Commissioned To Lead

Eve saw the fruit and took it. Achan saw the spoils of Jericho and took them. David saw Bathsheba and sent for her. When the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus saw them and refused. Years later, the apostle John gave that pattern a name.

In Part 2 of our study on the temptation of Jesus, we read 1 John 2:12-17 and look at the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life (the “lust of the flesh” and “lust of the eyes” in the KJV). Set next to Luke 4, they line up with the wilderness temptations in the same order: the bread, the kingdoms, and the pinnacle of the temple.

We talk about why desire itself is not sin, and how a God-given need met apart from the Father becomes a statement about who we are. We look at how comparison tempts us to collect our inheritance early from someone else’s hand. And for those of us who lead, we get honest about how the pride of life slips into our plans when we start asking God to bless what we built on our own.

John’s answer is good news. Those who overcome the world believe Jesus is the Son of God, and by faith, his victory becomes ours.

If you missed Episode 9, start there first. This episode builds on it.

Scripture in this episode: 1 John 2:12-17, Luke 4:1-13, Genesis 3:6, Joshua 7:21, 2 Samuel 11, John 4:34, James 4:13-16, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 5:4-5

Reflection question: What legitimate need am I trying to meet on my own right now?

After forty days in the wilderness, the enemy's first question to Jesus was, “If you are the Son of God.” In this episode of Commissioned to Lead, Angela Buckland walks through Jesus' temptation in Luke 4 and shows how the enemy still presses on the same places in us today. Identity, inheritance, and influence are the pillars of this show, and they are exactly where Satan went after Jesus.

You’ll see how Jesus succeeded where Adam and Israel failed, why every answer He gave came from Deuteronomy, and what “it is written” sounds like for a woman who feels pressure to prove her calling or rush God’s timing. Angela also speaks to the rejection and scarcity wounds that make these temptations land so hard, and points us to Christ Himself as our inheritance.

You’ll leave with a simple practice for this week: name the lie, find the verse, and speak back what your Father has already said.

Scripture: Luke 4:1–21, Deuteronomy 6 and 8, Psalm 2, Psalm 91, Hebrews 4:15, Ephesians 1, Galatians 4, 1 John 3:1, Luke 15, Luke 22:29

Mentioned: Episode 4, “Identity Theft”

Why do we drift back to performing for God after he has already called us his children? In Part 2 of my conversation with Lauren Tonge, we open Galatians and talk about the pull to live like a slave to the law instead of a son or daughter of God.

Lauren teaches Bible context at Bethlehem Church, and she explains the ancient suzerain-vassal treaty behind the Old Testament covenant. She covers the blessings and curses that depended on Israel's loyalty, and why Paul tells the Galatians those stipulations have been fulfilled in Christ. Then she names what sends most of us back to the old way of thinking: suffering. When life hurts, we assume we did something wrong and start trying to earn our way back.

We also talk about the Roman patron-client system, Roman adoption of adults as heirs, and what it means that God chose you, adopted you, and paid your debt through the blood of Jesus. Lauren shares how understanding adoption gave her hope after years of hearing truth without believing it. We close with confession, unbelief, and the joy that belongs to God's children through the Holy Spirit.

In this episode:

• Galatians 4 and 5: freedom in Christ vs. returning to the law
• Suzerain-vassal treaties and the covenant explained simply
• Why suffering pushes us back into a performance mindset
• Roman adoption, inheritance, and our identity as heirs
• Identity, inheritance, and influence in the temptation of Jesus
• "I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24) and the power of confession

Scripture: Galatians 4:1–7, Galatians 5:1, Galatians 5:22–23, Ephesians 1:3–6, John 10:28–29, Romans 8:11, Mark 9:24, Matthew 4:1–11, Matthew 5:14–16

Missed Part 1? Go back to Episode 7: Chosen for a Purpose.

When Paul wrote about adoption, his readers didn't picture a rescued orphan. In the Roman world, adoption was usually for adult men. A wealthy father with no living heir would weigh a candidate's family and debts, then legally choose him to carry the family name and estate. That context changes how we hear Romans 8 and Galatians 4. God didn't adopt you out of pity. He chose you on purpose, paid your debts through the blood of Christ, and made you His heir.

In this episode of Commissioned to Lead, Angela Buckland welcomes her first guest, seminary student and Bible teacher Lauren Tonge, for a conversation on identity and inheritance. Lauren shares how learning the background of Roman adoption finally made "Abba, Father" make sense after years of hearing the words without believing them.

Together they talk about:

• What Roman adoption meant for Paul's original audience
• Why Paul calls himself a slave of Christ, and how that fits with being a son or daughter
• What Galatians 4 teaches about moving from slave to heir
• Why suffering pulls us back toward performance and fear of punishment
• How covenant gives assurance of salvation that doesn't depend on our feelings
• Practical ways to name and put away the old patterns you inherited (1 Peter 1:18)

If you've struggled with shame, wondered whether you're truly saved, or felt like you're always groveling for mercy you already have, this conversation will help you rest in the gospel and live like a child of the King.

A podcast for Christian women on influence: why being overlooked doesn't cancel your calling and how the Great Commission gives your everyday work eternal purpose.

Have you ever run the whole event and watched someone else get the credit? Or served in the same seat for years, only to see the new girl asked to lead? In episode six of Commissioned to Lead, Angela Buckland unpacks influence, the third pillar of the show. God created us to influence and be influenced, and that longing to be seen points to something real. But when we try to fill it with recognition, we end up unsatisfied every time.

Angela walks through Philippians 2, where Jesus refused to grasp the influence that was rightfully His, and shows how He gave it away to the twelve, then the seventy-two, and then poured out His Spirit on all believers at Pentecost. You'll hear the difference between a platform you have to build and defend and a commission you receive from Christ. Whether you're running payroll or doing homework at the kitchen table, the Great Commission in Matthew 28 gives your work a purpose nobody can take from you. Stop waiting for a title. You've already been commissioned.

Your inheritance in Christ is anchored in a Person. Angela Buckland on the scarcity wound that keeps women leaders grasping, and what changes when you lead like an heir.

Your identity shapes how you lead, whether you realize it or not. In this episode of Commissioned to Lead, Angela Buckland asks the question most of us avoid: Am I listening more to what the world says about me than what God says about me? We look at why personality tests can't answer that question, what Scripture means when it says your life is hidden with Christ, and why a woman whose identity is secure in Christ is safe to lead and safe to follow. Identity precedes behavior. If you're leading from a wound, this one is for you.

Jacob spent his life scheming for a blessing he already had. Angela Buckland walks through Genesis 25 to 32 and the famous wrestling match at the Jabbok River to show what it looks like to stop striving for the identity, inheritance, and influence you were already given in Christ.

Still waiting for permission to lead? Angela Buckland traces the Creation Mandate in Genesis 1 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28 to show the assignment was never withheld from women.

Afraid to use your leadership gifts? Angela Buckland unpacks Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, and why "waiting on God" is sometimes fear wearing better vocabulary.