“ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE RIGHT LEADER?”

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.” (AMP); The Message Bible reads like this: “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG)

I am definitely one of those people that has to check and double-check everything I buy at the supermarket. Especially when it comes to dairy, meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. After all, when you’re raised in a house of two great cooks as parents, you come to believe that there really is an art to shopping for food. Some may not know any better, but truth is you can’t just grab the first apple or tomato you see! You have to learn to smell and squeeze the produce. And where did I get that from? My mom. She taught me how to do that as well as the importance of doing that. She taught me that you have to learn how to check for holes and dents in apples and peaches; you don’t just take the first one off the pile. You have to check to see how yellow those bananas are, or how green, or how black. In other words, there are ways to tell whether a fruit or vegetable is one you should buy. However, it’s much tougher to shop for a spiritual leader that’s a good one you can trust. Oh, but there is a way to tell!

Now if we are to be brutally honest, it’s getting tougher and tougher to know which spiritual leaders you can actually trust. After all, we’re living in a time when a lot of Christian heroes have let us down, right? People who say spiritual things, lead spiritual causes, give spiritual counsel, and then all of a sudden something happens that exposes their fleshy hypocrisy. In a way, it kind of makes a lot of us hold back and wonder who can we trust to govern, keep and protect our soul and that of our families?

Now, another truth we need to keep in mind is this, we’re not supposed to have our eyes on man in the first place! Jeremiah 17:5-6, “God’s Message: “Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight. He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows.” (MSG). Surely you don’t want that to be your testimony!

The Bible makes it clear that our focus should never be on flesh! 1 Samuel 16:7, “But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” (MSG). That word ‘eliminate’ is defined as: ‘to completely remove or get rid of; to reject or exclude from consideration or further participation.’ Its Latin Origin ‘eliminare’ literally means ‘to turn out of doors.’ You see, this man wasn’t just rejected, but he was completely removed, God got rid of him, He made sure he was excluded from any consideration or participation; he was in essence kicked out his own house, turned outdoors! Therefore, if God doesn’t entertain ‘flesh; looks and stature’, why should we?

So, our focus on spiritual leadership shouldn’t be on the flesh, but on the spirit! God does give His people leadership; He does raise up leadership for the benefit of the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],  [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church];  until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].” (MSG)

In other words, there are authentic spiritual leaders who are doing their job. God does want us to be able to get His teachings and see His love coming through people, but so many have let us down. How can you tell whether a pastor is a leader from God or a person who’s simply doing his own thing in God’s name?

Well, there’s one person that Jesus really held up as a model leader. It was John the Baptist. He said, “There has been no greater man born among women.” (Matthew 11:11) Now I cannot think of a stronger endorsement than that. Jesus said John the Baptist was the real deal; a real spiritual leader, worthy of following. And why was John the Baptist an ideal leader? In John 3:30, speaking of Jesus, John said this, “He must become greater; I must become less.” The King James Version says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” 2 other translations read like this:

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT);

You know how to test a spiritual leader? Well, one of the tests is this: Does he/she leave you thinking more about him/her or more about Jesus? Where is the spotlight focusing most and shining brightest, on him/herself, or God? Is it more about his organization, his goals, his ministry, his programs, or more about Jesus and the Great Commission He assigned for us to fulfill? An authentic man or woman of God, like John the Baptist, puts himself or herself in the background, on the sidelines, making sure that JESUS is the one who’s made to be Greater and More Important, in the very center. However, the leader doing his own thing is heavy on sentences that have: “I”, “me”, and “mine” in them, but rarely, “HIM”.

Is this the only test? No, but it’s a pretty good start. If you’re in leadership, measure yourself that way. Who is getting the attention, you the leader or the Savior? The real spiritual leaders, the ones you can trust, are the ones who put Jesus in the spotlight and make you think about Him and forget about them. They’re not seeking accolades and applause and amen’s. They don’t need their names called for everything, anything and nothing. They don’t need their picture posted on every wall nor do they need their name written on every piece of paper. They don’t need a chair the size of the Throne of God. Their main focus is that you focus mainly on Jesus! If that’s not the type of leader you are under, get out now!

Years ago I read about a man who maybe a hundred years ago had lived in the countryside in England. He traveled to London and wrote to his wife and said, “Honey, today I went to two of the great churches of London. This morning I heard Dr. Cartwright and he is a great preacher. Tonight I went to Metropolitan Tabernacle and I heard Mr. Charles Spurgeon.” He said, “Mr. Spurgeon has a great Savior.” Leaders, after you’re done speaking, teaching or preaching, do you want them to remember a great preacher, or do you leave them thinking about a great Savior? I never like to leave a church or service feeling like I was just greatly entertained by an outstanding cast of performers. I don’t want to remember the songs, the dances, the praise breaks, the garments, the titles, the beauty of the sanctuary. But what I want to leave with is conviction that I can be a better believer than I have been. It’s rare these days that I actually hear sermons that speak on holiness, sanctification, repentance, sin, hell, consequences of bad choices, or even chastisement. Instead, messages focus more on houses, cars, land, spouses, promotions, increase, harvest, blessings, abundance, and the like. But what happened to using the Word to do what it was originally designed to do? And what’s that you ask? Well, 2 Timothy informs us:

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness].  All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (AMP)

The Message Bible says it like this: “But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (MSG)

For some reason I don’t think the Word is being preached or taught in this manner anymore. Because everyone is happy, over-joyed and excited to leave church when the Word is done. However, the Word says when the Word comes forth it will “instruct, convict, correct, train, and expose” So if that’s how the Word is coming forth, why are we so happy after every sermon, every week? We should leave after the Word feeling as though we’ve received instructions since we’ve been convicted and corrected of wrongs, and now we’re being trained to be better since our worst has been exposed. We should leave with pad and pen in hand and a list of what we need to make our own lives better.

Now, I certainly don’t believe you should spend Sunday after Sunday being busted upside the head with the Bible. But shouldn’t something be said week after week that makes you better week after week? And not “feel” better, but “be and do better.” There is indeed a difference.

Maybe you’ve been burned by Christians, by a Christian leader, many of us have. I’ve certainly had the experience of being hurt by spiritual leadership. But don’t let them cause you to miss Jesus in the midst of it all. Sometimes I think we get so lost in “Following Them”, that we forget Jesus said, “Follow Me.” Does that mean we ignore spiritual leadership? Absolutely not! Romans 13:1-7, “Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. The person who does not obey the leaders of the land is working against what God has done. Anyone who does that will be punished. Those who do right do not have to be afraid of the leaders. Those who do wrong are afraid of them. Do you want to be free from fear of them? Then do what is right. You will be respected instead. Leaders are God’s servants to help you. If you do wrong, you should be afraid. They have the power to punish you. They work for God. They do what God wants done to those who do wrong. You must obey the leaders of the land, not only to keep from God’s anger, but so your own heart will have peace.  It is right for you to pay taxes because the leaders of the land are servants for God who care for these things.  Pay taxes to whom taxes are to be paid. Be afraid of those you should fear. Respect those you should respect.” (NLV);

Hebrews 13:17, “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (MSG).

In other words, leadership be it in the church or in the land is to be respected. Now, you don’t have much say so in the leaders of the land, but you have a lot of say so under which leader you submit to in any given church. You are not their by force but by choice, so choose your place of worship wisely. Don’t make a selection as though it were an arena, museum, palace, stage or theater. But ask God for godly wisdom that you make the right choice to serve in the right house of worship under the right leader.

And what are some signs that you have the right leader? Just listen to Scripture:

Matthew 17:6-8, “When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader that makes you see Only Jesus. Not them, their accomplishments, titles, positions, vestments, rings, robes, initials, degrees, collars, etc…But Only Jesus!

1 Corinthians 2:2, “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader whose preaching and teaching is about who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Not who they are (or think they are) not on what they’ve done (or think they’ve done). But a leader who keeps the name of Jesus on his/her lips when preaching or teaching. Not someone using Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in every other sentence, and certainly not someone who you need to keep the Webster’s Dictionary on hand every other 2 lines to know what 23 letter words they keep using every 5 minutes to be verbally impressive! A good leader keeps it “plain and simple.” And to those of my preacher friends who stand flat foot and preach and teach the ‘plain and simple’ Gospel, without hoop and holler, please do not compare yourselves to those who do. A hoop and holler are not the equivalent or evidence of the Holy Ghost, it is but a person’s preferred style of execution. It’s apart of their personality in how they choose to deliver. So, never feel as though you are not making the same, or even a greater impact on the lives of your hearers, just because your delivery is packaged differently. You don’t have to yell, scream, sweat, do back-flips, bang the podium, spin around in circles with fancy footwork, flying hands and spit spreading everywhere. You can still, speak what God gave you and go sit down without breaking a sweat, and still watch souls be added to the Kingdom of God. Remember, whatever your ‘preferred style’, the importance is on the Message being delivered in its most plain and simple form. Look at it like this: If a person who’s diabetic has their glucose levels shoot up through the roof, do you really think at a time like that, they want someone to hand them a pen of insulin and teach a 2 hour, detailed tutorial on the history of insulin, before they use it? No, they need a straight shot! Stick pen now! And truthfully there are a lot of people coming to our churches that are leaving empty because we’ve over-complicated the message. You can’t properly apply what you don’t clearly understand. Therefore, I reiterate, what your ‘preferred style’ is, for the sake of the people’s soul and eternity, keep it ‘plain and simple.’

Galatians 1:10-12, “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that is void of intimidation and manipulation. A leader that doesn’t need and seek applause and popularity. A leader that doesn’t attempt to impress with 9 titles and 14 initials (half of which were bought, not earned). A leader that hears from God and speaks the unadulterated Word of God to His people. A leader who is not into people pleasing, is sure to help you grow to your full potential.

Colossians 3:23-25, “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that knows who the real Master is (and that it clearly is not them). Working in the church they pastor, still means you are working for God! Avoid leaders who make you feel as though you work personally for them. The work of the ministry has nothing to do with mere man. The work of the ministry is adding souls to the Kingdom. And even in this work, we are to put forth our best effort, remembering WHO it is we’re working for. Avoid leaders who act as though the Church is their personal incorporation. A leader of humility and servanthood is who you sit under submissively. A leader that does his/her best which brings out the very same in you! That’s the leader you follow.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that will feed you the unadulterated Word of God. I love the word “unadulterated” because it’s simply defined as “having no inferior added substance.” In other words, you need a leader that will call it “Adultery”, not “An Affair”; “Sin” and not “An Issue”. You need a leader that possesses the wisdom of when to cover you and when to expose you. You need the bread of life, not a cake of compromise. A leader that will tell you when you’re wrong, not help you try to justify it as right. You need a leader that will continue to serve you the Solid Meat of the Word even when your flesh only wants to Digest Spiritual Junk Food!

Galatians 2:19-21, “What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (MSG) You need a leader just like that!

If you see a leader who leaves you thinking about Jesus, in the crowded spiritual supermarket that you and I shop in, you’ll know that’s one worth buying into. So, after this little lesson, it is my prayer that you will carefully, thoroughly, honestly re-evaluate your spiritual leadership. Make sure you are in the right house with the right head. The loss of your soul is too costly!

Remember our opening text:

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.”; (AMP);

“This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG);

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT).

