for eternity, then you’ll be able to wield the “Sword of the Spirit” with precision. Everyone you encounter will hear the truth and be challenged by your personal mastery of the greatest of swords. Knowing the Bible... is your best offensive strategy. If you’re on offense the Devil has to play defense. The game of salvation is one game where it’s always better to be on offense than defense. So far, we’ve padded the “spiritual body”, made ready for offensive and strategic warfare - the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
The Body Part: You, Me - Strategic and Technical Support for God’s Warriors
The Protective Device: An entire Uniform complete with Helmet, all pads, training and support
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
While protective body pads aren't 100% foolproof in any contact sport, imagine the game of football if players didn't wear helmets and pads. There would be so many injuries the game would never be played! Imagine the battle we are engaged in ... Spiritual Warfare, without protective gear. Our efforts in living as Christians and working for the Lord would be disastrous. The sheer number of injuries and spiritual deaths would be incredibly disruptive to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) not to mention the loss of precious individuals that Christ has purchased by His death on the cross.
Spiritual athletes are what we are and we have the necessary gear to fight the battles and minimize risk and injury. Our head coach Jesus, the Christ, has equipped an army of militant and passionate believers, eager for the fight and prepared for the long haul. Pack your lunch! God’s army is on the horizon and we will march across the face of this earth to proclaim the gospel until He comes. The game plan is flawless and the equipment is the best we’ll ever need. We’ve already seen the “score board”.... God Wins by a wide margin!
PART TWO
The Body Part: The Feet
The Protective Device: Padded footwear made for speed and agility
A bad fitting pair of shoes can really make walking a miserable experience. When the feet are not cared for and protected, it seems like everything else from head on down the body hurts. This is also not an area Christians are giving much time and attention to protecting. When this protection is missing or ignored, you can expect your spirituality to have a noticeable limp since the primary functions of your feet are mobilization, balance and readiness. If you have a spiritual limp it will be much harder to get away from dangers that can attack you. How can you flea from temptations and sin if you don’t prepare your feet properly? You can’t. Being unprotected at the feet compromises all the protective efforts you’ve made to the upper regions of your body. All of your Christian brothers and sisters are depending on you to be in a constant state of readiness for what comes.
Follow Paul’s counsel from Ephesians 6 in preparing your feet....with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Now that sounds like you need lightweight good fitting footwear that allows you to run away from harm and temptations but to also run after opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s the ultimate all-purpose athletic shoe! Remember to protect your feet, you don't want to injure yourself or let your team down during warm-ups and especially in the heat of competition.
The Body Part: The Head to the Knees
The Protective Device: A blocking Shield that covers all the vital areas at one time
No matter how well you prepare your head, your torso, your waist area and your feet, there are still ways for our adversary Satan to blast you with so much at one time that you need “extra” protection beyond what has been described thus far. In ancient times warriors fought in battles with shields large enough to cover the entire body nearly from head to toe. They would move the shield between them and the attacking forces, crouching behind the shield for protection from arrows and spears, deflecting them away from the vital organs of the body. As Christians, we need similar full deflecting protection. This protection really requires a well-developed faith, because we have to trust that God is going to help us deflect the barbs and arrows that are sent toward us to ruin our spirituality. Ephesians 6 says it best....In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The apostle Paul is saying that in addition to all the padding and protection for you vital body parts, we need this extra layer, a shield to protect us. An impenetrable shield of Faith. Our faith hones our love of and trust in God. But how about our brothers and sisters in Christ? Our brothers and sisters also become our “shields.” Collectively as Christians we “shield each other” from the painful things that confront us everyday in this world. Sometimes these brotherly shields can actually save us from total spiritual meltdown. We build our shields through friendships and spiritual intimacy with one another. Built on love and forgiveness we are able to be a shield and we can expect many shields to come to our defense when troubles beset us. Don’t forget to develop your shield through the power of fellowship.
