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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #5

Posted on 11/06/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #5

Leadership Culture of Jesus

Culture is defined as the shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize any organized group of people. A well-defined leadership culture promotes momentum, creates unity, and provides identity and stability within the ranks.

First, we must define and understand the culture that Christ established throughout the gospels. He is our model. His life and His practices are perfect theology. Our leadership culture can and should have its unique expression, but it should stay within the ministry culture that Jesus modeled. If we embody the culture that Jesus established in the early Church, we can then tailor it to fit the specific emphasis and work that God has called us to.

When Jesus burst onto the scene in full-blown ministry, He immediately chose a diverse group of 12 followers to invest in and develop as emerging leaders. Jesus inspired His followers to leave everything behind to follow him. He taught them from the beginning the importance of laying down their lives and denying themselves. 

From the start, Jesus boldly challenged the current religious culture by teaching and preaching the kingdom of God and demonstrating kingdom power and authority. The mark of a believer is that signs and wonders will follow them. The gospel must be seen and experienced, not just heard.

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

What are we teaching others if our doctrines are only heard and not experienced? Power and demonstration will always accompany true believers and validate the true message of the gospel. If we are missing the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s power and demonstration in our gatherings, then we have a problem. This is not the Church culture that Jesus or His disciples modeled.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

          In this passage, the apostle Paul admits to being weak and scared. It is OK to be weak and trembling; that’s why God gave us a comforter called the Holy Spirit. God shows up well in our weakness.

We also see that Paul didn’t come to them with a well-thought-out, three-point sermon with just the right amount of scripture, humor, wisdom, and persuasive language. He came in the demonstration of the Spirit and power. Why? So that their faith would not be in his eloquent teaching and human wisdom but in the power of God.

It is the power of God demonstrated through yielded vessels that causes people to follow Christ. Not just a well-crafted sermon that convinces people to pray a short prayer to get their ticket to Heaven. That was never modeled in scripture, yet it has become a common thing in the global Church culture.

It will take courage to challenge the current Church culture. End-time leaders must maintain an intimate personal relationship with the Father through personal devotion and prayer, focusing on the written word and guarding their hearts against all evil influence.

We cannot lead others to a place we have not been. So, the first order of business is to take an honest self-assessment and ask some pointed questions.

  • Do I function in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit?
  • Does my team?
  • If not, what are we doing to rectify this problem?
  • Are we crying out to God in prayer for the correction and instruction needed to facilitate change?
  • Are we watering down the word of God to match our limited experience, or are we praying that God elevates our experience to match His word?
  • Are we earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints? (Jude 3)
  • If so, are we seeing measurable progress in this area?

Culture identifies what is essential to a body of believers, reflecting the vision, values, and purpose. Every local assembly will have its unique expression in the body of Christ, and it is the leadership’s responsibility to identify and steward this expression.

If we don’t base our culture on the patterns and practices established by Jesus and His disciples, we will continue to stray from the truth and be subject to the bondage of men’s religious ideas.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

To change the current culture of leadership, the values of the leaders must first align, which means the beliefs of the leaders must first align.

People have deeply ingrained assumptions and beliefs about Christ and the gospel. These can be strongholds that can take time to dismantle. The most effective way of addressing people’s deeply held assumptions and wrong beliefs is to teach God’s word with demonstration and power. People will not change what they believe simply because we believe it. They must be shown why they need to change.

Great leaders consistently demonstrate to the people that the proposed change is rooted in scripture. This helps the emerging leaders and the congregation recognize the need for change and see that the authority to demand that change goes beyond the influence and desires of the leaders and comes directly from God.

Developing a culture where the Word of God is final authority is the only solid foundation to build upon. Taking time with your leaders regularly to help define and reaffirm the culture will produce much fruit in the future.

Don’t be rushed into defining your culture. Have leadership meetings to discuss ideas and hold them up as a prayer target. Allowing emerging leaders to have a voice develops and maintains influence. You don’t necessarily have to follow their suggestions. However, allowing them input gives them a sense of belonging and importance that makes them feel like they are valuable, a part of the process, and an essential part of the ministry.

Culture is an expression of our faith, a reflection of our beliefs. What we do and don’t do, from missions to local outreach, how we embrace first-time guests to discipleship, and developing emerging leaders, all play a significant role in shaping our leadership culture. We don’t need to tell visitors what our culture is. They will experience it. 

