Lifemap: September 2009 Archives

But, is super natural power from God through enough to carry out a God vision?

Honestly, I can thing of arguments and points for both sides of that question. Yes, God is all powerful and all knowing. Yet, does everyone who has come to faith in Jesus Christ actually live out and fulfill the God vision they were to fulfill and live out?

I have a fortune cookie saying I found in a cookie years ago on a day much like yesterday, it said, "Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible." Thats pretty smart insight for man's wisdom. I still have that slip today stuck in the corner of a picture in my room so I am reminded of that often.

What I'd like to do is open this up and ask for feedback. I have a pounding headache today and I don't want to just "wing" this. Sometimes the best way to go about doing something is by asking questions. Let's see what everyone has on this. If you are reading this via email then you will need to come to my blog to leave a comment.

You may have been inspired or you may have overwhelmed or even disappointed from the Nines conference, but how did you view most if not all of those who shared their 9 minute message? Always ask yourself what you are thinking about what you are observing because our thoughts can be tricky and are not always our own.

I think I make a correct assumption that the word "peer" is not one of the words that comes to mind - at least not a peer like you see most of the peers around you. Which isn't surprising because the marketing did not condition that mindset. Which of course is understandable because it would be difficult to draw 10,000 people to a venue on leadership without conditioning a mindset of expectation from "top" leaders. What I think we all failed to realize was the result was pressure on speakers to perform and live up to that expectation along with us attendee's expecting it. 

Depending where you are at in your spiritual journey this then produced a wide range of feelings. One thing I have found very liberating in ministry is to intentionally not let myself fall into the I must perform.. live up.. deliver.. strive.. etc mindset. That mindset withered the fruit of the spirit in my life and ministry and was toxic to my heart and relationship with the Lord. I never want to be more like the wizard behind the curtain than the characters living the adventure walking the yellow brick road. 

I remember years ago when I was sharing my passion for ministry before I was ever given the vision for this ministry. I was at a retreat and just out of college at 23 and was sharing with a man maybe 10 years older than me at the time. After I finished sharing he told me wow I am impressed and your going to really make a difference in the world. I was somewhat shocked and taken back by what he said and I asked why do you say that? To which he told me something I have never forgot. Everyone else here is talking about all these great big ministries and dreams and goals, but you are talking about how you have helped individuals and I see your passion from that and they have in turn gone on to minister to others. Most people dream big and think of large ministries and big accomplishments, but you really care about people and helping them so much they are compelled to then go help others. That's that's rare people live and think like that and that's revolutionary.

It was about two years after that when God gave me the vision for this ministry. He didn't give it all to me at once and rightfully so because I would not have had the faith to step out in it. God began to reveal a small part of a big vision and has since then brought me closer to that mountain. It didn't look so big at first, but the closer the Lord has brought me to it - the more I can see on that mountain.

So to my friend who was overwhelmed by the Nines. Don't worry, ministry and walking with God is much like us as a young boy (or girl) with our feet in the ocean right beside our dad. He is there with us and we are not the father, but the son (or daughter). We don't have to be the teenager trying to act like we know it all, but we can and rightfully should be the young son who trusts his father. Even if we later realize we made mistakes and didn't know better along the way - we can be like the young son (or daughter) in our underpants splashing our feet in the ocean right beside our Father. As time goes on our Father will father us and we will grow through the stages of life, but those are stages of maturity and growth we must journey through with the Lord. 

So where ever you find your walk with the Lord in ministry - remember your father is right there beside you. 

The more deeply I dig beneath the surface of church growth principles, the more thoroughly convinced I become that the real battle is a spiritual battle and that our principle weapon is prayer.

I am quite confident apart from prayer and an encounter with the presence of God in which he surprised me when I did not expect it nor particularly desired it I would never have been given nor trusted with the vision for this ministry in March of 2005.

I am also quite confident that apart from the continued prayer of those prayer warriors elected by God who have so faithfully prayed for me and this ministry and continued to have faith God will carry through what He started that I would have long ago lost hope and given up in the pursuit of this ministry vision.

Yet, I know there is far more yet to be done and much that has not and will not happen until a movement of God takes place within and through this ministry. That simply can not happen apart from the continued prayer of those God has called to pray for this ministry and me. 

So as the Schaeffer 's asked..

Where does the supernatural power of God have a real place?

What difference would it make practically between the way we worked yesterday, and the way we would work today, and tomorrow? 

Is this a question you have an answer to in your life as well?

I have to ask myself these very questions often. My skills, talents, gifts and abilities are not enough to establish, build and advance a ministry vision of this kind. I've known that since the first year of this ministry - this is not a vision that can be built apart from God or with clever ministry marketing and organizational methods of growth.

Human method's will only produce human results.

What difference would it (the supernatural power of God) make in the majority of Christians' practical work and plans?

Has it made a difference in your work and plans today?

This week?

This month?

This year?

This decade?

I must agree whole heartedly with Spurgeon that the real battle is a spiritual battle and that our principle weapon is prayer. The real advancement of the Kingdom into darkness will only come about in large movements by prayer.

The questions I am referring to are those with deep roots within the heart and mind that yearn to be satisfied and need to be - to grow in depth and intimacy with God. They are not questions we can ignore or trick ourselves into believing we have satisfied when they are not. They are not even questions we can trick ourselves into thinking we do not have. They are questions we can not subdue and ignore for they will hinder the heart's ability to love, obey and trust God. They are questions that will cause us pain and effect our life if we ignore them.