The Body Part: The Hands and Arms
The Protective Device: A Sword infused with unusual power
Most Christians are really not using this powerful device nearly as much as they should be using it. We’re not going to be padding our arms and hands, we’re going to take assertive and often times aggressive action with something we carry in the hand and wield with the power of our arm. The arms and hands are highly mobile and can hold things and perform a wide variety of tasks and functions. Our hand can hold a “sword” and our arm can propel it to a destination. This “sword” is more powerful than any real sword of iron or steal, for it is the Holy Word of God. The “Sword of the Spirit”. It cuts deep. It divides and conquers all things it touches. It convicts and condemns. It saves and preserves. There is nothing on this earth quite like the powerful Word of God. Even all padded up from head to feet, you can still be at great risk of injury because of a lack of essential training in how to use this powerful Sword. Christians need to be like athletes who train for events in the Olympic Games. Athletes go through rigorous training and eventually certify themselves by their winning performances thereby gaining a position on the Olympic Team. Christians need to do much the same thing in reading and personal study of the Word of God. If you know the plan of salvation, and can convey the gospel message and God’s ultimate plan for eternity, then you’ll be able to wield the “Sword of the Spirit” with precision. Everyone you encounter will hear the truth and be challenged by your personal mastery of the greatest of swords. Knowing the Bible... is your best offensive strategy. If you’re on offense the Devil has to play defense. The game of salvation is one game where it’s always better to be on offense than defense. So far, we’ve padded the “spiritual body”, made ready for offensive and strategic warfare - the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
The Body Part: You, Me - Strategic and Technical Support for God’s Warriors
The Protective Device: An entire Uniform complete with Helmet, all pads, training and support
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
While protective body pads aren't 100% foolproof in any contact sport, imagine the game of football if players didn't wear helmets and pads. There would be so many injuries the game would never be played! Imagine the battle we are engaged in ... Spiritual Warfare, without protective gear. Our efforts in living as Christians and working for the Lord would be disastrous. The sheer number of injuries and spiritual deaths would be incredibly disruptive to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) not to mention the loss of precious individuals that Christ has purchased by His death on the cross.
Spiritual athletes are what we are and we have the necessary gear to fight the battles and minimize risk and injury. Our head coach Jesus, the Christ, has equipped an army of militant and passionate believers, eager for the fight and prepared for the long haul. Pack your lunch! God’s army is on the horizon and we will march across the face of this earth to proclaim the gospel until He comes. The game plan is flawless and the equipment is the best we’ll ever need. We’ve already seen the “score board”.... God Wins by a wide margin!
Living the Christian Life... is like a Contact Sport –– Be prepared!
________________________________________________
PART ONE
There's a very good reason athletes who play the game of football wear protective uniforms with pads. It’s plain old FEAR! Fear of being seriously injured! If you’ve played the game, then you well know that injuries are most likely to affect tender parts of the body, so helmets and pads are worn to protect those vulnerable regions.
In many ways, managing the Church, shepherding the flock and living a Christian life is a lot like the hard-hitting sport of football. The history of a congregation usually reveals where injuries are most likely to occur. Your life-style and priorities reveal your personal vulnerabilities where you are most likely to be spiritually injured. Yet because we’re dealing with the “church,” the body of Christ, we often disregard the real need we all have for protective padding to protect against injury – spiritual injury caused by our fear and the deceptions of Satan.
I want you to think of the need to protect yourself much like the football player does with a padded uniform and helmet. Think of the roles and responsibilities each person has in the local church family and compare the potential for contact or conflict and the equipment needed to protect yourself from spiritual injury.
You know that FEAR is Satan’s greatest offensive strategy against you. You can take his FEAR advantage away by equipping yourself with protective equipment. In Ephesians 6: 10-18, the Apostle Paul presents the “Armor of God.” We’re going to relate that description “top – down” to the typical injuries you'll most likely sustain as part of a congregation of the body of Christ, if you’re not wearing the “playbook” recommended gear.
The Body Part: The Head
The Protective Device: the Helmet of Salvation
Many Christians today are using a "one size fits all" approach to protecting the head of our body. When the “head” is the primary source man uses to navigate and proactively steer life in harmony with the will of God, it needs serious padded protection. What sorts of head injuries can we expect? One very big one.... an overabundance of disjointed unclear and just plain wrong doctrine taught by well meaning but poorly equipped teachers of the Word. Flawed and incomplete teaching bashes your head and leaves you stunned and dazed. When you’re stunned and dazed, real truth is harder to comprehend and decipher from the falsehoods so prevalent in the world today. Head injuries among Christians are very common. The wrong stuff filters in easily and quickly and the truth seems to get trapped in pockets of pride that whisper an intoxicating, melodious message of humanism and relativism to the all important brain inside your head. Things like....“don’t worry about this, you know best, just do it, think it, feel it and of course believe it.” For example, the movies The DaVinci Code and the most recent addition Angels and Demons, have done serious damage to the heads and brains of many people not equipped with proper protective head gear. How to protect one’s head is simple....take up the helmet of salvation...put it on your head and don’t take it off, ever. The helmet comes with a set of flawless instructions, easy to read and understand, that will allow you to program an equally intoxicating, melodious message to your brain of absolute truth and eternal prosperity, if you just keep the helmet on your head!
