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I’m going to ask everyone to pray for our pastors, especially those who listen to the leading of the Lord, who honor His Still Quiet Voice and who take a leap of faith and trust in Him.
Let me tell, you that is so not for the faint of heart! The Lord will take you on some wild, scary adventures. It takes some genuine strength and courage to follow His lead. Those who do are great risk takers, rebels with a clue, people after God’s own heart.
We need to build a giant prayer hedge around those people, to tell the Lord how grateful we are for them, to ask Him to shine His favor on them, and to reward their faithfulness.
How often we forget that rebellion is actually ignoring God. It can manifest itself in complacency, safety, and conformity. We don’t realize it, but that successful, clean cut guy, with a thriving ministry can be in full blown rebellion and hasn’t heard the Lord’s voice in 12 years. Conformity is not always obedience.
I’ve been there and done that a few times. Those times when you’re going Uh Lord, this looks financially and spiritually unwise, it makes very little sense, now Christians are calling me a heretic, and most of my atheist family is suggesting I go get screened for a brain tumor. Really Lord, I’m not sure if I’m going to wind up incarcerated or on mandated medication…..
Did I even hear you right??!
I’m not exaggerating at all, that’s a true story. Y’all be happy to know my cat scan turned out just fine. Apparently my frontal lob is functioning as it should be.
My life is pretty simple, my choices kind of inconsequential, at yet the last time it happened I really learned the truth about leaving behind and cutting lose the need for people favor. Not just any old people either, but family, friends, husband, even my own children. Not even my dearest and closest can come between God and I. And the enemy, good grief, he really comes at you when you’re actually listening to God and doing the right thing. I was left wondering if I had a target tattooed on my back or if I was just now a designated chew toy.
Rejection can be really painful too, especially if it comes from your loved ones or those who’s favor you covet. And obeying God is going to flat out cause rejection and lots of it.
For me, I am so grateful for those times when I took a leap of faith and listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It didn’t look good in the material world at all, it was counter intuitive, but doggone if God didn’t know exactly what He was doing. Hindsight is 20/20 and way after the fact, it actually scares me to even contemplate what might have happened had I been too afraid or failed to honor what He was telling me.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Spiritual death,emotional death, even physical death. The point being, we really need the Lord to lead us, because we alone cannot see the big picture, and often what seems right to us and right to the ways of the world, is not going to be right at all.
I actually know of five pastors right now, all very dear to my heart, dealing with this very thing, all at the same time. Let’s lift them up in prayer, let’s ask for the Lord’s favor and blessing to be upon them. Let’s praise them for their boldness, let’s thank them for their example, because someday the Lord is going to say, “well done good and faithful servant” and we’re all going to know exactly why my Father is so delighted in them, and so proud of them for being faithful.
Barnaby Lee said:
Yes! God bless all the crazy ones who here His voice.
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gmgoetz said:
IB, this is so good. Every Christ follower needs to pay attention to this. We all get called by Holy Spirit. Do we LISTEN, or only hear and ignore. Or when we know Who is calling, do we turn away because we are in our own comfort zone?
God Bless you IB.
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adad0 said:
Matthew 5
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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sullivanspin said:
It’s odd how a public position can be so ignored. Great reminder! Time to pray for our pastors.
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MyQuirkyFriend said:
So very true! And a great reminder to pray for our Christian leadership.
And that’s a favorite meme….it’s exactly how it is with God sometimes. Lol!
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soakedduck said:
Rebels without a cause; Rebels with a cause; Rebels with a clue…the problem with them rebel pastors is that everybody thinks they are playing the game “Clue” and they figure the person standing behind the candlesticks must have done it! Please pray for the pastors they do really need it, then add another prayer, “Lord what can I do to ease the Pastor’s load.” Then listen and do the what God asks. Remember, Happy pastor no disaster!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Amen. “Lord, what can I do ease the a pastor’s load,” is a fabulous prayer and good mindset to have! Carry that same idea over into marriage and I think we’ve just fixed everything. 🙂
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MJThompson said:
Most definitely, we need to lift these God ordained leaders in constant prayer. Having agreed with that, sadly, too many times we give intellectual ascent to the notion of prayer, but fail to actually PRAY!