Excellence in Leadership

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

This has a massive impact on culture. Excellence, as with most things, begins and ends with leadership. Leaders should regularly be asking themselves, “Can we do better?” As more staff and volunteers are added and more resources become available, the level of excellence should evolve and become more apparent. Excellence in ministry is a ministry by itself.

The mentality of excellence requires constant training, emphasis, and maintenance. We can easily slip into the “it’s good enough” mentality. This shows a lack of understanding about what we are doing and why we are doing it. A ministry will never rise above the level of excellence its leaders portray, so our responsibility is to model excellence in everything we do.

When leadership culture is healthy and well-defined, it prepares us for growth and success in ministry.

Three things will happen with a well-defined leadership culture:

1) Evangelism will increase.

People will love being involved, and they will talk to others about the amazing ministry they are involved with. It creates a desire within the body to invite others to get involved. The ministry will become attractive to the community and make it easier to fulfill its vision.

2) Spiritual growth increases throughout the body.

People flourish in the place of their God-given assignment. A strong culture creates a sense of belonging and inspires people to get involved, taking ownership of some portion of the ministry. This allows people to develop and use their gifts and talents, causing growth and strength in the individual. In turn, this creates strong, healthy relationships and edifies the body as a whole. One of the most rewarding things for leaders is to witness the growth, development, and healthy progress of their followers. This is what makes leadership exciting and rewarding.

3) It attracts great leaders.

Up-and-coming leaders will join themselves to the ministry. This creates a pool of leaders to mentor and disciple, preparing the ministry for future growth and additional outreach.

Question: Can we define our leadership culture right now?

Question: Who sets the culture of a ministry?

Question: What is happening right now in our ministry that does not reflect our leadership culture?

Question: Is excellence in ministry a focus of the leadership team?

Question: What areas of ministry can we do better with minimal effort, and why aren’t we doing it?

Question: What changes need to occur within your leadership team to embrace the leadership culture of Jesus better?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #4

Posted on 11/06/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #4

Jesus is Not an Invalid

          As I was praying one day on my long drive to work, I began to pray some things out by divine revelation. I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude, so I began to thank God for different things that would come up in my heart, things I would never typically think about. After a few minutes of this, I uttered these words by the Spirit, “I thank you, Father, for the body of Christ that validates You to the world.”

          As soon as I made that statement, I saw a vision of an Arab-looking fellow of middle age, dressed in a Kittel, sitting in a wheelchair with his head bowed down. He was facing almost directly to my right, and I could only see his profile. He was crippled in his arms and legs. As I stared at him, wondering what this meant, the word “INVALID” appeared above his head in all capital letters.

          My grandmother was a nurse, and I had heard her use that word many times about my aunt Alice, her daughter, who was stricken with polio. Alice could do almost nothing herself. She had little to no use of her arms and legs and needed full-time time care.

          As I continued to watch, the word changed from “INVALID” to “NOT VALID.” At that moment, the man looked up at me, and I saw that it was Jesus! The expression on His face was one of profound sadness. As soon as I realized who it was, the vision ended. The whole thing only lasted about 15 seconds. My heart went from overflowing with gratitude to being grief-stricken in a moment. The Lord gave me an instant understanding of what I had just seen.

          The Church has done a poor job of validating Jesus Christ to the world. We are His body; we are his hands and feet; we are the ones called to demonstrate His kingdom to the world. Through this brief vision, He was showing me the current condition of the Church.

His body is weak and crippled because of the poison we have been feeding it—the poison of false doctrines of men and doctrines of devils. We have left our first love and not represented Christ well. To the world, Christ was becoming increasingly invalid. I cried profusely.

We have seen a few men and women throughout history who have given themselves in complete surrender to Christ. These individuals demonstrated kingdom authority by signs and wonders, operating in the supernatural power of God, but they have been very few.

Maybe God allowed this to remind us that it is still possible, to encourage us to go deeper, to pursue Him more aggressively. This level of complete surrender must become the norm for end-time leaders. We must develop a culture that reproduces completely surrendered disciples.

John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

          I don’t think anyone can argue against the fact that the Church has not lived up to these powerful words Jesus spoke. Not even close. And yet He said them nonetheless, which means they will be fulfilled.