The Body Part: The Chest and Torso
The Protective Device: The Breastplate of Righteousness
Many Christians have never considered this pad all that important. The purpose of chest protection is to act as a defense barrier for the upper and central chest-the upper torso area of the human body. The chest cavity houses vital organs that sustain your life …. your lungs and your heart, not to mention masses of important tissues and veins and arteries of the circulatory system. A severe blow to the chest can kill you. A severe blow to your heart or lungs can also seriously damage you spiritually. You can be hurt by the words and attacks of others who you thought were your Christian brothers and sisters and be wounded in the deepest part of your being, the heart. You can gasp for air, trying to catch your breath, but no air comes. You become disheartened, broken hearted, broken in spirit, much like a broken vessel in pieces on the ground. You can’t seem to get that deep breath of satisfying spiritual refreshment that fills your lungs with joy and gladness in being Christian and serving the Lord. Without protective padding for the chest and torso, your heart and lungs may be functioning okay from day-to-day and maybe even pass a physical exam, but come game time, or when troubles come and persecution rears its ugliness to club you in the chest to get at your heart, you will fall flat on your face from lack of proper preparation. Love is the best padding for the chest and your heart. Forgiveness is the fuel for the soul, which is anchored in your vital heart and lungs. Master love for one another, for all brothers and sisters in Christ, freely forgiving them for whatever they may do to you and you’ll have the padding needed to withstand the blows to your chest, heart and lungs. You will protect yourself from serious spiritual injury and you’ll maintain your competitive advantage against the evils of this world. As the scriptures say is Isaiah 59.... He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head.... The chest and head are pretty important body parts to protect and it seems logical that we would think to protect these vital areas with impact resistant protective padding. Love and forgiveness – don’t forget to cultivate them and wear them daily!
The Body Part: The Waist and Hips of your lower torso area
The Protective Device: Belt of Truth
Ever been kicked it the stomach or the groin? Hurts big time doesn’t it! This area houses our stomachs and intestinal regions. We can’t live without these important body parts and any injury to these areas of the body can also be life threatening. No Christian can be successful in walking with the Lord without padding protecting these areas. However, too much padding could slow you down and inhibit your flexibility and mobility. The key is to know how much padding you need and what your risk of injury might be. The likely injury – you begin to see the body of Christ and God’s imperfect people as problems. You may begin thinking in a legalistic way, resorting to rules and regulations in the hopes of controlling others. You are not seeing the “grace” of our Lord and how He moves people from one level to the next... albeit some slower than others. You spend time looking for problems, and eventually you have a real bad case of indigestion. You may say to yourself, “I can’t stomach this anymore.” Protecting this area of the spiritual body requires discernment and balance. You need to know that protecting the head and heart are of little value if you fail to protect your waist regions. Ephesians 6 recommends a simple but no doubt very sturdy belt for protection... Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist....Truth is critical to protecting the head and the heart. The “belt of truth” will shield you and yet allow you the movement to flea from the untruths that permeate our carnal culture and society. Remember, protect yourself with God’s Word –– his Truth –– it’s the right protection for spiritual mobility.
PART ONE
There's a very good reason athletes who play the game of football wear protective uniforms with pads. It’s plain old FEAR! Fear of being seriously injured! If you’ve played the game, then you well know that injuries are most likely to affect tender parts of the body, so helmets and pads are worn to protect those vulnerable regions.
In many ways, managing the Church, shepherding the flock and living a Christian life is a lot like the hard-hitting sport of football. The history of a congregation usually reveals where injuries are most likely to occur. Your life-style and priorities reveal your personal vulnerabilities where you are most likely to be spiritually injured. Yet because we’re dealing with the “church,” the body of Christ, we often disregard the real need we all have for protective padding to protect against injury – spiritual injury caused by our fear and the deceptions of Satan.