There are many things you can use to measure good leadership, but why not follow the ruler Jesus Himself used? He used John the Baptist because He wasn’t out to compete with Him, he was out to make Jesus the most prominent; the center; and the most important, even if that meant he was to decrease; slip off to the sidelines and become less important. If you dare find a leader like that, follow him/her closely, you’ve indeed found the right one!

Charles H. Spurgeon Quotes:

“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”

“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”

“Satan, he can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”

“I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.”

“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes hell shake.”

“The Word of God is like a Lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose and the lion will defend itself”

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible”

“If you are idle in Christ’s work, you are active in the devil’s work”

“If sinners be damned at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for.”

“People, like sheep, tend to follow a leader – occasionally in the right direction.” (Alexander Chase)

“According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character.” (John MacArthur)

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” (Bill Bradley)

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” (Tom Peters)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” (Max Lucado)

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” (John C. Maxwell)

“To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishments alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.” (Andy Stanley)

“Christian leadership is a privilege of being in the service of influencing God’s people to achieve divine vision and purpose.” (Tionge Matela Msiska)

“Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire-builders have been people unable to give and receive love.” (Henri Nouwen)

“A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see.” (Leroy Eims)

“Leadership is not about positions and having people bow to you. It’s not about having titles conferred on you. Leadership is about service. It is about helping people fulfill their God-given purpose.” (Pastor Mensa Otabil)

“To keep the wrong leader in the wrong place prevents the right leader from being in the right place.” (Aubrey Malphurs)

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” (Author Unknown)

“Those of us who have been privileged to receive education, skills and experiences and even power must be role models for the next generation of leadership.” (Wangar Maathai)

“Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people-motivating people to get the job done. You have to be people-centered.” (Colin Powell)

“Your gifts are not about you; leadership is not about you; your purpose is not about you. A life of significance is about serving those who need your gifts, your leadership, your purpose.” (Kevin Hall)

“A big part of leadership is recognizing that your fruit often grows on other people’s trees.” (Todd Adkins)

“True leadership is the authority given by the trust of the followers to use power for the benefit of all.” (Dr. Myles Munroe)

“Every local church has a leader, but it seems so few local churches are being led.” (Andy Stanley)

“Leadership in church is one of the biggest challenges that the church is facing because without strong leadership, the church rarely lives out its redemptive potentials.” (Bill Hybels)

“Spiritual leadership is knowing where God wants people to to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power.” (John Piper)

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” (John Maxwell)

“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” (James C. Humes)

“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis.” (Brian Tracy)

“The story of the church, as depicted in the book of Acts, is one of a community of faith directed by a team of leaders working together toward a common vision. Had the church relied upon a single, incredibly gifted, magnetic individual to replace Jesus, the church would surely have collapsed.” (George Barna)

“Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.” (Brian Tracy)

“If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you.” (Bishop Dale C. Bronner)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“Are You FOLLOWING the Right LEADER?”

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.” (AMP); The Message Bible reads like this: “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG)

I am definitely one of those people that has to check and double-check everything I buy at the supermarket. Especially when it comes to dairy, meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. After all, when you’re raised in a house of two great cooks as parents, you come to believe that there really is an art to shopping for food. Some may not know any better, but truth is you can’t just grab the first apple or tomato you see! You have to learn to smell and squeeze the produce. And where did I get that from? My mom. She taught me how to do that as well as the importance of doing that. She taught me that you have to learn how to check for holes and dents in apples and peaches; you don’t just take the first one off the pile. You have to check to see how yellow those bananas are, or how green, or how black. In other words, there are ways to tell whether a fruit or vegetable is one you should buy. However, it’s much tougher to shop for a spiritual leader that’s a good one you can trust. Oh, but there is a way to tell!

Now if we are to be brutally honest, it’s getting tougher and tougher to know which spiritual leaders you can actually trust. After all, we’re living in a time when a lot of Christian heroes have let us down, right? People who say spiritual things, lead spiritual causes, give spiritual counsel, and then all of a sudden something happens that exposes their fleshy hypocrisy. In a way, it kind of makes a lot of us hold back and wonder who can we trust to govern, keep and protect our soul and that of our families?

Now, another truth we need to keep in mind is this, we’re not supposed to have our eyes on man in the first place! Jeremiah 17:5-6, “God’s Message: “Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight. He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows.” (MSG). Surely you don’t want that to be your testimony!

The Bible makes it clear that our focus should never be on flesh! 1 Samuel 16:7, “But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” (MSG). That word ‘eliminate’ is defined as: ‘to completely remove or get rid of; to reject or exclude from consideration or further participation.’ Its Latin Origin ‘eliminare’ literally means ‘to turn out of doors.’ You see, this man wasn’t just rejected, but he was completely removed, God got rid of him, He made sure he was excluded from any consideration or participation; he was in essence kicked out his own house, turned outdoors! Therefore, if God doesn’t entertain ‘flesh; looks and stature’, why should we?

So, our focus on spiritual leadership shouldn’t be on the flesh, but on the spirit! God does give His people leadership; He does raise up leadership for the benefit of the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],  [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church];  until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].” (MSG)

In other words, there are authentic spiritual leaders who are doing their job. God does want us to be able to get His teachings and see His love coming through people, but so many have let us down. How can you tell whether a pastor is a leader from God or a person who’s simply doing his own thing in God’s name?

Well, there’s one person that Jesus really held up as a model leader. It was John the Baptist. He said, “There has been no greater man born among women.” (Matthew 11:11) Now I cannot think of a stronger endorsement than that. Jesus said John the Baptist was the real deal; a real spiritual leader, worthy of following. And why was John the Baptist an ideal leader? In John 3:30, speaking of Jesus, John said this, “He must become greater; I must become less.” The King James Version says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” 2 other translations read like this:

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT);

You know how to test a spiritual leader? Well, one of the tests is this: Does he/she leave you thinking more about him/her or more about Jesus? Where is the spotlight focusing most and shining brightest, on him/herself, or God? Is it more about his organization, his goals, his ministry, his programs, or more about Jesus and the Great Commission He assigned for us to fulfill? An authentic man or woman of God, like John the Baptist, puts himself or herself in the background, on the sidelines, making sure that JESUS is the one who’s made to be Greater and More Important, in the very center. However, the leader doing his own thing is heavy on sentences that have: “I”, “me”, and “mine” in them, but rarely, “HIM”.

Is this the only test? No, but it’s a pretty good start. If you’re in leadership, measure yourself that way. Who is getting the attention, you the leader or the Savior? The real spiritual leaders, the ones you can trust, are the ones who put Jesus in the spotlight and make you think about Him and forget about them. They’re not seeking accolades and applause and amen’s. They don’t need their names called for everything, anything and nothing. They don’t need their picture posted on every wall nor do they need their name written on every piece of paper. They don’t need a chair the size of the Throne of God. Their main focus is that you focus mainly on Jesus! If that’s not the type of leader you are under, get out now!

Years ago I read about a man who maybe a hundred years ago had lived in the countryside in England. He traveled to London and wrote to his wife and said, “Honey, today I went to two of the great churches of London. This morning I heard Dr. Cartwright and he is a great preacher. Tonight I went to Metropolitan Tabernacle and I heard Mr. Charles Spurgeon.” He said, “Mr. Spurgeon has a great Savior.” Leaders, after you’re done speaking, teaching or preaching, do you want them to remember a great preacher, or do you leave them thinking about a great Savior? I never like to leave a church or service feeling like I was just greatly entertained by an outstanding cast of performers. I don’t want to remember the songs, the dances, the praise breaks, the garments, the titles, the beauty of the sanctuary. But what I want to leave with is conviction that I can be a better believer than I have been. It’s rare these days that I actually hear sermons that speak on holiness, sanctification, repentance, sin, hell, consequences of bad choices, or even chastisement. Instead, messages focus more on houses, cars, land, spouses, promotions, increase, harvest, blessings, abundance, and the like. But what happened to using the Word to do what it was originally designed to do? And what’s that you ask? Well, 2 Timothy informs us:

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness].  All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (AMP)

The Message Bible says it like this: “But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (MSG)

For some reason I don’t think the Word is being preached or taught in this manner anymore. Because everyone is happy, over-joyed and excited to leave church when the Word is done. However, the Word says when the Word comes forth it will “instruct, convict, correct, train, and expose” So if that’s how the Word is coming forth, why are we so happy after every sermon, every week? We should leave after the Word feeling as though we’ve received instructions since we’ve been convicted and corrected of wrongs, and now we’re being trained to be better since our worst has been exposed. We should leave with pad and pen in hand and a list of what we need to make our own lives better.

Now, I certainly don’t believe you should spend Sunday after Sunday being busted upside the head with the Bible. But shouldn’t something be said week after week that makes you better week after week? And not “feel” better, but “be and do better.” There is indeed a difference.

Maybe you’ve been burned by Christians, by a Christian leader, many of us have. I’ve certainly had the experience of being hurt by spiritual leadership. But don’t let them cause you to miss Jesus in the midst of it all. Sometimes I think we get so lost in “Following Them”, that we forget Jesus said, “Follow Me.” Does that mean we ignore spiritual leadership? Absolutely not! Romans 13:1-7, “Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. The person who does not obey the leaders of the land is working against what God has done. Anyone who does that will be punished. Those who do right do not have to be afraid of the leaders. Those who do wrong are afraid of them. Do you want to be free from fear of them? Then do what is right. You will be respected instead. Leaders are God’s servants to help you. If you do wrong, you should be afraid. They have the power to punish you. They work for God. They do what God wants done to those who do wrong. You must obey the leaders of the land, not only to keep from God’s anger, but so your own heart will have peace.  It is right for you to pay taxes because the leaders of the land are servants for God who care for these things.  Pay taxes to whom taxes are to be paid. Be afraid of those you should fear. Respect those you should respect.” (NLV);

Hebrews 13:17, “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (MSG).

In other words, leadership be it in the church or in the land is to be respected. Now, you don’t have much say so in the leaders of the land, but you have a lot of say so under which leader you submit to in any given church. You are not their by force but by choice, so choose your place of worship wisely. Don’t make a selection as though it were an arena, museum, palace, stage or theater. But ask God for godly wisdom that you make the right choice to serve in the right house of worship under the right leader.

And what are some signs that you have the right leader? Just listen to Scripture:

Matthew 17:6-8, “When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader that makes you see Only Jesus. Not them, their accomplishments, titles, positions, vestments, rings, robes, initials, degrees, collars, etc…But Only Jesus!

1 Corinthians 2:2, “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader whose preaching and teaching is about who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Not who they are (or think they are) not on what they’ve done (or think they’ve done). But a leader who keeps the name of Jesus on his/her lips when preaching or teaching. Not someone using Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in every other sentence, and certainly not someone who you need to keep the Webster’s Dictionary on hand every other 2 lines to know what 23 letter words they keep using every 5 minutes to be verbally impressive! A good leader keeps it “plain and simple.” And to those of my preacher friends who stand flat foot and preach and teach the ‘plain and simple’ Gospel, without hoop and holler, please do not compare yourselves to those who do. A hoop and holler are not the equivalent or evidence of the Holy Ghost, it is but a person’s preferred style of execution. It’s apart of their personality in how they choose to deliver. So, never feel as though you are not making the same, or even a greater impact on the lives of your hearers, just because your delivery is packaged differently. You don’t have to yell, scream, sweat, do back-flips, bang the podium, spin around in circles with fancy footwork, flying hands and spit spreading everywhere. You can still, speak what God gave you and go sit down without breaking a sweat, and still watch souls be added to the Kingdom of God. Remember, whatever your ‘preferred style’, the importance is on the Message being delivered in its most plain and simple form. Look at it like this: If a person who’s diabetic has their glucose levels shoot up through the roof, do you really think at a time like that, they want someone to hand them a pen of insulin and teach a 2 hour, detailed tutorial on the history of insulin, before they use it? No, they need a straight shot! Stick pen now! And truthfully there are a lot of people coming to our churches that are leaving empty because we’ve over-complicated the message. You can’t properly apply what you don’t clearly understand. Therefore, I reiterate, what your ‘preferred style’ is, for the sake of the people’s soul and eternity, keep it ‘plain and simple.’

