Deuteronomy 31:7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.(NKJ)
I remember years back when the Lord placed a strong desire within me to know more about Him. I began to take Bible courses to expand my knowledge, not knowing where this would lead me.
The church I was attending at the time did not seem very interested in what I was learning, except for one associate pastor. Although I tried to share what the Lord was doing in my life, I never received any encouragement from my pastor at the time.
I remember later asking him in a leaders meeting if he would ever open up the pulpit to have others preach or share, especially those with a calling and desire to work for the Lord. The reaction was not very positive one. It was one of control.
I realized that the pastor I had at the time would not encourage me or anyone else in growing and maturing in the Lord. Even with that experience, the Lord did teach me a few things
In time, we began attending another church, and this pastor was very different from the first. He gave up his pulpit quite easily, as his desire was to raise up more workers for the field. His encouraging words and positive attitude on those with a right heart to serve the Lord went a long way.
As leaders in the Body of Christ, we are to cause those under us to inherit the blessings the Lord has for them.
As I read through the story of Moses and Joshua, their obedience to the Lord caused the Israelites to inherit lands, conquer territory, overthrow kings and to live a fruitful life filled with His blessings.
The Lord said several times to Joshua to be be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
This is contrary to what the world is like. In the world, everyone is looking out for themselves, and we live in a time where greed and selfishness reign.
It is up to the leaders and and the Body of Christ to encourage those with a right heart directed towards God to step out. Have they received a vision for ministry, a calling, a burden? Encourage it, and do not feel threatened by someone under you.
Let us work together to lead His bride into their promised land, to conquer and to be that shining city that sits on a hill.
Blessings
sahrish ayub
December 29, 2010 at 6:45 am
deer brother,
wish you very happy New year.please prey for me .and my ecnomical problems.please help me to help my younger sister .
Yvette
December 29, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Will keep you in our prayers that the Lord will provide.
Blessings
Diane L. Harris
May 19, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Yvette,
It’s good that you were patient with your first pastor and learned what you could from him even though he wasn’t willing to give what you needed. Eventually you lined up with the encouraging leader you required.
It’s so important for a pastor to develop the gifts of those who follow him. This Sunday an associate minister at our church preached for the first time in front of us and he was so good. My husband (our pastor) could not wipe the smile off his face as he listened to his friend and armor-bearer revealing his gift and glorifying God.
Rich
May 16, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Excellent posting! Just as its states in Ephesians 4:12 For the “perfecting ” of the saints,. . The word perfecting according to the Greek lexicon is “Katartismos” when defined means “complete furnishing, equipping.” Everyone has a different calling than the other. Therefore we need to encourage each saint to feed their hunger with 3 things. The Word, Prayer, & Confessing the Word over themselves. By applying this principle our Lord will speak to you and show you the calling He has for you.(Eph. 1:17-18) It is always a good idea to share what is on your heart with mature believers that will encourage you to trust in the Lord. I too was in that same type of church where the Pastor had to have full control. I did not realize it then. Probably because I viewed it through a religious prism. I look back now and I see that control is nothing but fear based. Too many Pastors operate under that without even realizing it. We need to pray over these pastors, churches, and the body of Christ as a whole that they will fulfill their calling. Weather it be a greeter or a missionary. Each and every believer has an grace and anointing for their position in the body of Christ.
Valerie Lynn
May 15, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I have an award for you on my blog. Blessings
Filmore
May 14, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I do believe that most Pastors are sincere and love the Lord. God has place a call upon their lives to stand in the office of a Pastor. According to Ephesians 4:11-12 the five-fold ministry is suppose to mature the believer first, then prepare them for their call and purpose and then edify the body of Christ at large. But we must remember that the work God has for you specifically is time sensitive. God will allow you to function in his permissive will while he trains you in the word and the school of the Spirit. As you continue to pray, be obedient and faithful he will promote you to the next level of grace for the work he has ordained for you. Joshua was faithful to Moses and when his work was over Joshua was ready to step in and take the children of Israel to the Promise Land. Stay faithful in your training days. God is raising a “new breed” of believers that he will send forth in Power and do the works that Jesus did. The Spirit will take us beyond healings to signs and wonders that will usher in the Fruit(sinners) into the Kingdom of God.
Miryam
May 13, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Love the colors!! Amen!! This was very powerful,
blessing, love ya
Valerie Lynn
May 11, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Love the new look! Beautiful! We do need to stop looking at “self” and start looking towards the needs of others. In these trying times we must all come together and help those in need and those who are doing without. We have to put “self” aside and become servants to people who need our help. AMEN Yvette! Very powerful message! Very powerful!
Blessings!
Love you!
Dan
May 11, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Once again a very good encouragement and teaching. I think a lot of us have had similar experiences, knowing we are called to ministry yet, because of the fear or immaturity of some, being denied. On the flip side I sat under a true prophet for many years who actually had 2 open mics for anyone to come up and prophesy or speak other words of knowledge and encouragement, as the Lord led them too. It was amazing and I’ve never been in another church that has come remotely close to encouraging that type of participation. That Pastor/Prophet was a great teacher, very knowledgeable of how the gifts should operate and really wanted to help the church minister in the gifts and grow and mature, It left a mark on my life that is priceless especially in light of today when ministries want someone to write down the prophesy then have a seminar and examine the prophesy to see if it fits their doctrine then maybe – after the moment of inspiration and timing is long gone – it is allowed to be shared! Sad, but true. I think it is why many people are being led to start home ministries similiar to the book of acts – because they are called, they know it and are wanting to let the Lord use them to change lives. I’ve seen and heard of these little groups doing what should have been done for years i.e. training others for the work of the ministry and then releasing them to go out into the world and be a witness to the cross of christ and the power that comes with it.
Sounds like we are heading towards a revival or better yet a spiritual reformation and revolution.
Just goes to show that if one person or organization won’t do the will of God – because of insecurity or a drive for control – then God will raise up someone or a bunch of nobodies ( I believe there was a post on this site a few months back about God raising up nobodies ) to do the work of a pastor,prophet,teacher,evangelist,apostle and all the other giftings related to ministry. Yeah, there are some dangers to that but I’d rather walk through a minefield fighting for and heading towards freedom in the Presence of Christ than to sit back and give it all up in order to fit while the world is thirsting for the ministry of Jesus in us and through us
Alexander
May 10, 2009 at 3:39 am
Good one!