I want you to think of the need to protect yourself much like the football player does with a padded uniform and helmet. Think of the roles and responsibilities each person has in the local church family and compare the potential for contact or conflict and the equipment needed to protect yourself from spiritual injury.
You know that FEAR is Satan’s greatest offensive strategy against you. You can take his FEAR advantage away by equipping yourself with protective equipment. In Ephesians 6: 10-18, the Apostle Paul presents the “Armor of God.” We’re going to relate that description “top – down” to the typical injuries you'll most likely sustain as part of a congregation of the body of Christ, if you’re not wearing the “playbook” recommended gear.
The Body Part: The Head
The Protective Device: the Helmet of Salvation
Many Christians today are using a "one size fits all" approach to protecting the head of our body. When the “head” is the primary source man uses to navigate and proactively steer life in harmony with the will of God, it needs serious padded protection. What sorts of head injuries can we expect? One very big one.... an overabundance of disjointed unclear and just plain wrong doctrine taught by well meaning but poorly equipped teachers of the Word. Flawed and incomplete teaching bashes your head and leaves you stunned and dazed. When you’re stunned and dazed, real truth is harder to comprehend and decipher from the falsehoods so prevalent in the world today. Head injuries among Christians are very common. The wrong stuff filters in easily and quickly and the truth seems to get trapped in pockets of pride that whisper an intoxicating, melodious message of humanism and relativism to the all important brain inside your head. Things like....“don’t worry about this, you know best, just do it, think it, feel it and of course believe it.” For example, the movies The DaVinci Code and the most recent addition Angels and Demons, have done serious damage to the heads and brains of many people not equipped with proper protective head gear. How to protect one’s head is simple....take up the helmet of salvation...put it on your head and don’t take it off, ever. The helmet comes with a set of flawless instructions, easy to read and understand, that will allow you to program an equally intoxicating, melodious message to your brain of absolute truth and eternal prosperity, if you just keep the helmet on your head!
The Body Part: The Chest and Torso
The Protective Device: The Breastplate of Righteousness
Many Christians have never considered this pad all that important. The purpose of chest protection is to act as a defense barrier for the upper and central chest-the upper torso area of the human body. The chest cavity houses vital organs that sustain your life …. your lungs and your heart, not to mention masses of important tissues and veins and arteries of the circulatory system. A severe blow to the chest can kill you. A severe blow to your heart or lungs can also seriously damage you spiritually. You can be hurt by the words and attacks of others who you thought were your Christian brothers and sisters and be wounded in the deepest part of your being, the heart. You can gasp for air, trying to catch your breath, but no air comes. You become disheartened, broken hearted, broken in spirit, much like a broken vessel in pieces on the ground. You can’t seem to get that deep breath of satisfying spiritual refreshment that fills your lungs with joy and gladness in being Christian and serving the Lord. Without protective padding for the chest and torso, your heart and lungs may be functioning okay from day-to-day and maybe even pass a physical exam, but come game time, or when troubles come and persecution rears its ugliness to club you in the chest to get at your heart, you will fall flat on your face from lack of proper preparation. Love is the best padding for the chest and your heart. Forgiveness is the fuel for the soul, which is anchored in your vital heart and lungs. Master love for one another, for all brothers and sisters in Christ, freely forgiving them for whatever they may do to you and you’ll have the padding needed to withstand the blows to your chest, heart and lungs. You will protect yourself from serious spiritual injury and you’ll maintain your competitive advantage against the evils of this world. As the scriptures say is Isaiah 59.... He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head.... The chest and head are pretty important body parts to protect and it seems logical that we would think to protect these vital areas with impact resistant protective padding. Love and forgiveness – don’t forget to cultivate them and wear them daily!