Galatians 1:10-12, “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that is void of intimidation and manipulation. A leader that doesn’t need and seek applause and popularity. A leader that doesn’t attempt to impress with 9 titles and 14 initials (half of which were bought, not earned). A leader that hears from God and speaks the unadulterated Word of God to His people. A leader who is not into people pleasing, is sure to help you grow to your full potential.

Colossians 3:23-25, “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that knows who the real Master is (and that it clearly is not them). Working in the church they pastor, still means you are working for God! Avoid leaders who make you feel as though you work personally for them. The work of the ministry has nothing to do with mere man. The work of the ministry is adding souls to the Kingdom. And even in this work, we are to put forth our best effort, remembering WHO it is we’re working for. Avoid leaders who act as though the Church is their personal incorporation. A leader of humility and servanthood is who you sit under submissively. A leader that does his/her best which brings out the very same in you! That’s the leader you follow.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that will feed you the unadulterated Word of God. I love the word “unadulterated” because it’s simply defined as “having no inferior added substance.” In other words, you need a leader that will call it “Adultery”, not “An Affair”; “Sin” and not “An Issue”. You need a leader that possesses the wisdom of when to cover you and when to expose you. You need the bread of life, not a cake of compromise. A leader that will tell you when you’re wrong, not help you try to justify it as right. You need a leader that will continue to serve you the Solid Meat of the Word even when your flesh only wants to Digest Spiritual Junk Food!

Galatians 2:19-21, “What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (MSG) You need a leader just like that!

If you see a leader who leaves you thinking about Jesus, in the crowded spiritual supermarket that you and I shop in, you’ll know that’s one worth buying into. So, after this little lesson, it is my prayer that you will carefully, thoroughly, honestly re-evaluate your spiritual leadership. Make sure you are in the right house with the right head. The loss of your soul is too costly!

Remember our opening text:

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.”; (AMP);

“This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG);

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT).

There are many things you can use to measure good leadership, but why not follow the ruler Jesus Himself used? He used John the Baptist because He wasn’t out to compete with Him, he was out to make Jesus the most prominent; the center; and the most important, even if that meant he was to decrease; slip off to the sidelines and become less important. If you dare find a leader like that, follow him/her closely, you’ve indeed found the right one!

Charles H. Spurgeon Quotes:

“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”

“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”

“Satan, he can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”

“I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.”

“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes hell shake.”

“The Word of God is like a Lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose and the lion will defend itself”

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible”

“If you are idle in Christ’s work, you are active in the devil’s work”

“If sinners be damned at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for.”

“People, like sheep, tend to follow a leader – occasionally in the right direction.” (Alexander Chase)

“According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character.” (John MacArthur)

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” (Bill Bradley)

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” (Tom Peters)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” (Max Lucado)

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” (John C. Maxwell)

“To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishments alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.” (Andy Stanley)

“Christian leadership is a privilege of being in the service of influencing God’s people to achieve divine vision and purpose.” (Tionge Matela Msiska)

“Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire-builders have been people unable to give and receive love.” (Henri Nouwen)

“A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see.” (Leroy Eims)

“Leadership is not about positions and having people bow to you. It’s not about having titles conferred on you. Leadership is about service. It is about helping people fulfill their God-given purpose.” (Pastor Mensa Otabil)

“To keep the wrong leader in the wrong place prevents the right leader from being in the right place.” (Aubrey Malphurs)

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” (Author Unknown)

“Those of us who have been privileged to receive education, skills and experiences and even power must be role models for the next generation of leadership.” (Wangar Maathai)

“Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people-motivating people to get the job done. You have to be people-centered.” (Colin Powell)

“Your gifts are not about you; leadership is not about you; your purpose is not about you. A life of significance is about serving those who need your gifts, your leadership, your purpose.” (Kevin Hall)

“A big part of leadership is recognizing that your fruit often grows on other people’s trees.” (Todd Adkins)

“True leadership is the authority given by the trust of the followers to use power for the benefit of all.” (Dr. Myles Munroe)

“Every local church has a leader, but it seems so few local churches are being led.” (Andy Stanley)

“Leadership in church is one of the biggest challenges that the church is facing because without strong leadership, the church rarely lives out its redemptive potentials.” (Bill Hybels)

“Spiritual leadership is knowing where God wants people to to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power.” (John Piper)

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” (John Maxwell)

“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” (James C. Humes)

“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis.” (Brian Tracy)

“The story of the church, as depicted in the book of Acts, is one of a community of faith directed by a team of leaders working together toward a common vision. Had the church relied upon a single, incredibly gifted, magnetic individual to replace Jesus, the church would surely have collapsed.” (George Barna)

“Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.” (Brian Tracy)

“If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you.” (Bishop Dale C. Bronner)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“The Church Needs Deliverance!” (Part I)

3 John 1:9, “I have written briefly to the church; BUT DIOTREPHES, WHO LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD AMONG THEM AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me.”{AMP}

In the movie ‘Rocky’, boxer Rocky Balboa describes his relationship with his girlfriend Adrienne like this: “I’ve got gaps. She’s got gaps. But together we’ve got no gaps.” That may sound comical, but truth be told, it doesn’t matter how gifted we are—we’ve all allowed gaps to form in our lives and in the church! But then what is a “Gap”? Well, it’s defined as, “a break or hole in an object or between two objects.” And the last thing Believers need in these end times, is a Gap, Break or Hole Between Them! Why? Because the Word of God informs us in Ephesians 4:27: “LEAVE NO [SUCH] ROOM OR FOOTHOLD FOR THE DEVIL [GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO HIM]” (AMP). THE DEVIL LOVES CRACKS, BREAKS, HOLES, AND GAPS, IT’S ALL THE SPACE HE NEEDS TO BRING FORTH DIVISION IN THE ENTIRE BODY OF CHRIST! And last I checked, the Word of God still declares that one of the things the Lord Hates is: “… HE WHO SOWS DISCORD AMONG HIS BRETHREN” (Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP). Church, stop allowing the “Spirit of Diotrephes” to cause GAPS in your relationship with other believers, you are destroying the Body of Christ!

The Body of Christ Was Not Designed For Disunity, But UNITY! Ephesians 2:21, “In Him THE WHOLE STRUCTURE IS JOINED (BOUND, WELDED) TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].” (AMP). Then, Ephesians 4:16 says, “For because of Him THE WHOLE BODY (THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS), CLOSELY JOINED AND FIRMLY KNIT TOGETHER by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, WHEN EACH PART [WITH POWER ADAPTED TO ITS NEED] IS WORKING PROPERLY [IN ALL ITS FUNCTIONS], GROWS TO FULL MATURITY, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN LOVE” (AMP).

Now, maybe it’s just me, but the Word of God sure sounds like the Church needs to be Delivered Quickly From the Spirit of Diotrephes! Why? Because it goes against the very Word our God has spoken to His Church! Understand this, according to what we read in Ephesians 2:21 and Ephesians 4:16, any spirit that brings disunity to the Body of Christ, BREAKS OUR HARMONY, HINDERS OUR GROWTH AND INCREASE, DESECRATES OUR HOLINESS, DEDICATION, CONSECRATION AND THE SACRED PRESENCE OF THE LORD! IT SEPARATES US DEEP DOWN TO JOINTS AND LIGAMENTS, IT DEPLETES OUR POWER, STOPS US FROM WORKING PROPERLY IN ALL OUR FUNCTIONS, STUNTS OUR GROWTH OF FULL MATURITY AND TEARS DOWN THE LOVE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BUILD UP! We need to grasp and fully understand the Danger of the “Spirit of Diotrephes” that’s running rampant in our churches! For it’s not the attacks of the world that’s destroying the church, it’s the disunity of the church destroying itself! We, the Church, are COMMANDED by God to Stay Connected! Which is why the last thing we want to do is to DISOBEY a direct COMMAND from God! Why? Listen to what happened to Adam when he DISOBEYED a direct COMMAND from God: The Bible reads, “He told the Man: “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree THAT I COMMANDED YOU NOT TO EAT FROM…The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you’ll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you’ll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you’ll end up dirt.” (Genesis 3:17-19 MSG). I’m sure if Adam could say two words to the church today it would be: “Get Delivered!”

So what’s the best way to close the “Gaps” we’ve created in the church? BY WORKING WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE STRENGTHS IN OUR AREAS OF WEAKNESS! The New Testament Christians did it; and as a result, “THE WHOLE CONGREGATION of believers was UNITED AS ONE—ONE HEART, ONE MIND! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” THEY SHARED EVERYTHING. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and GRACE WAS ON ALL OF THEM” (Acts 4:32-33 MSG).

Following the advice of Acts we’ll likewise continue following the advice of Ephesians 4:32: “MAKE A CLEAN BREAK WITH ALL CUTTING, BACKBITING, PROFANE TALK, BE GENTLE WITH ONE ANOTHER, SENSITIVE. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (MSG). The early church left us good examples to follow, they did all of this, so what’s the problem with the church today?! Why don’t we work together anymore? I’ll tell you why, it’s because of the “Diotrephes Spirit”: 3 John 1:9-10 says, “…but Diotrephes, Who Loves to Be the Leader, Refuses to Have Anything to Do With Us. When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, He Also Tells Others Not to Help Them. And When They Do Help, He Puts Them Out of the Church.” (NLT). Outside of sowing discord, what else is Diotrephes’ problem? HE LOVES CONTROL! He wasn’t service-driven, HE WAS EGO-DRIVEN!  And, ‘an ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.’ (Nathaniel Bronner, Jr.) Diotrephes was afraid to have anyone challenge him! With him it was “my way or the highway.” And, “Anytime there is a struggle between doing what is actually right and doing what seems right, then your ego is interfering with your decision.” (Darren L. Johnson). Like many church folks, he didn’t want a team, just a supporting cast! But ask anyone in Hollywood, just as fast as a “star” rises, oftentimes it falls even faster! Church, this is about US working Collectively, not Individually!

And please note that Diotrephes is easy to recognize, because he’s EXTREMELY INSECURE; which is why he holds the reins so tightly! But the trouble is, people who are afraid to trust others end up not being trusted themselves! There’s a level of success they never get beyond because they can’t work with anybody else! And why is that such a problem? Well, in actuality, I wouldn’t just call it a problem, but I’d call it down right dangerous! Because, when “Leave Me To Myself Diotrephes” stumbles and falls, as we all do, no one is there to help him back up! Which is why Ecclesiastes 4:12 warns us, “A PERSON STANDING ALONE CAN BE ATTACKED AND DEFEATED, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (NLT). Leaders like Diotrephes stay weak in certain areas; because they’re too prideful and arrogant to reach for the strength that others are already extending to them! Understand, that you’ll get further with the help of others than you’ll get without it! Church, like it or not, WE need each other! There’s a motivational piece of artwork that hangs in my office that I keep myself mindful of whether in my home, on my job or in my church, it reads: “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives, it is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” People of God, today is the day of deliverance from the Spirit of Diotrephes! No more sowing discord, no more arrogant, out of control egos (which are running rampant amongst Leadership), no more my way or the highway, no more me-ism, no more I lead and you follow! NO! Today’s church needs to travel back to the church of yesterday, before we utterly destroy the church of tomorrow!  

