As you might know, I am reading in the books of Samuel right now during my devotion. I’ve actually gone through the first book and am into the second book. Great stuff! The relationship between David and God is like nothing I’ve ever seen in the Bible, except maybe in the Book of Exodus.

Anyway, let me get to it…

2 Samuel 12:5-23

After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate." David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead." Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!" He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

Here is a little pre-story…The reason all of this was happening in the first place is because David killed a man to take his wife. The punishment was harsh. David understood the consequences of his action but the evil he had sown had caused this great calamity upon his “new” family.

So here is his predicament. His child is dying. He understands that it’s his fault. He understands that there is most likely nothing he can do…except pray and fast. It might have seemed hopeless but David was determined to give his best in the form of pleading and interceding. While His child lived David was the greatest prayer warrior under the sun. He fasted during the day and spent all night prostrate in prayer. He gave every minute, hour, and day to wrestling with God on the matter. However, on the seventh day the child was dead.

David could’ve gotten angry. He could’ve held on to bitterness of soul…but he didn’t. The scripture says that he got up, cleaned himself, and ate. His friends were astonished. How could he get over such a terrible incident? How can he just go back to living life as normal so soon?

The truth is…David learned what needed to be learned from the lesson, so going back to normal did not mean going back to killing off men to have their wives. He also had peace in his heart because he did everything that was within his power to heal his child. He prayed and fasted intensely for over 6 days straight. Most of us can’t pray past 20 minutes, not to mention most Americans have never heard of a “fast”. In the end David was able to move on in life…remembering what he had learned through the suffering of a great loss.

And here is my thought of application…

Maybe the reason we struggle to move past our difficult memories is because we failed to do all that we could to remedy them. Thus we live with regrets…you know, the “should have”, “could have”, and “would have’s” in life. We all have them. There are moments in life that call for our best and what we gave it was fear and laziness. We struggle to move on because we feel like a failure to the situation.

You can’t bring back the past, it’s already behind you…but you can change the future. And change starts with worship. David's last act before moving on was making sure his relationship with God was on track...and he did it by worshiping. 

Interesting read this week as I scan back over past devotions in my prayer journal. I came a across a scripture that really spoke so much truth. It’s a funny thing to…we seldom want to lay claim to this one. Rather, we conjure up all kinds of nonsense instead to justify our behavior. It’s just what we do and further enlightens us to the truth of this scripture…

No need for delay (this isn’t an easy subject)…

Mark 7:20-23

“He went on:  What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from the inside and make a man unclean.”

The sad truth in all of this is the philosophy and theology that we have created because of our refusal to believe we are evil in nature. We all want to believe that in our deepest core we are not sinful in nature. However, the Bible has never been clearer about the subject. Our struggles are real and they are our own. We cannot push them on the celestial and remain disillusioned. We must conquer them by the only means by which it is possible…the cross.

The sooner we take responsibility…the sooner we will find help…and healing. Repentance is not requested…it is required. Humility is not weakness…it is strength. Forgiveness is not pity…it is life changing love. You will find all of it and so much more…at the cross.

You can subscribe to our iTunes podcast by clicking on the link below!

This week I managed to figure out how to podcast. It wasn’t too hard, but there was a small learning curve. Here is a small how to tutorial that I am placing up because I know there are a lot of friends of mine that would love to know how to do this…

(Disclaimer: I am not a podcast guru)

Here is a simple format for setting up a podcast for sermons…

+ First things first…you will need to record your sermons. It money is an issue; a good software would be Audacity. Audacity is a freeware device that allows you to record and save to mp3 format. (I currently use Audacity to record our sermon series, and Adobe Audition for editing.)

+ Once you have your sermons in mp3 form you will need to upload them to your web server. Keep it simple by creating a folder called “podcast” and placing all your mp3’s in there.