The Body Part: The Waist and Hips of your lower torso area
The Protective Device: Belt of Truth
Ever been kicked it the stomach or the groin? Hurts big time doesn’t it! This area houses our stomachs and intestinal regions. We can’t live without these important body parts and any injury to these areas of the body can also be life threatening. No Christian can be successful in walking with the Lord without padding protecting these areas. However, too much padding could slow you down and inhibit your flexibility and mobility. The key is to know how much padding you need and what your risk of injury might be. The likely injury – you begin to see the body of Christ and God’s imperfect people as problems. You may begin thinking in a legalistic way, resorting to rules and regulations in the hopes of controlling others. You are not seeing the “grace” of our Lord and how He moves people from one level to the next... albeit some slower than others. You spend time looking for problems, and eventually you have a real bad case of indigestion. You may say to yourself, “I can’t stomach this anymore.” Protecting this area of the spiritual body requires discernment and balance. You need to know that protecting the head and heart are of little value if you fail to protect your waist regions. Ephesians 6 recommends a simple but no doubt very sturdy belt for protection... Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist....Truth is critical to protecting the head and the heart. The “belt of truth” will shield you and yet allow you the movement to flea from the untruths that permeate our carnal culture and society. Remember, protect yourself with God’s Word –– his Truth –– it’s the right protection for spiritual mobility.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Satan's Tactics to Destroy Believers
_______________________________________________
Once upon a time... Satan called a cosmic convention of his wicked fallen hoards. They eagerly came from far and wide, from the four corners of the earth, to hear the bidding of the master Deceiver!
In his opening address to the countless millions of assembled wicked angels, the great Deceiver said these things.........
"We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and hearing and knowing the Truth of God. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But, we can do something else. We can do something most of them will never even realize until its too late.”
"We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them will be broken."
"So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but we will steal their time, so they can't gain that experience of deep connection with Jesus Christ."
"This is what I want you to do, my angels of darkness. Distract them from gaining a firm hold on their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout each and every day of their lives!"
"How shall we do this?", shouted his wicked angels.
“As we usually do... let’s go with the many powerful guises of FEAR”.... Satan said.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds ", "all this will keep them from trusting and deeply loving one another", Satan boldly answered his evil minions. He then went on to outline his plan in much greater detail....
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend... then, borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. We’ll make their careers the most important thing in their lives... climbing the ladder of success. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."
"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that quiet voice of conscience. Entice them to play the radio and CD player whenever they drive their cars; lure them to keep the TV, the DVD, & their CD's going constantly in their homes, from sunup to late night. And see to it that every store & restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds, distract their attention and disrupt their mental union with Christ. Fill their coffee tables with magazines & newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with endless billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes offers, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services, all creating false hopes and dreams. They will dream grand things, lust for bigger houses, more stuff and live beyond their means. We’ll make high stress and anxiety seem like normal life.”
"Even in their recreation, lure them to be excessive. Always have them return from their vacations and recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them enjoy simple things in God’s nature. Drive them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead.”
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, lure them into gossip and small talk so they will have troubled hearts and unsettled emotions. Use self-importance and pride to teach them to make rules and more rules in their congregations, creating an atmosphere of “man-knows-best” interpretations of God’s Word promoting a divisive spirit of legalism. Deceive them into believing that judging others by these legalistic standards is always for the good of God’s Kingdom. This will ruin their love for one another and spoil the spirit of acceptance and forgiveness of one another. Show them how to create programs and more programs to attract everyone to church. Teach them ways to soften the truth so the message appeals to everyone... water down the gospel of Jesus Christ, so it doesn’t seem all that important that changing one’s life is such a big deal."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Help them believe they can do it all! Soon they will be working in their own strength, not God’s power, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause. Get them involved in misdirection causes like politics, changing society, anything and everything that will make them feel like they’re working for God."
“All of these things will make them believe that moments of quiet and solitude when they might “pray” is nothing but unproductive time poorly spent. Lead them in a go-go, do-do lifestyle that promotes self first, their needs and interests always ahead of everything and everyone else.”
“They will become fearful... of failure... of not being involved... of not contributing... of not building... of not achieving.... of not accomplishing... of not enjoying all this world has to offer... WE my wicked minions... will be their source for filling their hearts with carnal desires... WE will control them and fill them with self-indulgence desires... time wasting pursuits, shallow things... the things of OUR world.”
“Our goal... fellow angels of darkness... is to help them store up treasures here on earth... not in heaven. That will take all their time and prevent them from ever being fully anchored in Christ.”
It was quite a convention. The countless millions of wicked angels, left the convention returning to the four corners of the earth to confuse, mislead and corrupt the minds and hearts of Christians.
Equipped with the power of fear in all its guises, Satan is causing Christians everywhere to live their lives in the fast lane, always busy, often overwhelmed.... rushing here and there, always frantic in their activities. No time for God... for worship... for fellowship... for study... for prayer. Always fearful of tomorrow.
Has the Devil been successful with his scheme in your life?