3 John 1:9, “I have written briefly to the church; BUT DIOTREPHES, WHO LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD AMONG THEM AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me.”{ AMP}

According to our text, DIOTREPHES: “…LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD…AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST…” So, to those who are battling with this spirit, might I inform you that the Bible says, “So those who [now] are last WILL BE FIRST [THEN], and those who [now] are first WILL BE LAST [THEN]…” (Matthew 20:16 AMP) Therefore, you might want to be careful about rushing to be FIRST…NOW…since you’ll only be LAST…THEN…when it counts most! You see, the problem is, everyone wants to be a great leader, without serving, when in truth, there is no greatness apart from serving! Luke 22:24-26, “Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. BUT JESUS INTERVENED: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE THAT WAY WITH YOU. LET THE SENIOR AMONG YOU BECOME LIKE THE JUNIOR; LET THE LEADER ACT THE PART OF THE SERVANT” (MSG). Saints, Until You Meet the Requirements of Serving, You’re Unqualified To Lead! ‘He that cannot obey, cannot command.’ (Benjamin Franklin) Until you learn how to bring “YOU” under subjection, your leadership will always face objections and rejections! Why? Because William Penn said it best: “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” If you want to know the steps to proper and effective leadership, follow the blueprint of Proverbs 18:12, “Pride leads to destruction; humility leads to honor.” (CEV). Both play a lead role, but the type of character exemplified is up to you! “I admire men of character, and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates, and that, to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is.” (General H. Norman Schwartzkopf)

Next we find that “DIOTREPHES” “…DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE…AUTHORITY…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} One of the worst individuals you can work with in the church is them that do not Acknowledge Authority! Is that dangerous, you ask? Let’s see what Hebrews 13:17 has to say about it: “Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [CONTINUALLY [RECOGNIZING THEIR AUTHORITY OVER YOU], for they are CONSTANTLY KEEPING WATCH OVER YOUR SOULS AND GUARDING YOUR SPIRITUAL WELFARE, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, FOR THAT WOULD NOT BE PROFITABLE TO YOU [EITHER]” (AMP). WARNING: When you don’t Acknowledge Authority, you in essence tell your Spiritual Leaders to close their eyes from watching over your soul, and to lay their weaponry down from guarding your spiritual welfare! Not to mention you become a Liability to the Kingdom, instead of an Asset, since you’re no longer Profitable! With that said, not Acknowledging Authority is dangerous indeed! Selah…

People who do not Acknowledge Authority fall in the category that the Israelites found themselves in over and over again! REBELLION! And “Rebellion” is defined as, “an act of rebelling against an ESTABLISHED GOVERNMENT OR RULER; defiance of authority or control.” When you don’t Acknowledge Authority, it’s deeper than you think: I’ll Prove It: “…JESUS came to them and SAID, “ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME” (Matthew 28:18 NIV). So, when you think you’re just ignoring the authority of earthly rulers, you are in fact IGNORING THE AUTHORITY OF THE ONLY ONE WITH TOTAL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND EARTH! IGNORING EARTHLY AUTHORITY, IS EQUAL TO IGNORING JESUS’ AUTHORITY! And maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you want that to be the description of your lifestyle as a believer! The Bible says: “…rebellion is as the sin of WITCHCRAFT…” (1 Samuel 15:23 AMP). And what does that same Bible say about witchcraft? “But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral OR USES WITCHCRAFT or worships idols or tells lies. THEY WILL BE THROWN INTO THAT LAKE OF FIRE AND BURNING SULFUR…” (Revelation 21:8 CEV). Again, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you want that to be the closing chapter of your life’s story!

Amazingly, “Diotrephes” STILL MANAGES TO GET WORSE! He is also known as one who: “…REFUSES TO ACCEPT…SUGGESTIONS…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} Another individual type that is difficult to work with is the one that “…REFUSES TO ACCEPT…SUGGESTIONS…”! I know this may be a severe shock to some folks systems…but…YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING! Want proof? Just ask some folks for their suggestions on any given topic! You’ll be amazed at how much you didn’t know, that you didn’t know! It doesn’t even matter if something is running smoothly, suggestions should always be welcomed, no matter what! Listen, a “suggestion” is merely: “an idea or plan put forward for CONSIDERATION.” That’s it! No need to panic! No one is attempting to turn your whole world upside down! It just means your thoughts are as important as mine. And you’ll be amazed at how much that means to people (Leaders, Give it a Shot)! Oftentimes, people don’t even want to change something, they just want you to hear their ideas about change! “Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.” (Phillip Stanhope) The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). Another version puts it like this: “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (MSG). Take time to see the revelations from God that He has granted unto OTHERS, you just may stop stumbling all over YOURSELF!

Believe it or not, “Diotrephes”, HAS YET ANOTHER FLAW, he: “…REFUSES…TO LISTEN…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} The Word of God has given us clear instructions on this matter: “Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [A READY LISTENER], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.” (James 1:19 AMP) Now for some Wisdom concerning LISTENING the Bible says this: “…LISTEN for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go…” (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG); “…pay close attention to…my wisdom; LISTEN very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.” (Proverbs 5:1 MSG); “…LISTEN closely; don’t treat my words casually…” (Proverbs 5:7 MSG); “…LISTEN to me, take these words of mine most seriously…” (Proverbs 7:24 MSG). And my personal favorite: “Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice? She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, “You—I’m talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets! LISTEN, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up! Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best. My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—I can’t stand the taste of evil! You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth; not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.” (Proverbs 8:1-3 MSG). People of God, learn how to LISTEN, especially for WISDOM, it will aid you in making wise decisions! If you are around the people, never forget the people have a VOICE that needs to be heard, JUST LIKE YOURS! REMEMBER: “Big egos have little ears.” (Robert Schuller). SO UNTIL YOU’VE LEARNED HOW TO LISTEN MUCH, YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TO SAY WORTH LISTENING TO! 

It is my hearts desire that the Church receives deliverance, immediately, from the Spirit of Diotrephes! The healing that would take place in the Body of Christ would restore to perfect health our ability to lead effectively, properly acknowledge authority, clear up impaired vision from lack of accepting suggestions, and heal the hearts cry of the unheard!

I’ll leave you with a scripture that I believe to be quite befitting: “When the city came into view, He wept over it. “If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late. In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. ALL THIS BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T RECOGNIZE AND WELCOME GOD’S PERSONAL VISIT” (Luke 19:43-45 MSG).

Church, God is personally visiting us today through this devotional and warning us to recognize the Spirit of Diotrephes that’s dwelling in our midst. It’s time for the church to improve its’ leadership and its’ followship! Remember, the world is watching US! Therefore, the Spirit of Diotrephes Must Die!

Check in Tomorrow for Part II!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“Are You Following the Right Leader?”

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.” (AMP); The Message Bible reads like this: “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG)

I am definitely one of those people that has to check and double-check everything I buy at the supermarket. Especially when it comes to dairy, meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. After all, when you’re raised in a house of two great cooks as parents, you come to believe that there really is an art to shopping for food. Some may not know any better, but truth is you can’t just grab the first apple or tomato you see! You have to learn to smell and squeeze the produce. And where did I get that from? My mom. She taught me how to do that as well as the importance of doing that. She taught me that you have to learn how to check for holes and dents in apples and peaches; you don’t just take the first one off the pile. You have to check to see how yellow those bananas are, or how green, or how black. In other words, there are ways to tell whether a fruit or vegetable is one you should buy. However, it’s much tougher to shop for a spiritual leader that’s a good one you can trust. Oh, but there is a way to tell!

Now if we are to be brutally honest, it’s getting tougher and tougher to know which spiritual leaders you can actually trust. After all, we’re living in a time when a lot of Christian heroes have let us down, right? People who say spiritual things, lead spiritual causes, give spiritual counsel, and then all of a sudden something happens that exposes their fleshy hypocrisy. In a way, it kind of makes a lot of us hold back and wonder who can we trust to govern, keep and protect our soul and that of our families?

Now, another truth we need to keep in mind is this, we’re not supposed to have our eyes on man in the first place! Jeremiah 17:5-6, “God’s Message: “Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight. He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows.” (MSG). Surely you don’t want that to be your testimony!

The Bible makes it clear that our focus should never be on flesh! 1 Samuel 16:7, “But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” (MSG). That word ‘eliminate’ is defined as: ‘to completely remove or get rid of; to reject or exclude from consideration or further participation.’ Its Latin Origin ‘eliminare’ literally means ‘to turn out of doors.’ You see, this man wasn’t just rejected, but he was completely removed, God got rid of him, He made sure he was excluded from any consideration or participation; he was in essence kicked out his own house, turned outdoors! Therefore, if God doesn’t entertain ‘flesh; looks and stature’, why should we?

So, our focus on spiritual leadership shouldn’t be on the flesh, but on the spirit! God does give His people leadership; He does raise up leadership for the benefit of the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],  [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church];  until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].” (MSG)

In other words, there are authentic spiritual leaders who are doing their job. God does want us to be able to get His teachings and see His love coming through people, but so many have let us down. How can you tell whether a pastor is a leader from God or a person who’s simply doing his own thing in God’s name?

Well, there’s one person that Jesus really held up as a model leader. It was John the Baptist. He said, “There has been no greater man born among women.” (Matthew 11:11) Now I cannot think of a stronger endorsement than that. Jesus said John the Baptist was the real deal; a real spiritual leader, worthy of following. And why was John the Baptist an ideal leader? In John 3:30, speaking of Jesus, John said this, “He must become greater; I must become less.” The King James Version says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” 2 other translations read like this:

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT);

You know how to test a spiritual leader? Well, one of the tests is this: Does he leave you thinking more about him or more about Jesus? Where is the spotlight focusing most and shining brightest, on him/herself, or God? Is it more about his organization, his goals, his ministry, his programs, or more about Jesus and the Great Commission He assigned for us to fulfill? An authentic man or woman of God, like John the Baptist, puts himself or herself in the background, on the sidelines, making sure that JESUS is the one who’s made to be Greater and More Important, in the very center. However, the leader doing his own thing is heavy on sentences that have: “I”, “me”, and “mine” in them, but rarely, “HIM”.

Is this the only test? No, but it’s a pretty good start. If you’re in leadership, measure yourself that way. Who is getting the attention, you the leader or the Savior? The real spiritual leaders, the ones you can trust, are the ones who put Jesus in the spotlight and make you think about Him and forget about them. They’re not seeking accolades and applause and amen’s. They don’t need their names called for everything, anything and nothing. They don’t need their picture posted on every wall nor do they need their name written on every piece of paper. They don’t need a chair the size of the Throne of God. Their main focus is that you focus mainly on Jesus! If that’s not the type of leader you are under, get out now!

