The world perceives the church as an observer and a “yes-man” for government leaders. They don’t take the church seriously in shaping society’s values. This is in direct contrast to Mary, Queen of Scots, who said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than I fear all the armies on the face of the…
To see prosperity and influence, one must acknowledge God’s reign, confess sins, exalt Him, humble yourself, trust His sovereignty and protection, and worship the King of Kings. Then God’s kingdom will come in His time to remove prideful leaders and enable you to endure trials. Acknowledge God’s Reign and Confess SinsDaniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar in…
Obadiah’s prophecy provides guidelines to help people pursue high impact ministry by renouncing pride, getting involved when the world attacks Christians and refuse to look down or boast when your brother suffers. Wait for God’s holiness to possess and rule in His assigned territory. The next book, Jonah, provides an example of how to be…
In order to spread God’s glory and holiness in your city, reject idols and pride, see God’s glory, grieve over evil, speak God’s word, trust God for new heart, and communicate object lessons to motivate obedience. Reject Confidence in Money, Idols and PrideThe Lord told Ezekiel that the end came to Israel with judgment,…
The benefits of recognizing your powerlessness and God’s power in city-wide kingdom ministry include:1. Preserve unity of spirit by listening to counsel of older mentors2. Resist subjection to unrighteous leaders by resisting over-confidence and pride3. Defeat spiritual enemies by calling upon God as your leader4. Prevent men from prevailing by recognizing His power5. Be rewarded…
“In the upshot there is only one answer for the preacher who wonders whether he is worthy to preach the sermon he has composed or for the writer who wonders whether he is worthy to write the religious book he is working on. The answer is: Of course not. To ask yourself: Am I worthy…
“Satan’s arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt, and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace, you have war. Conversely, wherever…
Cindy Jacobs in her book, “Possessing the Gates of the Enemy,” quoted Ed Silvoso’s definition of a stronghold: “a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes the believer to accept as unchangeable something that he/she knows is contrary to the will of God.” Rights we have to give up in order to tear down strongholds: The…
Churches and ministries often emphasize one aspect of disciplemaking, but blessing is minimized because they don’t follow God’s blueprint completely. Some examples of imbalance in disciplemaking include: 1. Personal glory and pride instead of releasing control and humility 2. Pastor or teacher gift apart from the offices of apostle, prophet and evangelist 3. Teaching without mentoring 4. Mentoring without teaching 5….
“The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependant upon God, and know it” (Alan Redpath). The last two chapters in Leviticus show how disobeying God through pride and independent spirit results in both personal and city-wide tragedy, but obeying God through confession of sin and complete…