Only “You” can be the judge.
Once upon a time... Satan called a cosmic convention of his wicked fallen hoards. They eagerly came from far and wide, from the four corners of the earth, to hear the bidding of the master Deceiver!
In his opening address to the countless millions of assembled wicked angels, the great Deceiver said these things.........
"We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and hearing and knowing the Truth of God. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But, we can do something else. We can do something most of them will never even realize until its too late.”
"We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them will be broken."
"So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but we will steal their time, so they can't gain that experience of deep connection with Jesus Christ."
"This is what I want you to do, my angels of darkness. Distract them from gaining a firm hold on their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout each and every day of their lives!"
"How shall we do this?", shouted his wicked angels.
“As we usually do... let’s go with the many powerful guises of FEAR”.... Satan said.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds ", "all this will keep them from trusting and deeply loving one another", Satan boldly answered his evil minions. He then went on to outline his plan in much greater detail....
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend... then, borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. We’ll make their careers the most important thing in their lives... climbing the ladder of success. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."
"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that quiet voice of conscience. Entice them to play the radio and CD player whenever they drive their cars; lure them to keep the TV, the DVD, & their CD's going constantly in their homes, from sunup to late night. And see to it that every store & restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds, distract their attention and disrupt their mental union with Christ. Fill their coffee tables with magazines & newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with endless billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes offers, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services, all creating false hopes and dreams. They will dream grand things, lust for bigger houses, more stuff and live beyond their means. We’ll make high stress and anxiety seem like normal life.”
"Even in their recreation, lure them to be excessive. Always have them return from their vacations and recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them enjoy simple things in God’s nature. Drive them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead.”
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, lure them into gossip and small talk so they will have troubled hearts and unsettled emotions. Use self-importance and pride to teach them to make rules and more rules in their congregations, creating an atmosphere of “man-knows-best” interpretations of God’s Word promoting a divisive spirit of legalism. Deceive them into believing that judging others by these legalistic standards is always for the good of God’s Kingdom. This will ruin their love for one another and spoil the spirit of acceptance and forgiveness of one another. Show them how to create programs and more programs to attract everyone to church. Teach them ways to soften the truth so the message appeals to everyone... water down the gospel of Jesus Christ, so it doesn’t seem all that important that changing one’s life is such a big deal."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Help them believe they can do it all! Soon they will be working in their own strength, not God’s power, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause. Get them involved in misdirection causes like politics, changing society, anything and everything that will make them feel like they’re working for God."
“All of these things will make them believe that moments of quiet and solitude when they might “pray” is nothing but unproductive time poorly spent. Lead them in a go-go, do-do lifestyle that promotes self first, their needs and interests always ahead of everything and everyone else.”
“They will become fearful... of failure... of not being involved... of not contributing... of not building... of not achieving.... of not accomplishing... of not enjoying all this world has to offer... WE my wicked minions... will be their source for filling their hearts with carnal desires... WE will control them and fill them with self-indulgence desires... time wasting pursuits, shallow things... the things of OUR world.”
“Our goal... fellow angels of darkness... is to help them store up treasures here on earth... not in heaven. That will take all their time and prevent them from ever being fully anchored in Christ.”
It was quite a convention. The countless millions of wicked angels, left the convention returning to the four corners of the earth to confuse, mislead and corrupt the minds and hearts of Christians.
Equipped with the power of fear in all its guises, Satan is causing Christians everywhere to live their lives in the fast lane, always busy, often overwhelmed.... rushing here and there, always frantic in their activities. No time for God... for worship... for fellowship... for study... for prayer. Always fearful of tomorrow.
Has the Devil been successful with his scheme in your life?
Only “You” can be the judge.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Satan’s Greatest Weapon... is inside YOU!
_____________________________________________________
What is the greatest weapons that Satan uses against humans? There are many, but here’s a few we know well: disunity... discouragement... deception... deceit... temptation... low self-esteem... high self-esteem... lust... pride... jealousy... anger... ignorance... and even the attributes of God’s own character.
Which of one of these is Satan’s greatest weapon against us? Is it any of them? Well, he’s been using his great weapon since the beginning... in the garden of Eden. To Eve, he successfully masked “it” as deception. He’s used "it" against the patriarchs and servants of the Old Testament and the believers in the fledgling New Testament Church. Over the centuries of time, using “it”, Satan has in effect, an inflammatory accelerant that fuels the things we usually identify as his greatest weapons... like disunity among brothers, personal discouragement, self-importance, pride and many other things.