Leaders of the end-time Church must lead with demonstration and power, not just eloquent teachings and entertainment-focused ministry. Signs and wonders must be present to maintain influence over people who are being persecuted for their faith. Demonstrating kingdom power and authority will be needed to give people hope and keep them moving forward and pursuing God during the greatest tribulation the world has ever known.

There are inherent dangers that come with God’s power and authority. This is why we don’t see it much in Church today. God loves us too much to trust His power to irresponsible babes. We must be mature enough spiritually to maintain a servant’s perspective while operating in His divine power. If we don’t, we will likely fall into pride and spiritual abuse, thinking more highly of ourselves than we should, destroying ourselves, our witness, and forfeiting any rewards we may have in eternity.

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

The best leaders in any capacity are, without fail, the best of servants to those they are leading. When we hear the word “servant,” we tend to think of a slave, a hired hand, or someone in the helps ministry. In the case of end-time leadership, this takes on a much higher and nobler meaning. A servant leader is devoted to meeting the legitimate needs of those he is leading so that they are better equipped to fulfill their roles and grow as leaders themselves. He serves others with the hope of them finding and fulfilling their God-given purpose and destiny. He inspires others to lay down their life completely while modeling the process.

“If we are not willing to serve others, we are not qualified to lead them.”

The Snare of Management

One of the things that cripples the Church is mistaking management for leadership. We lead people; we should never manage them. We manage things like logistics, resources, assets, plans, vision, etc., but never people.

Managing people is a worldly view of leadership. It uses the power and authority of position or title to demand compliance and compel people to follow your lead. This type of leadership strains relationships and compromises godly influence. Continued use of management type of leadership will cripple a ministry.

When it comes to operating in the supernatural, we must resist the temptation to manage the anointing as well. It is easy for a leader with true power manifesting in his life to micro-manage others’ behavior and put unneeded restrictions on them in the name of “guarding the anointing.”

The best way for a leader to guard the anointing is to maintain personal intimacy and humility with the Lord. If we manage ourselves, our devotion to the Word, our actions, our words, our prayer life, etc. Will abide in an ever-increasing power that comes from God. It helps to have committed leaders around us who are qualified Elders and Deacons, according to scripture. God will take care of the rest.

The power that comes from God can be given and taken away. The power of God in our lives is dependent on our complete submission to Christ and obedience to His word, not how we manage the people around us. If we are disciplined and diligent in our pursuit of God, the laws of the Spirit will take care of the rest.

Growing in Influence

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This passage is a goldmine of revelation for leaders. Follow God’s example and walk in love. Understanding that God has given us as a gift to others will keep our role in the proper perspective.

How we live our daily lives determines the amount of influence we have on those following us. When we are examples in speech, conduct, and character, we become salt and light to those around us, building confidence in others to follow us and creating a desire within them to help fulfill God’s vision and purpose for the Church.

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Ministry leaders must be skillful in leading with authority because using power will drive people away. Authority grows as respect for the individual grows. Once you have earned respect, your influence will increase if you are consistent.

The power of position or title can be handed from one person to another. It can be given and taken away. Authority must be developed and maintained. When worldly power is used consistently, resentment, division, strife, and discord will surely follow.

Developing and maintaining influence builds a faithful following and a dynamic leadership team. It is also the foundation for developing an end-time leadership culture among your followers.

To validate Jesus in the world, we must first validate Him in our personal lives.

Question: What is the difference between power and authority?

Question: What three areas can you improve to increase your influence with others?

Question: Can influence be delegated?

Question: In your opinion, what three qualifications for leadership are the most important?

Question: How do you define influence?

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #3

Posted on 11/06/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #3

Mentoring and Discipleship

Not all followers of Christ are qualified to lead, and not all emerging leaders are qualified to lead right now. Being an end-time leader will require a deep and ever-increasing understanding of God’s written word, the development of Christ-like character, and leadership skills.

The word of God is the most essential thing in any believer’s life and ministry. It is the foundation upon which all wisdom, understanding, and godly character are built. Without constant intake and exposure to God’s word, character and skills will never reach their highest expression. A deep love and respect for the things of God creates provides a sound example for others to follow. And helps keep us on a steady path of spiritual growth.