Years ago I read about a man who maybe a hundred years ago had lived in the countryside in England. He traveled to London and wrote to his wife and said, “Honey, today I went to two of the great churches of London. This morning I heard Dr. Cartwright and he is a great preacher. Tonight I went to Metropolitan Tabernacle and I heard Mr. Charles Spurgeon.” He said, “Mr. Spurgeon has a great Savior.” Leaders, after you’re done speaking, teaching or preaching, do you want them to remember a great preacher, or do you leave them thinking about a great Savior? I never like to leave a church or service feeling like I was just greatly entertained by an outstanding cast of performers. I don’t want to remember the songs, the dances, the praise breaks, the garments, the titles, the beauty of the sanctuary. But what I want to leave with is conviction that I can be a better believer than I have been. It’s rare these days that I actually hear sermons that speak on holiness, sanctification, repentance, sin, hell, consequences of bad choices, or even chastisement. Instead, messages focus more on houses, cars, land, spouses, promotions, increase, harvest, blessings, abundance, and the like. But what happened to using the Word to do what it was originally designed to do? And what’s that you ask? Well, 2 Timothy informs us:

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness].  All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (AMP)

The Message Bible says it like this: “But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (MSG)

For some reason I don’t think the Word is being preached or taught in this manner anymore. Because everyone is happy, over-joyed and excited to leave church when the Word is done. However, the Word says when the Word comes forth it will “instruct, convict, correct, train, and expose” So if that’s how the Word is coming forth, why are we so happy after every sermon, every week? We should leave after the Word feeling as though we’ve received instructions since we’ve been convicted and corrected of wrongs, and now we’re being trained to be better since our worst has been exposed. We should leave with pad and pen in hand and a list of what we need to make our own lives better.

Now, I certainly don’t believe you should spend Sunday after Sunday being busted upside the head with the Bible. But shouldn’t something be said week after week that makes you better week after week? And not “feel” better, but “be and do better.” There is indeed a difference.

Maybe you’ve been burned by Christians, by a Christian leader, many of us have. I’ve certainly had the experience of being hurt by spiritual leadership. But don’t let them cause you to miss Jesus in the midst of it all. Sometimes I think we get so lost in “Following Them”, that we forget Jesus said, “Follow Me.” Does that mean we ignore spiritual leadership? Absolutely not! Romans 13:1-7, “Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. The person who does not obey the leaders of the land is working against what God has done. Anyone who does that will be punished. Those who do right do not have to be afraid of the leaders. Those who do wrong are afraid of them. Do you want to be free from fear of them? Then do what is right. You will be respected instead. Leaders are God’s servants to help you. If you do wrong, you should be afraid. They have the power to punish you. They work for God. They do what God wants done to those who do wrong. You must obey the leaders of the land, not only to keep from God’s anger, but so your own heart will have peace.  It is right for you to pay taxes because the leaders of the land are servants for God who care for these things.  Pay taxes to whom taxes are to be paid. Be afraid of those you should fear. Respect those you should respect.” (NLV);

Hebrews 13:17, “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (MSG).

In other words, leadership be it in the church or in the land is to be respected. Now, you don’t have much say so in the leaders of the land, but you have a lot of say so under which leader you submit to in any given church. You are not their by force but by choice, so choose your place of worship wisely. Don’t make a selection as though it were an arena, museum, palace, stage or theater. But ask God for godly wisdom that you make the right choice to serve in the right house of worship under the right leader.

And what are some signs that you have the right leader? Just listen to Scripture:

Matthew 17:6-8, “When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader that makes you see Only Jesus. Not them, their accomplishments, titles, positions, vestments, rings, robes, initials, degrees, collars, etc…But Only Jesus!

1 Corinthians 2:2, “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader whose preaching and teaching is about who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Not who they are (or think they are) not on what they’ve done (or think they’ve done). But a leader who keeps the name of Jesus on his/her lips when preaching or teaching. Not someone using Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in every other sentence, and certainly not someone who you need to keep the Webster’s Dictionary on hand every other 2 lines to know what 23 letter words they keep using every 5 minutes to be verbally impressive! A good leader keeps it “plain and simple.” And to those of my preacher friends who stand flat foot and preach and teach the ‘plain and simple’ Gospel, without hoop and holler, please do not compare yourselves to those who do. A hoop and holler are not the equivalent or evidence of the Holy Ghost, it is but a person’s preferred style of execution. It’s apart of their personality in how they choose to deliver. So, never feel as though you are not making the same, or even a greater impact on the lives of your hearers, just because your delivery is packaged differently. You don’t have to yell, scream, sweat, do back-flacks, bang the podium, spin around in circles with fancy footwork, flying hands and spit spreading everywhere. You can still, speak what God gave you and go sit down without breaking a sweat, and still watch souls be added to the Kingdom of God. Remember, whatever your ‘preferred style’, the importance is on the Message being delivered in its most plain and simple form. Look at it like this: If a person who’s diabetic has their glucose levels shoot up through the roof, do you really think at a time like that, they want someone to hand them a pen of insulin and teach a 2 hour, detailed tutorial on the history of insulin, before they use it? No, they need a straight shot! Stick pen now! And truthfully there are a lot of people coming to our churches that are leaving empty because we’ve over-complicated the message. You can’t properly apply what you don’t clearly understand. Therefore, I reiterate, what your ‘preferred style’ is, for the sake of the people’s soul and eternity, keep it ‘plain and simple.’

Galatians 1:10-12, “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that is void of intimidation and manipulation. A leader that doesn’t need and seek applause and popularity. A leader that doesn’t attempt to impress with 9 titles and 14 initials (half of which were bought, not earned). A leader that hears from God and speaks the unadulterated Word of God to His people. A leader who is not into people pleasing, is sure to help you grow to your full potential.

Colossians 3:23-25, “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that knows who the real Master is (and that it clearly is not them). Working in the church they pastor, still means you are working for God! Avoid leaders who make you feel as though you work personally for them. The work of the ministry has nothing to do with mere man. The work of the ministry is adding souls to the Kingdom. And even in this work, we are to put forth our best effort, remembering WHO it is we’re working for. Avoid leaders who act as though the Church is their personal incorporation. A leader of humility and servanthood is who you sit under submissively. A leader that does his/her best which brings out the very same in you! That’s the leader you follow.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that will feed you the unadulterated Word of God. I love the word “unadulterated” because it’s simply defined as “having no inferior added substance.” In other words, you need a leader that will call it “Adultery”, not “An Affair”; “Sin” and not “An Issue”. You need a leader that possesses the wisdom of when to cover you and when to expose you. You need the bread of life, not a cake of compromise. A leader that will tell you when you’re wrong, not help you try to justify it as right. You need a leader that will continue to serve you the Solid Meat of the Word even when your flesh only wants to Digest Spiritual Junk Food!

Galatians 2:19-21, “What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (MSG) You need a leader just like that!

If you see a leader who leaves you thinking about Jesus, in the crowded spiritual supermarket that you and I shop in, you’ll know that’s one worth buying into. So, after this little lesson, it is my prayer that you will carefully, thoroughly, honestly re-evaluate your spiritual leadership. Make sure you are in the right house with the right head. The loss of your soul is too costly!

Remember our opening text:

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.”; (AMP);

“This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG);

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT).

There are many things you can use to measure good leadership, but why not follow the ruler Jesus Himself used? He used John the Baptist because He wasn’t out to compete with Him, he was out to make Jesus the most prominent; the center; and the most important, even if that meant he was to decrease; slip off to the sidelines and become less important. If you dare find a leader like that, follow him/her closely, you’ve indeed found the right one!

Charles H. Spurgeon Quotes:

“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”

“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”

“Satan, he can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”

“I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.”

“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes hell shake.”

“The Word of God is like a Lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose and the lion will defend itself”

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible”

“If you are idle in Christ’s work, you are active in the devil’s work”

“If sinners be damned at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for.”

“People, like sheep, tend to follow a leader – occasionally in the right direction.” (Alexander Chase)

“According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character.” (John MacArthur)

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” (Bill Bradley)

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” (Tom Peters)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” (Max Lucado)

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” (John C. Maxwell)

“To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishments alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.” (Andy Stanley)

“Christian leadership is a privilege of being in the service of influencing God’s people to achieve divine vision and purpose.” (Tionge Matela Msiska)

“Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire-builders have been people unable to give and receive love.” (Henri Nouwen)

“A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see.” (Leroy Eims)

“Leadership is not about positions and having people bow to you. It’s not about having titles conferred on you. Leadership is about service. It is about helping people fulfill their God-given purpose.” (Pastor Mensa Otabil)

“To keep the wrong leader in the wrong place prevents the right leader from being in the right place.” (Aubrey Malphurs)

“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” (Author Unknown)

“Those of us who have been privileged to receive education, skills and experiences and even power must be role models for the next generation of leadership.” (Wangar Maathai)

“Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people-motivating people to get the job done. You have to be people-centered.” (Colin Powell)

“Your gifts are not about you; leadership is not about you; your purpose is not about you. A life of significance is about serving those who need your gifts, your leadership, your purpose.” (Kevin Hall)

“A big part of leadership is recognizing that your fruit often grows on other people’s trees.” (Todd Adkins)

“True leadership is the authority given by the trust of the followers to use power for the benefit of all.” (Dr. Myles Munroe)

“Every local church has a leader, but it seems so few local churches are being led.” (Andy Stanley)

“Leadership in church is one of the biggest challenges that the church is facing because without strong leadership, the church rarely lives out its redemptive potentials.” (Bill Hybels)

“Spiritual leadership is knowing where God wants people to to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power.” (John Piper)

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” (John Maxwell)

“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” (James C. Humes)

“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis.” (Brian Tracy)

“The story of the church, as depicted in the book of Acts, is one of a community of faith directed by a team of leaders working together toward a common vision. Had the church relied upon a single, incredibly gifted, magnetic individual to replace Jesus, the church would surely have collapsed.” (George Barna)

“Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.” (Brian Tracy)

“If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you.” (Bishop Dale C. Bronner)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“The Church Needs Deliverance!” (Part I)

3 John 1:9, “I have written briefly to the church; BUT DIOTREPHES, WHO LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD AMONG THEM AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me.”{AMP}

In the movie Rocky, boxer Rocky Balboa describes his relationship with his girlfriend Adrienne like this: “I’ve got gaps. She’s got gaps. But together we’ve got no gaps.” That may sound comical, but truth be told, it doesn’t matter how gifted we are—we’ve all allowed gaps to form in our lives and in the church! But then what is a “Gap”? Well, it’s defined as, “a break or hole in an object or between two objects.” The last thing Believers need in these end times, is a Gap, Break or Hole Between Them! Why? Because the Word of God informs us in Ephesians 4:27: “LEAVE NO [SUCH] ROOM OR FOOTHOLD FOR THE DEVIL [GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO HIM]” (AMP). THE DEVIL LOVES CRACKS, BREAKS, HOLES, AND GAPS, IT’S ALL THE SPACE HE NEEDS TO BRING FORTH DIVISION IN THE ENTIRE BODY OF CHRIST! And last I checked, the Word of God still declares that one of the things the Lord Hates is: “… HE WHO SOWS DISCORD AMONG HIS BRETHREN” (Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP). Church, stop allowing the “Spirit of Diotrephes” to cause GAPS in your relationship with other believers, you are destroying the Body of Christ!