While such things like “disunity and discouragement” are troublesome for christians, there is a more powerful weapon he uses that touches the very core of our being, and it burns within us like a raging fire. It’s the greatest weakness of humans and he uses "it" to create all manner of turmoil among God’s people.
Satan’s greatest weapon in the earth today... is FEAR.
Fear is anything that has the ability to cause you to believe that the Word of God won’t work for you; to doubt what Jesus promised in the Word will ever come to pass. Fear, simply put, produces a lack of trust in God.
Fear comes with many different masks: worry, doubt, uncertainty and even care are all forms of fear! Satan gets you to worrying about your bills, or to doubt that you have enough faith, or gets you caring to the point of meddling in someone’s affairs instead of praying and trusting God to produce the desired outcome. Worry, doubt and uncertainty can easily take root in your mind and heart... leading to the aforementioned more serious and complex manifestations that can corrupt the individual and cause divisiveness in congregations of God’s people.
Fear is a universal emotion. But just because we all experience fear doesn’t mean that we have to live with it damaging effects. Fear is at the root of most problems in our lives and can damage our relationships with one another. If it we allow fear to rule, it can move from being a mild annoyance to causing outright panic, paralyzing us and rendering us ineffective in God’s service.
In spite of what we now know is our greatest weakness, we can be encouraged... “fear” is also Satan’s greatest weakness! Fear is nothing more than a threat. It’s not tangible. Getting hit in the face is not fear. It’s the "threat of getting hit" in the face that produces fear in a person. And Satan is a masterful threat-maker. If Satan can’t threaten you, he can’t make you fearful. And if he cannot produce fear within you, then he has no control over you! You can completely block him out of your life! Remember what God has promised...
In 1 Peter 5:8 it says... Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And in 2 Timothy 1:7... For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
The principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness are our enemies. These entities are as real as good angels and they will draw us into battle; most often with the weapons of temptation and deception. We have fair warning from Scripture that this will happen... as Ephesians 6:12 says... For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV)
Christians must always be on guard and prepared to fight off that which we know to be sin. We must be wise and discerning to guard against deception. Never forget that Satan was once a beautiful angel. His fear induced deceptions can be clothed very nicely and appear quite attractive. But they are nothing more than transitory and deceptive... designed to tempt you, capture your mind, then your heart, plunging you into sinning against God. Satan’s only hope is to destroy as many of us as he can, while he still has the opportunity to do so. We don’t have to win anything... Christ is already victorious. We have salvation by His grace. We need only to conquer our fear and stand... faithful to God.
How do you block out fear?
Faith, peace, and confidence are the opposite of fear. Trust, boldness, and security are the opposite of fear. Following God wholeheartedly and using his strength are the opposite of fear. Satan has no power against these attributes of the Holy Spirit. We are to be infused with these things as a source of protection against our fear and Satan's tactics to destroy us.
One of the great paradox’s of Scripture is that to conquer the fears of life, we must fear the Lord. Psalm 19:9 says, “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.” Fear of God is more than just awe and reverence. Fear of God is healthy and restraining. Fear of God leads us to mercy. Fear of God becomes the center or core of our lives. If that healthy fear of God is cultivated, then anything Satan can do is overwhelmed by the power of God that is working inside you.
We can get rid of fear and anxiety by recognizing that God doesn’t want us to be enslaved to our fears and that he is greater than any fear that is crippling us. We also can learn to avoid what causes us to fear and even laugh at our fears. Remember... God gives us a “way out” of everything that troubles us and makes us ineffective in serving him. Sometimes that “way out” is hard to do. Sometimes we simply don’t want to do the right thing or avoid the appealing thing that our inner doubts, uncertainties... our fear... is causing us to covet.
Recognize that God wants to free you from your fears. Realize that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. He wants you to live a fearless life absorbed in Him. Examine yourself carefully and commit to fleeing from all the things that feed your fears.
What is the greatest weapons that Satan uses against humans? There are many, but here’s a few we know well: disunity... discouragement... deception... deceit... temptation... low self-esteem... high self-esteem... lust... pride... jealousy... anger... ignorance... and even the attributes of God’s own character.