As for the ongoing sacrifices and related rejection we pastors often endure, I would like to share my personal experience. Many will not understand, having no similar experiences, even more may disagree and relegate this to the realm of heresy. Never the less, this is truly MY reality.
When I began my ‘pulpit ministry’, I was prepared to deliver my first sermon following the precise ‘guidelines’ taught in seminary homiletic courses. I had invested nearly 20 hours in research, and believed my preparation was quite efficient. I stepped into the pulpit fully assured that I was going to ‘hit one out of the park’.
The moment I began to speak however, I heard what I can only declare as the closest impression to an ‘audible voice’ from God. ”When they bring you to the synagogues … do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Lk. 12:11, 12).
I then found myself in a sort of ‘out of body’ experience, as if I were standing next to the pulpit instead of in it. I spoke words I had not prepared to declare. I spoke for about a half hour, never consulting my notes, but ‘feeling’ a spiritual anointing like never before, but one familiar ever since.
Prayer, when deeply sincere, creates transcendence into the spiritual realm where actual communication with God becomes a reality. Unlike conventional thought, it is not a monologue, but a two-way discussion. What is heard is far more important than what is said. The reply answers the petitioner if a real expectation and anticipation is asserted.
In over 40 years of ministry, I’ve continued to trust the Holy Spirit to deliver His message – the ONLY message worthy of reciting. I realize that NOT every pastor conducts his ministry similarly. I do not think less of them, nor do I intend to infer that I am in any way superior. Merely to give testimony backed by decades of message deliveries in which I have sensed the leading and anointing of the Holy Spirit. All glory to Him ALONE!
Of course, I am the only one who can firmly know the truth of my testimony. I alone know that what has been spoken from my mouth was from a source apart from my ability to create. My congregants often ask, “how long did it take you to prepare that sermon”? As I comprehend the work of God in my life, the answer is always, “my whole life”. The message the Holy Spirit continues to deliver is the sum of my personal experiences with Him consistent with Scripture.
“The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” – Jn. 14:17. What God has done for me, in me, and through me, He wants to do for, in, through ALL true believers! I’m confident that ‘IB’ operates under a similar anointing.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Now that just perfectly said, MJ! God bless the pastors that toss out their notes and just let the Holy Spirit speak! I have laughed so many times, because God knows just what I am thinking and sometimes He actually tailors people’s words just for me. Often pastors don’t even know me, they have no idea what they have said or how it relates to me personally.
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Anna Waldherr said:
So true. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! ❤
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Citizen Tom said:
@IB
I expect one reason relatively few American Christians feel persecuted is that few actually live as Christians. We don’t live in obedience to Jesus. When we start denying ours and following Christ, we will understand this passage.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Amen,Tom. I suspect you are right. I lived a number of years kind of safely tucked in the closet, afraid to actually follow Jesus, at least not publicly,and for good reason. It does cost you something.
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Citizen Tom said:
@IB
Our Assistant Pastor preached on Matthew 10:16-25 today. That is what led to my comment.
In Matthew 10:16-25 Jesus told His disciples that they would persecuted for His sake. That led the Assistant Pastor to discuss why Christians are not persecuted in this country. He observed three things. 1. More persecution is beginning to take place.
2. We have lived in a special time and place where persecution has not been permitted.
3. Christians in America have not been effective in spreading the Gospel. There is not much reason to persecute ineffective Christians.
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insanitybytes22 said:
A hearty amen, Tom! I’m encouraged to hear your words because that’s an issue that’s been on my heart, too. Ouch, “there’s no reason to persecute ineffective Christians.” Isn’t that the truth? Half the time I think I should just learn to be more patient and they other half of the time I think I should just kick people in the pants. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. 🙂
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