+ You also need to think about creating an icon that will be used in iTunes. Whatever you create, keep the size around 400x400 pixels. Place the icon in the podcast file (the same as where you are placing the mp3’s)

+ Here is where you will need to use your brain. You will have to create an “xml” style sheet that iTunes can read. If you don’t know how to do that, it’s ok, because I have placed a copy of what mine looks like to be downloaded…as well as a link that will explain what all the tags mean below…(You should be able to just put your links where you see my links…and change the information within the tags to make it your own.)

Podcast.xml

Podcast411-Howto

+ Once you are done with your xml style sheet, save it in the root directory of your website. (If you were to link to it, it would look like this…http://www.yourwebname.com/podcast.xml)

+ Now that you have everything in place it’s time to submit it to iTunes…you can do this by opening your iTunes and proceeding to the iTunes Store. Once it opens up, on the left hand side is a menu. Click on the “Podcast” link. Once it takes you to the podcasting section…scroll down, and again, on the left hand side you will find a link, near the bottom, that says “submit your podcast”. Click it. The page that opens next will be a place for you to submit your xml style sheet URL. (It should read something like, http://www.yourwebname.com/podcast.xml)

I am reading this week in my devotions through the books of Samuel. As I travel through the entire first book I am always awestruck by one character…can you guess which one? If you said David, you’re wrong. Don’t get me wrong David is awesome…just not the one that I admire the most. Now, if you said Jonathon…you hit nail on the head.

I love researching Jonathon. (It’s a goal of mine to write a book someday about all of the things I have learned by studying this man’s life.)

So what does this have to do with “melody”?

In 2^nd Samuel verses 25 and 26 are lyrics to a song that David weeps out before God and the people of Israel. It’s beautiful. It’s impacting. It’s heartfelt and life changing. Why?

After reading those verses, ask yourself this question…

“Have I lived a life that is worthy of being a song?”

That is what I asked myself in the example of Jonathon. Jonathon’s life was one of great example. He was a man of anointing. He was a man of extreme honor and integrity. He was a man that was submissive to the will of the Lord. He was fierce in battle, honorable to his father, and loyal to his friends. If we look back in our life, will we be able to say as much for ourselves? Will we be able to have made such an impact in others as well? If not…then I think it’s time to make changes in our life.

It’s time we live life worthy of being a melody…

I was looking through my prayer/devotion journal this past week and came across a devotion that hit me in a new way. Let me get straight to it…

Mark 6:3 (paraphrasing…)

“Isn’t this the carpenter?”

Doesn’t seem like a huge statement does it? But the truth that lies just beneath the service is life changing.

How come we don’t see people more for what they can be than how they currently are? That role isn’t just reserved for ministers, clergy, and parents with children. That should be all of us. Too often we fail to realize the potential greatness we are surrounded by every day. Why? Because on the surface they are just “carpenters”, construction workers, waitresses, etc. Most extraordinary people are ordinary…and that is why we miss it. We have become so complacent in vision that we fail to see the true potential of our surroundings. Let me explain…

Most of you know that I have moved down near the Austin area of Texas. The scenery down here is breath taking…rolling hills, beautiful greenery, gorgeous rivers and lakes, and wildlife in abundance. You know what? Most people around here don’t notice it until a person new to the area brings it out. Why? Because they have grown used to…What was once awesome and eye opening is now the normal and boring.

The real truth of this scripture is that there really are people around us daily that have the potential and power to change the face of the church and world. However, what we see, is just a man, a woman, a teenager, or a child. If we could see like Jesus…then maybe the next time we see a seemingly average fisherman, tax collector, or doctor…we might think, “Wow, here is someone with the potential to turn the world upside down.”

I had the privilege last night to attend a sectional leadership banquet and listen to District Superintendent Pastor Rick Dubose. What an awesome message he delivered on “Theocracy vs. Democracy” in the church. He is just so gifted in his ability to communicate with clarity. He also has a way of speaking correction without offense. I managed to take a few notes over the night on things that grabbed my attention…

+ I killed a deer and preached in the same morning…I got the blood off my hands just in time to preach!

+ Deacon means servant…but we’ve made it mean many other things than what it was never intended to mean.