Which of one of these is Satan’s greatest weapon against us? Is it any of them? Well, he’s been using his great weapon since the beginning... in the garden of Eden. To Eve, he successfully masked “it” as deception. He’s used "it" against the patriarchs and servants of the Old Testament and the believers in the fledgling New Testament Church. Over the centuries of time, using “it”, Satan has in effect, an inflammatory accelerant that fuels the things we usually identify as his greatest weapons... like disunity among brothers, personal discouragement, self-importance, pride and many other things.
While such things like “disunity and discouragement” are troublesome for christians, there is a more powerful weapon he uses that touches the very core of our being, and it burns within us like a raging fire. It’s the greatest weakness of humans and he uses "it" to create all manner of turmoil among God’s people.
Satan’s greatest weapon in the earth today... is FEAR.
Fear is anything that has the ability to cause you to believe that the Word of God won’t work for you; to doubt what Jesus promised in the Word will ever come to pass. Fear, simply put, produces a lack of trust in God.
Fear comes with many different masks: worry, doubt, uncertainty and even care are all forms of fear! Satan gets you to worrying about your bills, or to doubt that you have enough faith, or gets you caring to the point of meddling in someone’s affairs instead of praying and trusting God to produce the desired outcome. Worry, doubt and uncertainty can easily take root in your mind and heart... leading to the aforementioned more serious and complex manifestations that can corrupt the individual and cause divisiveness in congregations of God’s people.
Fear is a universal emotion. But just because we all experience fear doesn’t mean that we have to live with it damaging effects. Fear is at the root of most problems in our lives and can damage our relationships with one another. If it we allow fear to rule, it can move from being a mild annoyance to causing outright panic, paralyzing us and rendering us ineffective in God’s service.
In spite of what we now know is our greatest weakness, we can be encouraged... “fear” is also Satan’s greatest weakness! Fear is nothing more than a threat. It’s not tangible. Getting hit in the face is not fear. It’s the "threat of getting hit" in the face that produces fear in a person. And Satan is a masterful threat-maker. If Satan can’t threaten you, he can’t make you fearful. And if he cannot produce fear within you, then he has no control over you! You can completely block him out of your life! Remember what God has promised...
In 1 Peter 5:8 it says... Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And in 2 Timothy 1:7... For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
The principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness are our enemies. These entities are as real as good angels and they will draw us into battle; most often with the weapons of temptation and deception. We have fair warning from Scripture that this will happen... as Ephesians 6:12 says... For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV)
Christians must always be on guard and prepared to fight off that which we know to be sin. We must be wise and discerning to guard against deception. Never forget that Satan was once a beautiful angel. His fear induced deceptions can be clothed very nicely and appear quite attractive. But they are nothing more than transitory and deceptive... designed to tempt you, capture your mind, then your heart, plunging you into sinning against God. Satan’s only hope is to destroy as many of us as he can, while he still has the opportunity to do so. We don’t have to win anything... Christ is already victorious. We have salvation by His grace. We need only to conquer our fear and stand... faithful to God.
How do you block out fear?
Faith, peace, and confidence are the opposite of fear. Trust, boldness, and security are the opposite of fear. Following God wholeheartedly and using his strength are the opposite of fear. Satan has no power against these attributes of the Holy Spirit. We are to be infused with these things as a source of protection against our fear and Satan's tactics to destroy us.
One of the great paradox’s of Scripture is that to conquer the fears of life, we must fear the Lord. Psalm 19:9 says, “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.” Fear of God is more than just awe and reverence. Fear of God is healthy and restraining. Fear of God leads us to mercy. Fear of God becomes the center or core of our lives. If that healthy fear of God is cultivated, then anything Satan can do is overwhelmed by the power of God that is working inside you.
We can get rid of fear and anxiety by recognizing that God doesn’t want us to be enslaved to our fears and that he is greater than any fear that is crippling us. We also can learn to avoid what causes us to fear and even laugh at our fears. Remember... God gives us a “way out” of everything that troubles us and makes us ineffective in serving him. Sometimes that “way out” is hard to do. Sometimes we simply don’t want to do the right thing or avoid the appealing thing that our inner doubts, uncertainties... our fear... is causing us to covet.
Recognize that God wants to free you from your fears. Realize that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. He wants you to live a fearless life absorbed in Him. Examine yourself carefully and commit to fleeing from all the things that feed your fears.
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