The Body of Christ Was Not Designed For Disunity, But UNITY! Ephesians 2:21, “In Him THE WHOLE STRUCTURE IS JOINED (BOUND, WELDED) TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].” (AMP). Then, Ephesians 4:16 says, “For because of Him THE WHOLE BODY (THE CHURCH, IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS), CLOSELY JOINED AND FIRMLY KNIT TOGETHER by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, WHEN EACH PART [WITH POWER ADAPTED TO ITS NEED] IS WORKING PROPERLY [IN ALL ITS FUNCTIONS], GROWS TO FULL MATURITY, BUILDING ITSELF UP IN LOVE” (AMP).

Now, maybe it’s just me, but the Word of God sure sounds like the Church needs to be Delivered Quickly From the Spirit of Diotrephes! Why? Because it goes against the very Word our God has spoken to His Church! Understand this, according to what we read in Ephesians 2:21 and Ephesians 4:16, any spirit that brings disunity to the Body of Christ, BREAKS OUR HARMONY, HINDERS OUR GROWTH AND INCREASE, DESECRATES OUR HOLINESS, DEDICATION, CONSECRATION AND THE SACRED PRESENCE OF THE LORD! IT SEPARATES US DEEP DOWN TO JOINTS AND LIGAMENTS, IT DEPLETES OUR POWER, STOPS US FROM WORKING PROPERLY IN ALL OUR FUNCTIONS, STUNTS OUR GROWTH OF FULL MATURITY AND TEARS DOWN THE LOVE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BUILD UP! We need to grasp and fully understand the Danger of the “Spirit of Diotrephes” that’s running rampant in our churches! For it’s not the attacks of the world that’s destroying the church, it’s the disunity of the church destroying itself! We, the Church, are COMMANDED by God to Stay Connected! Which is why the last thing we want to do is to DISOBEY a direct COMMAND from God! Why? Listen to what happened to Adam when he DISOBEYED a direct COMMAND from God: The Bible reads, “He told the Man: “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree THAT I COMMANDED YOU NOT TO EAT FROM…The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you’ll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you’ll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you’ll end up dirt.” (Genesis 3:17-19 MSG). I’m sure if Adam could say two words to the church today it would be: “Get Delivered!”

So what’s the best way to close the “Gaps” we’ve created in the church? BY WORKING WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE STRENGTHS IN OUR AREAS OF WEAKNESS! The New Testament Christians did it; and as a result, “THE WHOLE CONGREGATION of believers was UNITED AS ONE—ONE HEART, ONE MIND! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” THEY SHARED EVERYTHING. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and GRACE WAS ON ALL OF THEM” (Acts 4:32-33 MSG).

Following the advice of Acts we’ll likewise continue following the advice of Ephesians 4:32: “MAKE A CLEAN BREAK WITH ALL CUTTING, BACKBITING, PROFANE TALK, BE GENTLE WITH ONE ANOTHER, SENSITIVE. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (MSG). The early church left us good examples to follow, they did all of this, so what’s the problem with the church today?! Why don’t we work together anymore? I’ll tell you why, it’s because of the “Diotrephes Spirit”: 3 John 1:9-10 says, “…but Diotrephes, Who Loves to Be the Leader, Refuses to Have Anything to Do With Us. When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, He Also Tells Others Not to Help Them. And When They Do Help, He Puts Them Out of the Church.” (NLT). Outside of sowing discord, what else is Diotrephes’ problem? HE LOVES CONTROL! He wasn’t service-driven, HE WAS EGO-DRIVEN!  And, ‘an ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.’ (Nathaniel Bronner, Jr.) Diotrephes was afraid to have anyone challenge him! With him it was “my way or the highway.” And, “Anytime there is a struggle between doing what is actually right and doing what seems right, then your ego is interfering with your decision.” (Darren L. Johnson). Like many church folks, he didn’t want a team, just a supporting cast! But ask anyone in Hollywood, just as fast as a “star” rises, oftentimes it falls even faster! Church, this is about US working Collectively, not Individually!

And please not that Diotrephes is easy to recognize, because he’s EXTREMELY INSECURE; which is why he holds the reins so tightly! But the trouble is, people who are afraid to trust others end up not being trusted themselves! There’s a level of success they never get beyond because they can’t work with anybody else! And why is that such a problem? Well, in actuality, I wouldn’t just call it a problem, but I’d call it down right dangerous! Because, when “Leave Me To Myself Diotrephes” stumbles and falls, as we all do, no one is there to help him back up! Which is why Ecclesiastes 4:12 warns us, “A PERSON STANDING ALONE CAN BE ATTACKED AND DEFEATED, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (NLT). Leaders like Diotrephes stay weak in certain areas; because they’re too prideful and arrogant to reach for the strength that others are already extending to them! Understand, that you’ll get further with the help of others than you’ll get without it! Church, like it or not, WE need each other! There’s a motivational piece of artwork that hangs in my office that I keep myself mindful of whether in my home, on my job or in my church, it reads: “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives, it is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” People of God, today is the day of deliverance from the Spirit of Diotrephes! No more sowing discord, no more arrogant, out of control egos (which are running rampant amongst Leadership), no more my way or the highway, no more me-ism, no more I lead and you follow! NO! Today’s church needs to travel back to the church of yesterday, before we utterly destroy the church of tomorrow!  

3 John 1:9, “I have written briefly to the church; BUT DIOTREPHES, WHO LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD AMONG THEM AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me.”{ AMP}

According to our text, DIOTREPHES: “…LIKES TO TAKE THE LEAD…AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST…” So, to those who are battling with this spirit, might I inform you that the Bible says, “So those who [now] are last WILL BE FIRST [THEN], and those who [now] are first WILL BE LAST [THEN]…” (Matthew 20:16 AMP) Therefore, you might want to be careful about rushing to be FIRST…NOW…since you’ll only be LAST…THEN…when it counts most! You see, the problem is, everyone wants to be a great leader, without serving, when in truth, there is no greatness apart from serving! Luke 22:24-26, “Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. BUT JESUS INTERVENED: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE THAT WAY WITH YOU. LET THE SENIOR AMONG YOU BECOME LIKE THE JUNIOR; LET THE LEADER ACT THE PART OF THE SERVANT” (MSG). Saints, Until You Meet the Requirements of Serving, You’re Unqualified To Lead! ‘He that cannot obey, cannot command.’ (Benjamin Franklin) Until you learn how to bring “YOU” under subjection, your leadership will always face objections and rejections! Why? Because William Penn said it best: “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” If you want to know the steps to proper and effective leadership, follow the blueprint of Proverbs 18:12, “Pride leads to destruction; humility leads to honor.” (CEV). Both play a lead role, but the type of character exemplified is up to you! “I admire men of character, and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates, and that, to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is.” (General H. Norman Schwartzkopf)

Next we find that “DIOTREPHES” “…DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE…AUTHORITY…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} One of the worst individuals you can work with in the church is them that do not Acknowledge Authority! Is that dangerous, you ask? Let’s see what Hebrews 13:17 has to say about it: “Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [CONTINUALLY [RECOGNIZING THEIR AUTHORITY OVER YOU], for they are CONSTANTLY KEEPING WATCH OVER YOUR SOULS AND GUARDING YOUR SPIRITUAL WELFARE, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, FOR THAT WOULD NOT BE PROFITABLE TO YOU [EITHER]” (AMP). WARNING: When you don’t Acknowledge Authority, you in essence tell your Spiritual Leaders to close their eyes from watching over your soul, and to lay their weaponry down from guarding your spiritual welfare! Not to mention you become a Liability to the Kingdom, instead of an Asset, since you’re no longer Profitable! With that said, not Acknowledging Authority is dangerous indeed! Selah…

People who do not Acknowledge Authority fall in the category that the Israelites found themselves in over and over again! REBELLION! And “Rebellion” is defined as, “an act of rebelling against an ESTABLISHED GOVERNMENT OR RULER; defiance of authority or control.” When you don’t Acknowledge Authority, it’s deeper than you think: I’ll Prove It: “…JESUS came to them and SAID, “ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME” (Matthew 28:18 NIV). So when you think you’re just ignoring the authority of earthly rulers, you are in fact IGNORING THE AUTHORITY OF THE ONLY ONE WITH TOTAL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND EARTH! IGNORING EARTHLY AUTHORITY, IS EQUAL TO IGNORING JESUS’ AUTHORITY! And maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you want that to be the description of your lifestyle as a believer! The Bible says: “…rebellion is as the sin of WITCHCRAFT…” (1 Samuel 15:23 AMP). And what does that same Bible say about witchcraft? “But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral OR USES WITCHCRAFT or worships idols or tells lies. THEY WILL BE THROWN INTO THAT LAKE OF FIRE AND BURNING SULFUR…” (Revelation 21:8 CEV). Again, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you want that to be the closing chapter of your life’s story!

Amazingly, “Diotrephes” STILL MANAGES TO GET WORSE! He is also known as one who: “…REFUSES TO ACCEPT…SUGGESTIONS…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} Another individual type that is difficult to work with is the one that “…REFUSES TO ACCEPT…SUGGESTIONS…”! I know this may be a severe shock to some folks systems…but…YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING! Want proof? Just ask some folks for their suggestions on any given topic! You’ll be amazed at how much you didn’t know, that you didn’t know! It doesn’t even matter if something is running smoothly, suggestions should always be welcomed, no matter what! Listen, a “suggestion” is merely: “an idea or plan put forward for CONSIDERATION.” That’s it! No need to panic! No one is attempting to turn your whole world upside down! It just means your thoughts are as important as mine. And you’ll be amazed at how much that means to people (Leaders, Give it a Shot)! Oftentimes, people don’t even want to change something, they just want you to hear their ideas about change! “Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.” (Phillip Stanhope) The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). Another version puts it like this: “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (MSG). Take time to see the revelations from God that He has granted unto OTHERS, you just may stop stumbling all over YOURSELF!

Believe it or not, “Diotrephes”, HAS YET ANOTHER FLAW, he: “…REFUSES…TO LISTEN…” {3 John 1:9 AMP} The Word of God has given us clear instructions on this matter: “Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [A READY LISTENER], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.” (James 1:19 AMP) Now for some Wisdom concerning LISTENING: “…LISTEN for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go…” (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG); “…pay close attention to…my wisdom; LISTEN very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.” (Proverbs 5:1 MSG); “…LISTEN closely; don’t treat my words casually…” (Proverbs 5:7 MSG); “…LISTEN to me, take these words of mine most seriously…” (Proverbs 7:24 MSG). And my personal favorite: “Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice? She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, “You—I’m talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets! LISTEN, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up! Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best. My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—I can’t stand the taste of evil! You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth; not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.” (Proverbs 8:1-3 MSG). People of God, learn how to LISTEN, especially for WISDOM, it will aid you in making wise decisions! If you are around the people, never forget the people have a VOICE that needs to be heard, JUST LIKE YOURS! REMEMBER: “Big egos have little ears.” (Robert Schuller). SO UNTIL YOU’VE LEARNED HOW TO LISTEN MUCH, YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TO SAY WORTH LISTENING TO! 

It is my hearts desire that the Church receives deliverance, immediately, from the Spirit of Diotrephes! The healing that would take place in the Body of Christ would restore to perfect health our ability to lead effectively, properly acknowledge authority, clear up impaired vision from lack of accepting suggestions, and heal the hearts cry of the unheard!