+ God gives authority to match the responsibility He’s given…

+ The “lady at the well” wasn’t saved longer than a few minutes and she brought a bunch of guys back to meet the Christ…and we still struggle getting our ministries off the ground.

+ Healthy “prophets” raise the standards of our church…

+ When we get a “true” evangelist in our church the first thing that happens is they get our church people saved.

+ We need true evangelist in the church today…not pastors that are just out of work traveling.

+ God created opposition before He created man… (Think about that…good stuff.)

+ Healthy pastors effect generations…

+ Preachers need to be preached at…

+ My dad used to tell me that the best thing he could do for us kids was keep a healthy marriage.

+ Why we have deacons?

·   -----To meet needs and daily administrations…(The first time deacons are seen in scriptures they are handling complaints…it’s the deacons job to handle complaints before they get to the pastor.)

· +  + People have given up “ministry” in exchange to have authority…and use that authority to elect for themselves a pastor to do ministry.

+ Pastors…you have authority, but not all the answers. Learn that there is wisdom in the multitude of counsel.

+ Deacons must be; Full of the Spirit, Fruits of the Spirit must be evident, Full of wisdom

+ If you don’t have a man that can qualify for a deacon position based on the those principles than leave the spot open.

+ Have enough faith to submit to authority…

+ No one is meaner than a pastor with no anointing…

Isn’t that some good stuff? I know…you should have been there. It was awesome. I am so thankful for Pastor Ricks leadership over the North Texas district.

This week has been a tough one. I’m practically a zombie. My wife and kids headed up north to Terrell, Texas this past Monday for spring break. I, on the other hand, stayed back. Normally that would be a good opportunity for me to relax a bit…get some rest…catch up on some reading. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am exhausted. I can’t sleep at night. I miss all the noise my kids make. I miss my wife and her words of encouragement. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve called her about 2 times a day since she’s been gone…but a phone call doesn’t replace the physical presence of her.

Ok…enough pouting.

So I finished reading “Pop Goes the Church” this past week. I liked it. I don’t know really how much it impacted me…but I think that is because I already had a similar view of leveraging pop culture. Nevertheless, it was a good read. Also finishing one other book this week and then off to grab a few more from my Amazon wish list.

Also got some other ideas together…

Thinking about creating an “e-book”, comprised of some of my journal stuff. I’ve been recently inspired by a few online books that I’ve read to go that route. Nevertheless…it’s a rough idea and there still needs to be some things thought about before I get to it. For instance, I don’t think I can write another book until I finish the one I started for my girls, aka “The Sythian Key”. The Lord has really impressed upon me to finish that out. Starting anything else seems to be fruitless in the wake of hearing the Lord on that matter.

So that’s it…

I know boring huh? Well some weeks it’s just like that…

So…it’s been a week since my last blog entry…and I am ready, once again, to harvest some creativity, ideas, and thoughts. I couldn’t pick a better place for inspiration…the local coffee house. As I sit here writing and trying to really collect my thoughts, I can’t help but overhear the two gentlemen next to me talking about how God gave one of them a dream and he is in hot pursuit of it. Great conversation…great passion…

Moving on…

Had an awesome revelation this week of God, people, and our part to play in His divine plan. I know…sounds like deep heavy stuff. It might be…but it’s simple. It’s just tucked away in the depth of the words and scene of a story. We miss it because we are lost in instruction, rather than being eviromental. What do I mean? It’s kind of like this…We see the obvious because that was and is the initial purpose of the teachings of Christ. We see the instructional commands…give, love, obedience, etc. What we miss are the actions and scene of what led up to certain scenerios. Why? Because they seem so insignificant…yet without those minors, we wouldn’t have any majors.

Let me just show you…Let’s use this scripture…Luke 21: 1-4 (NLT)

"While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."

I’ve talked in great deal how “Jesus is watching” his people. It’s also easy to see what the moral of this story is also. We know what we are supposed to glean from this scripture, so we move on and keep reading…and when we do, we miss the insignificant things. However the insignificant is extraordinary, life changing, and ripples time forever.

