Who Is The Greatest Among You?

When you think of leadership, what are some of the qualities that come to mind?

For some it may be strength and the ability to get things done, while for others, it may be the power and influence to push others to become their best.  Of course, both of these are excellent qualities to possess, I also believe these qualities are necessary in leadership.

However, there is a more excellent way...

The quality of preferring others above self surpasses them all.  There is something about letting go, or relinquishing the reigns that ushers in freedom.

Jesus was the perfect example of this very concept.  At the Last Supper, Jesus washed all the feet of His disciples. Of course Peter was the first to reject this idea because this is the lowest place one could possibly be. 

Uhhh...and you know they were walking in the dirt all day with sandals on...yuck!

Yet, I believe this is the best place and the heartbeat of a true leader.

Unfortunately, I have not always been under this impression, but in the Kingdom of God, its not about who's the smartest or the prettiest, its about your willingness to yield and having a humble spirit.  However, its easier said than done.

What I've discovered is whenever God elevates His people, one of the first things that must be checked at the door is PRIDE. The enemy is always looking for ways to gain access to your life. Which brings me to my next question:

Is God ruling on the throne of your life, and if not, are you willing to humble yourself?

 

  

The Graduate

When you think about graduation, what are some of the things that come to mind?

For some, it may be a since of accomplishment.  Yet for others it may represent the possibility of what is to come.  However, both of these examples are correct. Although before you graduate, you will have to pass a series of test that will determine your accuracy and knowledge of the subject at hand.

Sadly, there are those who eagerly cheat their way through, and boastfully fake for as long as they can. While others work hard at learning and become diligent achievers of their desires.  What I love about the Kingdom of God, no matter how a person fakes to convince the world, the true test is given by God. This is not a test that you can fake.  Your life will be proven.

Fortunately, the place I currently find myself in represents not just a test, but also, that I've graduated.  I am everything God says I am because the Father has proven my life to be so. The most powerful thing we have as Christians is our testimony.  Where God has brought me from is not something that's rehearsed, but a life of purpose that has been lived out loud for many years.

As with any course, both academically as well as in life, there is your ivy league, and your community education.  The difference between these two is simply the access which is made available to obtain the best that life has to offer.  The fact that you attend an ivy league school, in no way makes you better that a person who has a community education.  In the kingdom of God it works the same way, for those who diligently continue in God's way, experience access of kingdom living on the ivy league level.  Of course, to experience the ivy league will require a much greater cost.  Which brings me to my next question:

What cost are you willing to pay to access the best God has for you, or is cheating good enough?

Unfortunately, many individuals don't really have true revelation from the Father.  So many people have become what I call parakeets. They simply mimic and repeat what they've heard someone else say.  However, we have entered a time where you better KNOW CHRIST like never before.  Your cute Christianity will not keep you "in times" where we are headed as a church.

Paul said "that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death."  In other words, the life I live is because God is in my DNA, not only because of something I read in the bible. God's word has become a part of who I am in Christ.

So I ask, do you truly know Him?  

 

            

I Surrender All

Have you ever been in a place that felt like a pressure cooker with the lid on it?  Well I have and let me just start by saying.....ouch!! 

I have recently been in one of those places and although it hurt, I better understand why God allowed me to go through this process.  When God is elevating you to a new place, sometimes there is a certain process that must take place in the Spirit that will not occur any other way but through the process of resistance and pressure.

When I tell you that scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 

Yeah....that one, that was me...... 

Everything in my life was being challenged and pressed.  Everywhere I turned, I was pressed.  I had nowhere to run to or go.  Things were falling apart from my friends, family, job, school, and finances.

This place put me on my knees like never before; is only the half of it.  As it turns out, this was exactly where God wanted me.  There was a place God was taking me, but I had to give birth to this place in the Spirit.  For God to give me what He wanted to give me, I had to get mad enough to push, but without the weight of resistance, I would have never gotten here.

Through this process, the ugly part was seeing some of the nastiness that was still inside of me that I didn't know existed.  This process allowed me to see those issues within me that are still being perfected.  If it had not been for the pressure on every side, I would have probably still been under the impression of believing I'm giving my very best. Oh, but God had a plan to show me otherwise.  To truly walk in the love of God, you've got to be willing to be patient with people, and recently, patience was not on my list of things to do.  Which brings me to my next question:


Where is God trying to take you, and furthermore, are you willing to go?

What I discovered through this process was the surrendering that was necessary for me to get to this next place.  God not only elevated me, but also, He anointed me to operate from a higher realm of the Spirit that is beyond anything I've ever known. This was a work that God had chose to do through me. 

In fulfilling God's purpose, you've got to be willing to let God have His way in your life. God wants every part of you surrendered to Him, not just the parts we polish for the world to see.  He wants all of you, even those ugly parts that we hide. To truly fulfill God's purpose we must be surrendered and obedient to God's will even if you don't understand it, surrender anyway.

Much Love