Character is developed in us as we give ourselves to understanding and obeying God’s word. However, Godly character without the needed leadership skills can cause frustration and discontent within the body and the leadership team.

In turn, having a leader who has an abundance of skills without a Christ-like character produces animosity and mistrust from the body and other leaders. Both situations can set the leaders up for failure and create an abiding tension among our followers and in relationships within the leadership team. This hinders the overall growth, development, and fruitfulness of the ministry.

Developing both character and skills ensures the leader will become a pillar in the church and not a stumbling block. Pillars are always placed squarely and solidly on the word of God.

Character

Godly character reflects God’s nature, and character is developed with maturity. Character is the nature of God being expressed in our lives. This should be every Christian’s goal, not just leaders. The character and nature of God is what we are leading others to. We can’t lead another person to a place we have never been. God’s nature must be established in us before we are qualified to lead others. Love is God’s nature. Without love, we cannot lead others into a relationship with God.

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

According to John, love isn’t just the nature of God. Love is the embodiment of God. God IS love.

In 1 Corinthians 13, we see how God (love) behaves. These behaviors must be developed and continually strengthened in a leader so that God’s nature can be evident to all. Embracing love will bear the fruit of the Spirit. The development of this behavior doesn’t come through striving and trying to “be better.” It grows through intimacy with God and a devotion to His word.

Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

In Matthew 12:33 it tells us that a tree is known by its fruit, so let’s take a closer look at the fruit that should be hanging from the tree of a leader.

1) Love: The opposite of love is not hate; it is selfishness. A leader lays down his life for others, denying himself in favor of another. It should never be about you.

2) Joy: Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy not only brings strength to the leader but to those around him. A good leader enjoys what he is doing, and others want to work with them and be involved with them in other capacities.

3) Peace: Peacemakers create an atmosphere that promotes healthy relationships with God and others. They avoid unfruitful confrontations and diffuse strife and contentious situations. A leader will find common ground to build on and will magnify the positive, not the negative, creating a safe environment for learning and development of leadership skills.

4) Patience: Patience makes room for others to grow in their gifts and calling, providing an environment that makes others feel safe, allowing them to make mistakes without the danger of condemnation and shame. Patience doesn’t just see the individual but has a view of what that individual will look like when wholly submitted to God.

5) Goodness: Romans 2:4 tells us that it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. Being good to people, even when it costs you, and doing the right thing even when it is not convenient causes people to turn to God and away from self-centered living. People notice goodness because it is a characteristic of God’s nature that attracts people to Him.

6) Gentleness: 2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.

A leader must always be mindful of proper etiquette and understand that etiquette may be different in any given situation. Being mindful of culture, gender, age, position, and the emotional state of those we deal with is essential. Using kind words tempered with wisdom and discernment tremendously impacts the conversations. Expressing genuine concern for the individual creates a platform to minister from and provides the needed influence to speak effectively into the lives of others.

7) Faithfulness: 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Leadership is a stewardship from God. Being steadfast, reliable, honorable, and consistent speaks volumes about the heart and character of the leader. Faithfulness is a consistent behavior that is noticed by all, especially God.

8) Meekness: Meekness is not being a doormat or pushover but the humility of controlled strength. Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was the meekest man in all the earth, and yet he was the one used most in the earth at that time. There is a connection between humility and a vessel God can use and move through.

9) Self-control: This can’t be accomplished without a healthy prayer life and regular intake of God’s word. We can’t control ourselves without the Father’s help. The more intimate time we spend with God when no one else is looking, the more effortless self-control will be. A robust prayer life creates a constant awareness of God that makes it easier for us to resist temptation and make the right decisions. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that helps us to die to our carnal nature more quickly.

Question: As a leader, are you stronger in your character or skillset?

Question: Do you, or did you have strong leaders to mentor you and help you develop as a leader?

Question: What are you a steward over right now, and what would you like to be a steward over in the future?

Question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your faithfulness?

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The Key to All Leadership Ministry

Posted on 10/24/2023 | Comments Off on The Key to All Leadership Ministry

          Our impact and effectiveness as leaders will largely be determined by the level of our own spiritual progress.

          Spiritual growth is like physical growth with one exception. Physically, we are born as infants and progress through various stages of development until growth slows down in our late teens and we eventually reach our physical prime around the age of 30-35 years old. Then, because of the curse that is on the Earth, we begin to decline physically until we eventually die.