Let me just get to it…

Jesus was not only watching this situation, but he was also waiting. He was waiting on His servant. This “poor widow” who was rich in Spirit was approaching the collection box. She had nothing. She was poor. Food was a struggle. Material things were only dreams in her life. And if we are all being honest with ourselves, she probably never pictured herself as of being any value because of her current status. I think we can go a step farther and even say that she probably didn’t plan for her life to be that way either.

Who plans on being poor and a widow? It’s hard enough being poor…but being alone?

With one set back over another…her childlike dreams are crushed by one blow after another. She’s human, you know. Don’t we all dream of how our life might turn out? I promise you, she didn’t picture being poor and a widow. Who plans on that?

I can only imagine how she must have been feeling as she approached the collection box. All of those emotions inside…I’m just guessing here…but I bet she felt insignificant. She probably didn’t even feel ordinary. What could she offer anyone? She was poor. She had no husband. She has nothing. But…somewhere deep inside something tells her that she has the Lord. Something whispers in here ear that there is “victory for the upright”. Something urges her to give what little she has in great hopes that God will use it in a way she can’t imagine. Then something awesome happens…

Enter Jesus…in the temple…watching…waiting…He knows what is about to happen because He knows the hearts of His own. He starts to gather His chosen leaders around Himself and says, “Did you see that?” They were oblivious…they didn’t see anything. They just saw a women giving in the offering. Jesus saw something that would revolutionize the church forever. They saw an ordinary poor widow. Jesus saw an extraordinary huge heart of passion. She was completely unaware that anyone was watching and for all we know she never knew that she would be a discussion that would carry on all the way till today. I’m sure she felt her life was insignificant…too simple to make any difference. Society tells us that poor widows don’t change the world. However, in the Kingdom of God, poor widows make for great preachers and church builders. The evidence is in the Book of Acts.

Do you feel insignificant? Don’t feel like you’re making a difference? How do you know you haven’t made a difference already? How do you know you haven’t already impacted someone so greatly as to set into motion a great chain of events that will change the world? You don’t. You can’t know. That is what makes each day so special. We might never know the impact we are making…but there is this one truth…we are making an impact.

Got the opportunity to speak on the prayer last Sunday night. It was the second time I've spoken at my now home church, www.firstmarblefalls.com.

Here is a basic rundown on my message about prayer...

Luke 11 Vs 1

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

At first glance the scripture is simple and we see the apparent objective goal to learn how to pray. But here is the thing…you see, the disciples of John and Jesus both heard them speak and see great multitudes come just to hear the words that might come forth from them. We find John standing by the river preaching and even yelling at men to come and be baptized. He stirred the whole city up with his preaching on repentance. Even the politicians and priest had to see this man. Jesus also had this same affect. Everywhere he went people would follow him to hear the words that he might speak. We see stories of over 5000 people that were with him at one point just to hear him preach.

What is my point?

My point is why wasn’t the question, “Lord teach us to preach!”

I find it very interesting that they never asked him on how to speak to people like he did but they did wish to know how to pray as he did. Why? Perhaps it’s because they saw, like no one else, it is where Christ grew in strength. It was His prayer that healed the sick. It was his prayers that multiplied the bread and fishes. It was in prayer that he was comforted by his Father to commit himself unto the task at hand. The bible records that his prayer at the Mount of Olives was a usual thing for him.

Luke 22 Vs 39 thru 44

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat were drops of blood falling to the ground."

Prayer might have been a usual thing but praying in “anguish” (means to suffer great pain and distress) and praying “earnestly” insomuch that you body begins doing something abnormal? The humanity in Christ was suffering in fear of what lied ahead, however the spirit of the Living God was committed to do the Lords will. The proof is in the blood.

Let me read you this quote from C.H. Spurgeon, “The mental pressure arising from our Lord’s struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Savior so that he distilled great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. This sets forth the voluntaries of Christ’s sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, “Spring up, O well;” of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Savior in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fullness of the offering, which he made for men.”

