I specifically address young leaders with this post. Any may benefit, but those in earlier days of ministry are my target.
Don't waste discouragement. It is in your face for a purpose. Keep in mind you must have opposing wind to fly the kite very high. Too many quit when they should have been learning to fly.
Opposition is useful to give us redirection. When I have a "grand idea" I have learned to knock on doors of opportunity and then try to walk through the open doors and not the closed ones. God works with us. Jesus said he would be with us. We can count on it.
Dream away. But be prepared to be shown your idea is lousy or foolish or, at the least, misdirected. Adjustments are key to the Spirit life. Read again John 3:8.
I believe some of our more pertinent mistakes in ministry are when we stubbornly avoid redirection. God works from the Yes-iness of life and we must learn to adapt. Paul didn't get into every nation he wished. Neither to we.
Our goal is not to get our way. Our target is to get on board with His way....really. Father knows best. We don't. While the kingdom will call for us to die to ourselves, such a death will go down easier if we realize it is a part of the success road. Learn to die to your summation as to how the work goes, and where it goes, and when it goes. With God...it will go....and often in a completely different fashion than what we had assumed.
So don't be discouraged. Die. Then brace yourself for new life...because it will be on a scale beyond your dreamability.
3 comments:
When are you coming home???? I miss your "yes-iness."
Oh Terry...His Spirit is really busy, busy. I've spent hours...thinking, reading about life...and about dying just as you've written about on this post. I just left the last site I was reading about all that; clicked on here and the Spirit is? Like I said, really busy.
Oh, my...God is beyond my vocabulary. Awesome!
"Our goal is not to get our way. Our target is to get on board with His way....really. Father knows best. We don't."
I knew the story of Jericho falling since I was three or four, but hadn't seen this until recently....Before the Israelites took Jericho, the Commander of the Lord's Army (Jesus maybe?) stood before Joshua, and Joshua asked him if He was for Israel or their enemies. The Commander said "neither"! Then Joshua worshipped God right there. It's not for Him to be on our side, but for us to get on His, isn't it?
Jay
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