Daily Doses of Gospel "PiLLs": opposition

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Task of the Leader is to Get His People from Where They Are to Where They Have Not Been

You’re not where you want to be but you’re not where you used to be, now that’s what you call PROGRESS. Shepherding or leading people is not a simple task as some suppose. Only those who are sent by God to fulfill the office of a pastor understand its heavy mandate. The countless late nights or early morning intercession for God’s guidance and direction while everyone sleeps, the constant interruption of telephone calls while you’re trying to have a romantic date with your spouse, the bickering of the people, and the never-ending criticism and table talk discussion of what you did or didn’t do are just a few to mention of what a leader has to endure.

Pastoring or leading people has its many challenges, and it’s an office that one must definitely be called to walk in. I heard someone once refer that Moses leading the Israelites was like herding cats. With all the drama that took place in his day, much has not changed in the 21st century.

The joke that Moses lost in the desert for 40 years but got everyone there eventually or if he had just asked Miriam for directions they would have arrived sooner has had its share of laughs. But the reality of that story in the book of Genesis and how it applies to us today is much deeper than a barrel of laughter. For in this particular story, it teaches us about the grave consequences that murmuring, complaining, and division can bring upon us.

A lesson repeated is a lesson not learned, but if you want to keep going around in circles, keep on complaining. You’ll soon find out, just like the Israelites did, but hopefully, not after 40 years; for it was not Moses but the people’s dissention and rebellion that kept them stuck in the wilderness.

Over the years, I have had leaders who patiently waited for me to mature, and I thank God they did. They loved me in my mess and my distress unconditionally. I probably would have walked out on me a long time ago, but they saw something in me, something through the eyes of faith and God’s love that just would not let me believe anything less than what the Father thought of me. Today, I thank my leaders who patiently showed me how to enter into the palace.

That is the mark of a good leader, the ability to wait while others grow. They suffer along with you while you talk about them, criticize them, hate them, mock them, and even try to belittle and overthrow them. Yet, they patiently wait for you to mature regardless of what you think or how you feel about them. They do what they do because they are CALLED to do what they do. In turn, the Lord blesses them with wisdom, unfolds His strategy and plan, and allows them to have those "meet with God intimate mountain top experiences" while gracing them with patience, love, LONGSUFFERING, and compassion for ALL people.

Although the cat-fights, whining, and tantrums that can take place is unbelievable, it is only because of God’s grace that you’ll find a good leader will outlive any adversity. Shepherds aren't a 24, 711 drive through with a mat that reads "Welcome, wipe your feet on me". But you'll find that many people will treat their leaders just that way.

If a man cannot be a Christian in the place he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere. Whether you are a leader in the corporate world or a spiritual leader in ministry, even though people can behave so poorly, the fortitude that we have is not our own. Just like God told Moses and Joshua that He would be with them, so He will be with everyone who places his trust and total reliance in Him.

Tilt your hearts toward the SON!

In His Image,

Narda Goodson

First Lady of Whitewright, Texas

Influence, Inspire, & Infiltrate!

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Monday, November 23, 2009

When Faced with Opposition, Take Your Position!

Discouragement and desperation are tools that the enemy uses to keep us from reaching our goal in Christ. From the beginning of time many have given up their dreams and hopes due to the incessant assaults from the enemy. This is why we are admonished in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to cast down every imagination and thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

There are times we will feel like we want to concede defeat. The pressures of life dig at you without mercy. The relentless stress, anxiety, and demands of your problems increase as you find your ability to cope decreasing. You begin to lose your grip in life and eventually, you breakdown in despair.

The word discourage in its verb form means oppose, hinder, inhibit, prevent, stop, and suppress. It also means dishearten, cast down, and depress. When you have been beat down by ‘discourage’, you fall into a state of discouragement.

Discouragement is a saddened and cast down feeling we experience when we disallow the Word of God to have absolute dominion over our thought life. It is a deterrent, whose ultimate goal is to lead you away from God. Once discouragement has settled and permeated your heart, its doppelganger, desperation kicks in.

Desperation is the state of extreme anxiety. At this stage, you encounter the brutal assaults of distraction, misery, harassment, and nervousness from “the thing” that initially came against you. The continual onslaughts of “the thing” that opposes and suppresses you have brought you to this gloomy place called desperation.

When we are desperate, we become forgetful and apprehensive. We do not function at our best because we focus more on “the thing” rather than staying committed and steadfast to what the Word of God has said about the situation. While it is the enemy’s assignment to pursue and hassle you to the point of taking you off course, your job is to keep your guard at all times. 2 Timothy 2:3 says that we are to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

There are many who are being “opposed” by the enemy. This word is a reminder that you are to take your position in your opposition, for the battle belongs to the Lord. The Bible declares that He that has begun the good work in you will complete it (Phil. 1:6).

God’s grace is more than enough to get you through the storms of life. By refueling your spiritual gas tank with the Word of God, your enemy will not be able to wear you down. Determine that you will finish what God has started. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Destroy the spirit of a quitter!

Tilt your heart towards the SON!