This is prayer. Prayer demolishes self. E.M. Bounds says that “most people never enter the closet for they fear death to self above all else.” He further says that in “the prayer closet is a mirror that only reflects what God sees. We step into our closets and we can hide nothing from God. We can take no credit for our successes and can have no pride.”

I also like what Pastor Ravenhill says about this as well…

“No man is greater than his prayer life. The people, who are not praying, are playing.”
He further continues…

“We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. The secret to praying is praying in secret. A sinning man will stop praying. A praying man will stop sinning.”

I can usually tell in the first 15 minutes or so of meeting someone what their prayer life is like. You know why? Because no one can sit here and tell me that if you were meeting with the Lord everyday face to face in prayer that you won’t come away more changed and transformed. In the prayer closet…self dies…and Christ rises. As the Spirit of Christ grows in you…you can’t help but become more like him.

Every prophet in the Old Testament can be summed up in two words, “they prayed”. “We are starving Moses”, the children of Israel shouted. So Moses prayed and manna was given. Elijah prayed and the fire fell down consuming all the false prophets. Nemaiah prayed and the wall was built. Ezra prayed and Israel was restored. Jeremiah prayed and he was given insight. Isaiah prayed and he was given a vision of the coming Christ. Christ prayed and he saved the world. The disciples prayed and we saw Pentecost. Paul prayed and Rome was turned upside down.

One of my favorite scriptures that I think about when I am talking about prayer is found in Mathew.

Mathew 24 Vs 3

“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Where are they at…the Mount of Olives? Why am I pointing that out? I point that out to show you that it isn’t by coincidence that here we are back at the place where Christ prays, according to Luke’s gospel, “as usual”. Underline what it says right after it speaks the name of the place that they are at. It reads they came to him privately. What is prayer if it is not a place where you can go straight to the Lord privately and ask him to show you what you do not understand? All of our questions, all of our fears, all of our inner most being can be poured out to him in private. It means we have his full attention. We have the fullness of Christ wrapped up in a small moment in our secret place where he is ours and ours alone. His attention is fully given to us. Heaven has to be put on hold because His child beckons him to hear. Angels have to be ready at a moment’s notice when we pray, for God is quick to answer his beloved. We are his bride. His holy sanctified purchase. The question is not “will He listen to our prayers” but rather “why would he not listen to our prayers?”

Listen this is where I want to encourage you as a believer. Prayer is not your last resort…it’s the first. The bible says out of our own mouth is life and death. When I hear people say, “Well all you can do is pray”. I am beside myself. Praise God I can pray. My prayers are heard by the almighty God. Who can do more than him in any situation? It is prayer that stops wars, ends famine, save souls, and the list goes on.

Let me put this disclaimer in here before you go thinking I am some kind of super spiritual prayer warrior…God doesn’t answer me every time I pray…Let me tell you a story…

Over the past years, I mentored under an elder by the name of Merle. This man was a man of profound prayer and wisdom. His entire family is either Sunday school teachers or pastoring…not bad for a man who was a Human Resources manager and a biscuit factory. One of my favorite stories that Merle tells is how he was in a real pickle over a certain situation. A certain situation had presented itself that required great prayer. After praying for the situation for hours and hours…Merle looks up midstream in the story and say’s you know what the Lord said concerning the issue? Absolutely nothing… I love it! How many relate to that?

Everyone can relate to that story. It’s practically universal. However what Merle would later go on to explain is that sometimes prayer is not about getting an answer…sometimes prayer is about just leaning on God for support. Sometimes God will speak to us…and how can we know what God is saying if we aren’t praying? Listen…the very act of prayer is worship. Because when we pray...we acknowledge our inability and His sovereignty.

As I sit here getting things organized...I am listening to Rob Bell on the Catalyst Podcast. Just got through listening to Mark Batterson. Both guys are phenominal...It's crazy how much revelation that they have for life and scriptures...

Also getting ready to meet a new applicant for our youth pastor position. Excited about speaking community, ministry, and life....