I’ll leave you with a scripture that I believe to be quite befitting: “When the city came into view, He wept over it. “If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late. In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. ALL THIS BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T RECOGNIZE AND WELCOME GOD’S PERSONAL VISIT” (Luke 19:43-45 MSG).

Church, God is personally visiting us today through this devotional and warning us to recognize the Spirit of Diotrephes that’s dwelling in our midst. It’s time for the church to improve its’ leadership and its’ followship! Remember, the world is watching US! Therefore, the Spirit of Diotrephes Must Die!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #BeDelivered
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “A Few Facts About Gray Hair!”

“Are You Following the Right Leader?”

John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.” (AMP); “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG)

I am definitely one of those people that has to check and double-check everything I buy at the supermarket. Especially when it comes to dairy, meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. After all, when you’re raised in a house of two great cooks as parents, you come to believe that there really is an art to shopping for food. Some may not know any better, but truth is you can’t just grab the first apple or tomato you see! You have to learn to smell and squeeze the produce. And where did I get that from? My mom. She taught me how to do that as well as the importance of doing that. She taught me that you have to learn how to check for holes and dents in apples and peaches; you don’t just take the first one off the pile. You have to check to see how yellow those bananas are, or how green, or how black. In other words, there are ways to tell whether a fruit or vegetable is one you should buy. However, it’s much tougher to shop for a spiritual leader that’s a good one you can trust. Oh, but there is a way to tell!

Now if we are to be brutally honest, it’s getting tougher and tougher to know which spiritual leaders you can actually trust. After all, we’re living in a time when a lot of Christian heroes have let us down, right? People who say spiritual things, lead spiritual causes, give spiritual counsel, and then all of a sudden something happens that exposes their fleshy hypocrisy. In a way, it kind of makes a lot of us hold back and wonder who can we trust to govern, keep and protect our soul and that of our families?

Now, another truth we need to keep in mind is this, we’re not supposed to have our eyes on man in the first place! Jeremiah 17:5-6, “God’s Message: “Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight. He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows.” (MSG). Surely you don’t want that to be your testimony, and all because you depended on mere humans!

The Bible makes it clear that our focus should never be on flesh! 1 Samuel 16:7, “But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” (MSG). That word ‘eliminate’ is defined as: ‘to completely remove or get rid of; to reject or exclude from consideration or further participation.’ Its Latin Origin ‘eliminare’ literally means ‘to turn out of doors.’ You see, this man wasn’t just rejected, but he was completely removed, God got rid of him altogether, He made sure he was excluded from any further consideration or participation; he was in essence kicked out his own house, turned outdoors, eliminated! Therefore, if God doesn’t entertain ‘flesh; looks and stature’, why do we?

So, our focus on spiritual leadership shouldn’t be on the flesh, but on the spirit! God does give His people leadership; He does raise up leadership for the benefit of the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],  [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church];  until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].” (MSG)

In other words, there are called, authentic spiritual leaders who believe it or not, are doing their job. God does want us to be able to get His teachings and see His love coming through people, through leaders, but so many have let us down. How can you tell whether a pastor is a leader from God or a person who’s simply doing his own thing in God’s name?

Well, there’s one person that Jesus really held up as a model leader. It was John the Baptist. He said, “There has been no greater man born among women.” Now I can’t think of a stronger endorsement than that. Jesus said John the Baptist was the real deal; a real spiritual leader, worthy of following. And why was John the Baptist an ideal leader? In John 3:30, speaking of Jesus, John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” The King James Version says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” 2 other translations read like this:

“Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV);

“He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT);

You know how to test a spiritual leader? Well, one of the tests is this: Does he leave you thinking more about him or more about Jesus? Where is the spotlight focusing most and shining brightest, on him/her, or God? Is it more about his organization, his goals, his ministry, his programs, his protocols, his plans, or more about Jesus and the Great Commission He assigned for us to fulfill? An authentic man or woman of God, like John the Baptist, puts himself or herself in the background, on the sidelines, making sure that JESUS is the one who’s made to be Greater and More Important. However, you can easily identify a leader doing his or her own thing because they’re heavy on sentences that have: “I”, “me”, and “mine” in them, but rarely, HIM.

Is this the only test? No, but it’s a pretty good start. If you’re in leadership, measure yourself that way. Who is getting the attention, you the leader or the Savior? The real spiritual leaders, the ones you can trust, are the ones who put Jesus in the spotlight and make you think about Him and forget about them. They’re not seeking accolades, applause and standing ovations. They don’t need their names called for everything, anything and nothing. They don’t need their picture posted on every wall nor do they need their name written on every piece of paper. They don’t need a chair the size of the Throne of God. Their main focus is that you focus mainly on Jesus! If that’s not the type of leader you are under, get out now!

Years ago I read about a man who maybe a hundred years ago had lived in the countryside in England. He traveled to London and wrote to his wife and said, “Honey, today I went to two of the great churches of London. This morning I heard Dr. Cartwright and he is a great preacher. Tonight I went to Metropolitan Tabernacle and I heard Mr. Charles Spurgeon.” He said, “Mr. Spurgeon has a great Savior.” Leaders, after you’re done speaking, teaching or preaching, do you want them to remember a great preacher, or do you leave them thinking about a great Savior? I never like to leave a church service feeling like I was just greatly entertained by an outstanding cast of performers who know how to stay in ‘form of godliness’ character and not mess up their Sunday morning script as they play out the ‘righteous’ role for a few hours. I don’t want to remember the songs, the dances, the praise breaks, the garments, the titles, the beauty of the sanctuary. But what I want to leave with is conviction that I can be a better believer than I have been. It’s rare these days that I actually hear sermons that speak on holiness, sanctification, repentance, sin, hell, consequences of bad choices, or even chastisement. Instead, messages focus more on houses, cars, land, spouses, promotions, increase, harvest, blessings, abundance, and the like. But what happened to using the Word to do what it was originally designed to do? And what’s that you ask? Well, 2 Timothy informs us:

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness].  All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (AMP)

The Message Bible says it like this: “But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (MSG)

For some reason I don’t think the Word is being preached or taught in this manner anymore. Because everyone is happy, over-joyed and excited to leave church when the Word is done. However, the Bible says when the Word comes forth it will “instruct, convict, correct, train, and expose” So if that’s how the Word is coming forth, why are we so happy after every sermon, every week? We should leave after the Word feeling as though we’ve received instructions since we’ve been convicted and corrected of wrongs, and now we’re being trained to be better since our worst has been exposed. We should leave with pad and pen in hand and a list of what we need to make our own lives better.

Now, I certainly don’t believe you should spend Sunday after Sunday being busted upside the head with the Bible. But shouldn’t something be said week after week that makes you better week after week? And not “feel” better, but “be and do better.” There is indeed a difference.

Maybe you’ve been burned by Christians, by a Christian leader, many of us have. I’ve certainly had the experience of being hurt by spiritual leadership. But don’t let them cause you to miss Jesus in the midst of it all. You see, sometimes I think we get so lost in “Following Them”, that we forget Jesus said, “Follow ME.” Does that mean we ignore spiritual leadership? Absolutely not! Romans 13:1-7, “Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. The person who does not obey the leaders of the land is working against what God has done. Anyone who does that will be punished. Those who do right do not have to be afraid of the leaders. Those who do wrong are afraid of them. Do you want to be free from fear of them? Then do what is right. You will be respected instead. Leaders are God’s servants to help you. If you do wrong, you should be afraid. They have the power to punish you. They work for God. They do what God wants done to those who do wrong. You must obey the leaders of the land, not only to keep from God’s anger, but so your own heart will have peace.  It is right for you to pay taxes because the leaders of the land are servants for God who care for these things.  Pay taxes to whom taxes are to be paid. Be afraid of those you should fear. Respect those you should respect.” (NLV);

Hebrews 13:17, “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (MSG).

In other words, leadership be it in the church or in the land is to be respected. Now, you don’t have much say so in the leaders of the land (outside of exercising your voting rights), but you have a lot of say so under which leader you submit to in any given church. You are not their by force, but by choice, so choose your place of worship wisely. Don’t make a selection as though it were an arena, museum, palace, stage or theater. But ask God for godly wisdom that you make the right choice to serve in the right house of worship under the right leader.

And what are some signs that you have the right leader? Just listen to Scripture:

Matthew 17:6-8, “When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader that makes you see Only Jesus. Not them, their accomplishments, titles, positions, vestments, rings, robes, initials, degrees, collars, etc…But Only Jesus! Never Submit Under a Leader Who Wants To Shine Like a Star, While Blocking Out the Son!

1 Corinthians 2:2, “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” (MSG) You need to be submitted under a leader whose preaching and teaching is about who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Not who they are (or think they are) not on what they’ve done (or think they’ve done). But a leader who keeps the name of Jesus on his/her lips when preaching or teaching or carrying out any other form of leadership. Not someone using Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in every other sentence, and certainly not someone who you need to keep the Webster’s Dictionary on hand every other 2 lines to know what 23 letter words they keep using every 5 minutes to appear verbally impressive! A good leader keeps it “plain and simple.” And to those of my preacher friends who stand flat foot and preach and teach the ‘plain and simple’ Gospel, without hoop and holler, please do not compare yourselves to those who do. A hoop and holler is not bad in and of itself, but neither is it the equivalent or evidence of the Holy Ghost, it is but a person’s preferred style of execution. It’s apart their personality in how they choose to deliver the message. So, never feel as though you are not making the same, or even a greater impact on the lives of your hearers, just because your delivery is packaged differently. You don’t have to yell, scream, sweat, do back-flacks, bang the podium, spin around in circles with fancy footwork, flying hands and spit spreading everywhere. You can still, speak what God gave you and go sit down without breaking a sweat, and still watch souls be added to the Kingdom. Remember, whatever your ‘preferred style’, the importance is on the Message being delivered in its most plain and simple form. Look at it like this: If a person who’s diabetic has their glucose levels shoot up through the roof, do you really think at a time like that, they want someone to hand them a pen of insulin and teach a 2 hour, detailed tutorial on the history of insulin before they use it? No, they need a straight shot! Stick pen now! And truthfully there are a lot of people coming to our churches that are leaving empty and still spiritually sick because we’ve over-complicated the message. You can’t properly apply what you don’t clearly understand. Therefore, I reiterate, whatever your ‘preferred style’ is, for the sake of the people’s soul and their eternity, keep it ‘plain and simple.’

Galatians 1:10-12, “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that is void of intimidation and manipulation. A leader that doesn’t need and seek applause and popularity. A leader that doesn’t attempt to impress with 10 titles, 12 degrees, and 14 initials (half of which were bought, not earned). A leader that hears from God and speaks the unadulterated Word of God to His people. A leader who is not into people pleasing, is sure to help you grow to your full potential. Submit to a leader who has a clearly evident relationship with Jesus Christ, and who receives direct messages from Him through His Word, that they consistently teach, preach, pray, apply share and live!