Spiritually, we should never slow down in our growth or reach a peak from which we begin to decline.

The greatest thing we can do for ourselves, and others is to pursue God with all our heart and give ourselves entirely to our own Spiritual progress and development. We should always be growing in Him. increasing in the knowledge of His word and cultivating a more intimate relationship with Him. Spiritual growth and progress must always remain our most important ministry. The closer we get to God the more helpful we will be to others.

2 Peter 3:17b-18 …beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Paul and Peter are telling us about the importance of growing in the grace and knowledge of God. However, there’s something else going on here too. In both passages, we see an effort to convince readers not to fall prey to false teachers and false doctrines so that their spiritual growth would not be hindered.

Believing a false doctrine will not only stunt our spiritual growth but cause us to grow in ways that create strongholds of wrong thinking and wrong believing that cause us harm as well as those that follow our teachings.

To grow in our faith, we must be able to discern, and tune out any voices that add to, or take away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can’t grow spiritually if we allow ourselves to be poisoned by false teachings and doctrines of men and devils. These days, false teachers and false doctrines are more numerous than ever. Steady spiritual growth will require us to be spiritually discerning, focused on truth, and guard our hearts from all evil influence. 

          The first and most important discipline we must have in place is putting God’s word first in our lives.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          Here we see two more requirements for continued spiritual growth. Laying aside selfish and self-seeking behavior and desiring the sincere milk of the word.

          Selfishness is an anti-Christ spirit. This is why we are commanded to die to self. Envy, jealousy, selfish ambition, malicious thoughts and actions, evil speaking, and corrupt communication, are all birthed from a self-centered wellspring. Look at what James has to say about this.

James 3:14-17 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

          When we engage in self-seeking behavior, we are feeding the carnal man. We then cause confusion and become a landing strip for demonic activity. In this environment, spiritual growth stops and we become weakened and vulnerable to more demonic influence.

Stewarding God’s Kingdom

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say,  ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

          The kingdom of God is in the heart of every believer. The kingdom of God is like the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. Just like the Garden of Eden, there are two trees in the kingdom of God in our hearts. The Holy Spirit represents the Tree of Life, and our sovereign, free will represents the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

          When we are born of the Spirit, the kingdom of God enters us as a seed and it is our responsibility to guard, tend, and protect that seed, watering it, feeding it, and exposing it to the light of God’s word.

Luke 13:18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

          If we are not diligent in guarding the kingdom in our hearts, our spiritual growth is compromised.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          To guard our hearts is to guard God’s kingdom. Spiritual growth is reflected in our lives in direct proportion to the growth and health of the kingdom within us.

          We have far more distractions now than at any other time in history. It requires a disciplined approach to personal devotion and spiritual growth to fight against the tides of constant distractions. We have so many voices vying for our attention that is easy to be pulled off course and compromise our relationship with the Lord.

Avoiding Itchy Ears

          Several years ago, the Lord corrected me strongly while reading a book by a popular Christian author. As I was reading, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Jack, I don’t want you to eat any more leavened bread.” Being overweight, I said, “OK Lord,” thinking He was putting me on a diet of sorts. He immediately corrected my thinking and said, “No, what you are doing now is eating leavened bread.”

          I had this immediate revelation that I was reading books about the Bible far more than I was reading the Bible. I have long been a voracious reader and realized my error. I was constantly looking for the latest teaching and the latest revelation. I was seduced by the eloquent words, profound thoughts, and statements of respected ministers. I was being an itchy-eared fool.

          I was reading my Bible, I had a devotional time where I would read a chapter or two, pray, and then go about my day, but then I would spend hours reading other men’s books, and teachings, watching sermons on YouTube, or watching Christian TV. This is a dangerous and common mistake that many Christians fall into and think nothing of it.

          The Lord called this leavened bread, emphasizing that the Bible alone contains the pure, unleavened bread of truth. These things have their place, but only as supplements to our personal reading, studying, and listening to the Bible for ourselves.

          If all we fed our bodies were vitamins and supplements, we would quickly lose weight, lose strength, and weaken until we eventually die. If all we do is have a 20-minute devotional a day, we will remain a spiritual baby.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          No matter how far we have progressed in our spiritual growth, we should all respond to God’s word as a newborn baby. A newborn needs milk every two to four hours to remain healthy and grow properly. It is no accident that God uses this analogy to teach us how desperately we need His word.