Also setting up a wish list on Amazon Books. There are so many books that I want to read this year. Here is a link...

http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/2MQK98NE6171B

Long time friends and married to a former "Samuel" of mine, Rachel McKnight, is doing some awesome work with the young adults ministries in Terrell, Texas. I was extremely happy to learn that she is blogging. My initial reaction was, AWESOME, now I have more material that I can steal...I mean borrow...or aquire...whatever.

Check her blog out here... http://terrellfirstyoungadults.blogspot.com/

Anyway...thought I would create a header image for the top of her blog...here is they way I am leaning...
So Rachel if you are reading this and you like they header...email me for a full size version.

As I read through the Books of Samuel in my devotions right now, I've noticed some preconceived thoughts that I've always had. For instance...I've always believed that Nathan was someone that Samuel mentored. There is no blatant scriptural evidence for this...but there is some indirect evidence. Allow me some room here...

1 Samuel 19:20 (paraphrasing)

"But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied."

Take the time to look it up. It's pretty awesome stuff. Samuel basically tackled the task of raising up young men to be holy, set-apart, and passionate men of God. You will find that this educational system went on long after Samuel passed away. I find it all fascinating.

Getting back on track...

So I don't know if Nathan actually attended the school, but you could easily see how I might draw that conclusion. Can you imagine any of that? You thought your first day of school made you nervous. How would you like to show up to "altar building 101" or "war winning" (which would be all about prayer) and see Samuel as the teacher. You would just about faint wouldn't you? I can't even fathom the pressure.

This leads me to my subject...Nathan. I don't know if he was a star pupil or remembered the most scripture. I don't know if he was teachers favorite or the guy that sat in the back of the room. But we do know that he was a man of great faith, prayer, wisdom, and had excellent of discernment in the political realm.

Samuel and Nathan are two guys with different approaches...yet have one common bond, their passion for God and their commitment to see His will manifested upon the earth. Samuel was for one era of ministry...Nathan was for another. In the days of Samuel a single direct prayer brought down the enemies of God. In the days of Nathan a long intercessory prayer praying wisdom upon the chosen kings of God brought success.

Can I stop here and make a statement? I feel like a Nathan.

That isn't a brag or a boast. Let me explain...

I feel as if I have served under and am right now serving under "Samuel's". I'm serious. The last pastor I served under, and the current pastor I'm serving, are both Samuel's. How does that make me feel? Like a Nathan. That is not a bad thing...it's just that there are just some big shoes to feel when these guys call it quits or even just step out of the office for a few days. Being next to guys like these makes me feel dry compared to their spiritual "wetness". I feel as if they have the type of prayer that doesn't hit the ground (like Samuel)...and my prayer is more a prayer for discernment and wisdom to get through the battle...

Just being transparent today...

While doing devotions over the past week, I saw something rather interesting that has been in my spirit. I’ve been reading from 1st Samuel…

1 Samuel 11:7-8

“When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they turned out as one man.”

Interesting huh? Yea…that is what I thought. I don’t know about you but when I think of leading people I don’t think about cutting up animals into pieces and then saying to everyone around that if you don’t follow me, all of your animals will end up “dead meat”.

What a huge contrast between Saul and David in leadership. I don’t ever recall a time in David’s life where threats to people’s property were ever made in an effort to establish loyalty. Maybe it’s in this first act of leadership that we prophetically see what type of leadership style Saul had. Another thing I noticed was that he wasn’t the type of man to face battles without the help of numbers. Think about Jonathon and his armor bearer facing a whole army of Philistines and being victorious. Jonathon didn’t call for any cavalry. He believed God for a great work. The same can be said for David many times over.

Here is what I gather from this passage and thought on the subject…

Great leaders are established in great faith. Great leaders rely more on what God can do and less on how much people can do. Great leaders experience fear just like everyone else, when faced with overwhelming odds, but persevere by having an intimate relationship with God. Great leaders don’t establish rule with fear. They embrace and serve those that they are given to lead with a fierce passion. Great leaders know that God is in control and their hope, trust, and faith reside in Him and Him alone. They know that one man filled with the Spirit of the Living God is more powerful than an entire army.

What leadership style are you?