Colossians 3:23-25, “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that knows who the real Master is (and that it clearly is not them). Working in the church they pastor, still means you are working for God! Avoid leaders who make you feel as though you work personally for them. The work of the ministry has nothing to do with mere man. The work of the ministry is adding souls to the Kingdom. And even in this work, we are to put forth our best effort, remembering WHO it is we’re working for. Avoid leaders who act as though the Church is their personal incorporation or family business. A leader of humility and servanthood is who you sit under submissively. A leader that does his/her best which brings out the very same in you! That’s the leader you follow.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (MSG) You need to be submitted to a leader that will feed you the unadulterated Word of God. I love the word “unadulterated” because it’s simply defined as “having no inferior added substance.” In other words, you need a leader that will call it “Adultery”, not “An Affair”; “Sin” and not “An Issue”. You need a leader that possesses the wisdom of when to cover you and when to expose you. You need the bread of life, not a cake of compromise. A leader that will tell you when you’re wrong, not help you try to justify it as right. You need a leader that will continue to serve you the Solid Meat of the Word even when your flesh only wants to Digest Spiritual Junk Food!

Galatians 2:19-21, “What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (MSG) You need a leader just like that!

If you see a leader who leaves you thinking about Jesus, in the crowded spiritual supermarket that you and I shop in, you’ll know that’s one worth buying into. So, after this little lesson, it is my prayer that you will carefully, thoroughly, honestly re-evaluate your spiritual leadership. Make sure you are in the right house with the right head. The loss of your soul is too costly!

I close with our opening text: John 3:30, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.”; (AMP); “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (MSG); “Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” (CEV); “He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.” (GWT).

There are many things you can use to measure good leadership, but why not follow the ruler Jesus Himself used? He used John the Baptist because He wasn’t out to compete with Him, he was out to make Jesus the most prominent; the center; and the most important, even if that meant he was to decrease; slip off to the sidelines and become less important. If you dare find a leader like that, follow him/her closely, you’ve indeed found the right one!

Charles H. Spurgeon Quotes:

“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”

“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”

“Satan, he can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”

“I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.”

“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes hell shake.”

“The Word of God is like a Lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose and the lion will defend itself”

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible”

“If you are idle in Christ’s work, you are active in the devil’s work”

“If sinners be damned at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for.”

 Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “How Worry Affects Your Body?”

“You Don’t Need Their Approval!”

Galatians 1:10, “…I’m NOT trying to win the approval of people, But of God….” (NLT)

A talented young musician studied under a famous violin teacher. Now it was time for his first recital. He performed magnificently and received numerous “Bravos!” Strangely enough, he seemed not to hear them, but kept glancing anxiously at the front row. It wasn’t until a white-haired man rose and nodded graciously, that the young violinist started to smile. His Master Had Praised His Work! He Received the ONLY Approval that Mattered!

Which reminds me of a quote I love that states: “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” (Johannes Kepler).

So I ask you today, Whose Approval Do YOU Seek after? Be honest now! Because it’s important for you to know how far you’re willing to go in order to win the praise, applause, acceptance, and approval of others! Here’s why, listen to what the Bible says: “Saul gave in and confessed, “I’ve sinned. I’ve trampled roughshod over God’s Word and your instructions. I Cared More About Pleasing the People. I Let Them Tell Me What To Do.” (1 Samuel 15:24 MSG). It’s vital for you to know how far you’d allow the opinions of others to influence you. Why? For one, so you’ll know just how far you need to go in God to get delivered! And two, you might want to avoid ending up like Saul! “…God has rejected you as king…God has…torn the kingdom from you…God was sorry he had ever made Saul king in the first place.” (1 Samuel 15:24-35 MSG). Which is why you have to be so very careful about needing, requesting and requiring the approval of people, because it will cost you all that God had for you! Are you really willing to pay such a high price?!

With that said, here’s another great quote that says: “I would rather have the whole world against me, but know that the Almighty God is with me, be called an apostate but know that I have the approval of the God of glory.” (Author Unknown). Let people think what they will and even say what they will, the only important words you need to pay attention to are what thus saith the Lord, concerning you! Don’t put the crowds applause and opinions over Christ’s approval!

Tehyi Hsieh sums it up like this: “Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns.”

Now if the whole truth be told, far too many have altered their hairstyles, clothes, sermons, speech, mannerisms etc…just for the approval and applause of people! But let me tell you from experience, opinions aren’t as important as you think they are! The word “Opinion” Only Means ‘a View or Judgment Not Necessarily Based On Fact or Knowledge; A Matter of Opinion, Something Not Capable of Being Proven Either Way.’ And my personal favorite definition says it’s merely, ‘an Estimation of Quality or Worth.’ In other words, There Is Nothing Valid or Concrete About an Opinion, It’s a View or Estimation At Best! So why do we lose our minds over the opinions of people?! Their opinions are not proven facts! It’s nothing more than their personal estimation, and why would you allow someone’s faulty calculations to devalue your self-esteem, self-worth, and value? You have already been approved by the God of Glory, why are you concerned with their Guessing?

Listen: Never Devalue yourself by being attached to people who Underestimate your Worth!

The Apostle Paul got straight to the point on this, he says: “…we speak as messengers Approved By God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to Please God, Not People. He Alone examines the motives of our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT). Saints, we give folks way too much credit, authority, and power to alter our destiny and disposition merely by their unsubstantiated opinions! But Bill Cosby gives us a great tip: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” That’s why Paul said, “I’m not trying to be a people pleaser…If I were…I would not be Christ’s servant.” In other words, I can’t please Him and you! And if I’ve got to choose between the two, You Lose! Think about it: A servant is focused on pleasing his Master Only, not the other servants! So stop wasting time, energy and life trying to win the approval of people that don’t even matter! You are supposed to use your gifts, talents, ministry, calling and skills for the Glory of God and the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God, not so you can be the person with the most ‘likes’, the biggest following, or consistent pats on the back! Servants don’t compete with other servants, they’re too focused on serving the Master! Make sure that’s your aim and goal as well! Listen, don’t attempt to out-sing, dance, preach, pray, teach, lead, anybody! That’s not what you’re here for! Ministry has nothing to do with competition, because  nobody wins when we lose sight of pleasing God!

“Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.” (Thomas S. Monson).

And while we’re at it, Leaders, also keep in mind: If you lead right, they’ll follow right! Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done…” (John 13:15 NIV). The Apostle Paul obviously heeded such advice, because he later says to those who follow him: “Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).” (1 Corinthians 11:1 AMP). If you follow Jesus’ example, you won’t need pats on the back to confirm that you’ve led the people correctly! You won’t need trophies, awards, celebrations, banquets, Sunday morning announcements, or yet another title, position, ring, robe or elevation. Just listen for the voice of the Lord saying, “…Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.” (Matthew 25:21 AMP). Now that’s what I call applause, approval and validation! The only kind that carries any real weight!

Simply doing all God asks of you to do wins His approval, that’s what David did: The Bible says, “Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22 CEV). Could it be possible that the reason you’re so desperate for the applause and approval of PEOPLE, is because you’re not getting any applause and approval from GOD?! And sadly, the only reason you’re not getting it, is simply because you’re not pleasing Him by doing “…everything He wants you to do”? Jesus said: “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you…” (John 14:15-17 MSG). And what are some things He’s told you?

1. “Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house…” (Malachi 3:10 AMP).
2. “Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.” (Proverbs 3:8-9 MSG).
3. “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (Hebrews 13:17 MSG).
4. “If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits] and is worse than an unbeliever [who performs his obligation in these matters].” (1 Timothy 5:8 AMP).
5. “…roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear… Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:16 MSG).
6. “Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].” (1 Corinthians 4:2 AMP).
7. “I WARN and counsel the elders among you (the pastors and spiritual guides of the church) as a fellow elder…Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; [belonging to the office], but eagerly and cheerfully; Not domineering [as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons] over those in your charge, but being examples (patterns and models of Christian living) to the flock (the congregation).” (1 Peter 5:1-3 AMP).
8. “…men…pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God…women…get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.” (1 Timothy 2:8-10 MSG).
9. “In the presence of God and Christ Jesus and their chosen angels, I order you to follow my instructions! Be fair with everyone, and don’t have any favorites.” (1 Timothy 5:21 CEV).
10. “If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.” (Galatians 5:25-26 AMP).

Truthfully, I’m a little nervous to ask this, but saints, in just these ten Scriptures, can you honestly say “I’ve done all that the Lord has told me to?” As a matter of fact, don’t answer, just do better! Remember, we are to please the Master by doing what He’s told us to do, not please the other Servants by what they want us to do!

Tavis Smiley says, “Take your focus off how others see you. Cease being obsessed with the need to impress. Don’t allow the approval of others to obstruct your view of yourself.”

People of God, it’s time we stop comparing ourselves to other folks gifts, ministries, calling, purpose, and destiny. And dare we take it further? It’s even time we stop comparing our marriages, clothes, children, figures, jobs, cars, houses etc…It’s time we adopt the mindset of the Psalmist when he said, “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” (Psalm 139:13-16 MSG). That Word is for more than just your natural make-up, but your spiritual one as well! Know this, whatever God has called you to do and be, it will be “Marvelous”…if you’ll just stick to being YOU! Once and for all, get over the opinions of others, and get past the approval of others! Too many of us are seeking standing ovations for our performance instead of simply walking in obedience and character.

Lastly, hear what the Bible says: “Many people did believe in Him…including some…Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43 NLT). Do yourself, and others, a huge favor, and get it in your spirit: The Called don’t Compromise! And in reality, the same mouth that blessed you yesterday, will curse you tomorrow! So you’ve got to determine not to be moved by anything but the unction of the Holy Ghost! Not accolades, announcements or amen’s, but the Approval of the Only One that Matters…GOD! Don’t be like the Jewish leaders, when they could’ve grasped something great, they allowed it to simply slip through their fingers, and all because they got caught up in the opinions of others. They missed out on the presence of God because of the praise of the people! Don’t let it happen to you!

Hold On To Your Testimony: “…I’m not trying to win the approval of people, But Of God….” (Galatians 1:10 NLT).

Friends, You Don’t Need Their Approval!

“You don’t have to please others. Just do what God wants you to do, because at the end of the day, it is only He who can satisfy your heart. Not the approval or applause from other people.”

“Attempting to please ‘the world’ will only lead to frustration and disappointment. Instead, commit yourself to pleasing the Lord. Live for Him, and experience an unexplainable peace that only God can provide.”

“Let pleasing God become Bigger than pleasing people.”

“A spiritually mature woman will be the first to do what is right even if nobody else is doing so. We live for God and not for man. We live to please the Lord and not people.” (Joyce Meyer)

“It’s better to have God Approve, than the World Applaud.”

“It is the Quality of our work which will please God and not the Quantity.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

“I am who God wants me to be. Man’s approval is not requested, required, or relevant.”

“Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.”

“If we live for people’s acceptance, we will die from their rejection.” (Lecrae) 

“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” (Lao Tzu)

“You don’t need anyone’s approval to be good enough. When someone judges you, rejects you or abandons you, it isn’t about you. It is about them and their own insecurities. Your worth is not based on other people’s acceptance of you. You exist; therefore, you matter. Hold onto the truth that who you are, is exactly enough. Be confident in yourself.”

“Life is too short to waste time waiting for other people’s approval on how you live it.” (Dr. Steve Maraboli)

“Instead of questioning WHY someone doesn’t approve of you or your choices, ask yourself, ‘why do I need their approval in the first place?'” (Sonya Parker)

“I don’t need your approval darling, that’s for insecure people.”

“A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.” (Vernon Howard)

“Not one drop of my self-worth depends on your acceptance of me.”

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #BeGreat
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “10 Foods That are Good For Your Eyes”