          When Moses died and Joshua took over the leadership position in Israel, God gave Joshua this instruction.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

          Joshua’s instruction is just as valid for us today as it was for him. Without constant intake of, exposure to, and meditation on God’s word, we will not be able to obey the word, we will not make our way prosperous, and we will not have good success.

          The book of Proverbs gives us further insight.

Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          Giving the word its proper attention and respect brings life and health to us personally, as well as those we are leading.

The Impact of Personal Relationship with the Word.

          The primary way we relate to God is through His written word. Jesus is called “the word of God” for a reason. How we revere and respect God’s written word is a direct reflection of how much we respect and value Jesus and all he has accomplished.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

          This is a powerful verse that helps us understand the impact that God’s living word has on our lives. After a few months of reading only the Bible, I began to change. I was starting to see things differently. It was like coming out of deep sleep with a foggy mind, slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. I could feel the light of God’s word at work in me, doing surgery on me, exposing darkness in my heart and mind. As the months and years passed, I became increasingly aware of some things.

  • First and foremost, I saw that many of the doctrines that I was taught and believed for decades were not even biblical. I had strongholds of wrong thinking and wrong believing that could only be dismantled by constant exposure to the sincere milk of the word of God. The unleavened bread of truth. I was finally beginning to know the truth after almost three decades, and the truth was setting me free.
  • My relationship with the Lord changed. It was enriched in more ways than I can articulate. My understanding of God’s nature grew, and I began to finally understand who He was, and in turn, began to understand who I was in Him. He showed me things about His nature and how He thinks. I understood more about His great love for us and my love for Him grew.
  • I saw the importance of intimacy with the Father. I understood that intimacy is where the greatest transformation takes place for a believer. My prayer life became enriched. My compassion for others who were bound by the same deceptions that I was began to increase, and I found myself spending more time praying for others than I did for myself.
  • I saw the importance and need for holiness. I asked the Lord to teach me and lead me into holiness. His answer to that prayer was to teach me the fear of the Lord. He showed me that holiness is perfected in the fear of the Lord. (2 Cor 7:1) I could see that this was a missing component in most of the body of Christ.
  • Wisdom increased and became evident to me and others. The Lord would give me the right things to say, and the right questions to ask, and I had the restraint to remain silent where previously I was often too quick to respond. My influence over others increased and I saw clearly the tremendous responsibility we have as teachers and leaders.
  • Obedience to God’s word became easier. My faith and trust in Him grew stronger by the day. Worry and anxiety had no place to land in my life.
  • Demonic attacks increased against me when I gave myself to only reading God’s word, but my understanding of spiritual warfare increased rapidly as well. So much so that the Lord inspired me to write a book on spiritual warfare.
  • Pride, arrogance, and bitterness were exposed in my life. As I flooded my heart and mind with truth, the darkness within me was manifest and forced me to deal with it. This birthed a holy fear and humility in me that I had not previously known.
  • My heart became increasingly broken for the body of Christ. I realized that most Christians were trapped in the itchy-eared deception that I was and I began to pray for the worldwide body of Christ daily.
  • It was now easier to hear when God spoke to me personally. Many Christians say that they don’t hear God speaking to them. The truth is, that He has already spoken many things to us in His written word. If we are not interested in what He has already recorded, why would He be inclined to speak to us about anything else?

These are just a few of the things that changed in me, and for me after putting God’s word first in my life.

It is easy to get trapped into depending on others to feed us and interpret God’s word for us. However, we have a responsibility in our relationship with God to pursue Him for ourselves.

The primary way we do that is through seeking to understand Him through what He has already said to us in His written word. Not seeking other men’s opinions on it, not depending on our pastor’s interpretation of it, and not reading or listening to the latest book or teaching about it. We must discover what He is saying to us personally by reading it and listening to it for ourselves?

It takes less than 80 hours to listen to a digital recording of the entire Bible being read to us. Being a slow reader is not a valid excuse. We have so many tools available to us now to make absorbing God’s word easy that no one should be scripturally illiterate. It is an indictment against us for how little we value the written word of God.

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