Leader Lab with Andy Bruce

If we don’t know who our enemy is and how God has already equipped us to withstand the enemy’s advances, then our leadership and our influence could very well be short lived, or at the very least, we could take too many hits from the evil one that aren’t necessary. In this episode, we’re talking about 2 names found in the BIble for Satan - really important ones since they inform us big time about Satan’s tactics that he uses on you and me. Then we get really practical about a major step to take to begin to secure your mind - which is Satan’s battle field. This is good stuff; take a listen!

The Bible uses a lot of names for Satan, and for good reason. The names of Satan tell us about his character, his nature, and his tactics. Take a listen to a few names of Satan and what they tell us about who he is and how he operates. Then, let’s talk about 4 promises God makes when it comes to his role in spiritual warfare.

Some leaders believe that when it comes to Satan, if they avoid him, he will avoid them. Wrong! That’s not how spiritual warfare works. So instead of avoiding the enemy, today’s podcast describes the origins and motives of Satan. Because in order to handle spiritual warfare, you need to know your enemy.

As leaders, we face challenges. We do hard things. Making hard decisions, having hard conversations, working with hard people, leading with hard people, not having enough resources, hard things happening at home, getting our feelings hurt. But. There’s a whole other element to leadership and life that all too often catches us off guard: spiritual warfare. Today, Andy unpacks how Satan blindsided her and the tactics he used to do it. You will here her experience with the evil one’s lies, her internal and external process, lots of mistakes that were made, a few things she’s learned, and what Scripture has to say.

God uses vision to invite us into our callings. And to step into our calling, we have to be ready to say to God, whatever He asks. How do we do this? It starts with understanding how to respond to God when He gives you vision. In today’s episode Andy shares one of the most significant moments in her life - when God gave her vision… which has turned out to be her calling. Take a listen to hear how letting the vision simmer, inflating and deflating the vision, writing the vision, telling the vision back to God, the time test, and submitting to the vision played major parts in stepping into not just vision, but calling.

We’re talking about how on earth to articulate the vision God gave you. My friends, this is not easy. How do you capture what God showed you? How do you put into words what He spoke to you? Because think about it. For most people, when God comes and gives them His vision, there usually aren’t words. There are thoughts. There’s an idea. There’s an understanding. But often there are no words. And we need words - accurate words so we can make sense of the vision God spoke to us. Because until you understand what God told you, you can’t share it with others, you can’t allow God into new places, and you can’t submit to the Spirit who wants to do new work in you.

The primary reason why articulating the vision matters is so YOU can understand the vision. Today’s podcast is super practical and filled with stories and ideas to get you started.

It’s getting good on the podcast today! We’re talking about big stuff. “How do you know if something is from God or if you’re just making it up?”  Because if you’ve ever received a vision from God, it feels like you’re losing your mind. Right? One second you’re like, “I KNOW this is from God,” and the next second you're like, “Why am I always making things up? That wasn’t real. Wait. Was it?” Which is why you feel somewhat like you’re going crazy.

Scripture says to test and approve what God’s will is, which is awesome. But literally, how do you do that? Well, that’s what we’re talking about on the podcast today.

Click the “Listen Now” button to get in on some super simple, and extremely practical ways, for you to know if it’s from God or if it’s just you.

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Melissa Dunn’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to videos about how to read the Bible and love it.

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I’m really excited about today’s podcast because we’re talking about big stuff: 3 common mistakes women make when it comes to vision. Yup! This is big stuff. The reason this is big stuff is because I know how deeply you want God to speak to you and use you to expand His Kingdom. Yet, I also know how common it is for women to receive vision from God and then… things don’t work out. And then the enemy uses that against them. And then she loses confidence and believes God doesn’t really have something specific for her life. No way is that true. So let’s move past what FEELS true and into what IS true.

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Last week we started talking about vision and leadership development, and research. And guess what I forgot to do? I forgot to fill you in on why this podcast is making a turn to focus more on character and calling development! Ugh, whoops! My mistake! 

Here’s the plan for today’s podcast. We’re going to pick up where we left off last week and keep talking about vision, specifically women and vision. Instead of being inundated by popular culture's definition of vision, let's look at what Scripture tells us about vision. Why does God give it? To whom? And how? Because if you and I, as Christ-following women who are committed to living a fruitful, purposeful, passionate life for Christ, are intended or invited by God to receive a vision, then we must get over our fears about vision. It’s that simple.

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Those who listen to this podcast are part of a not-so-secret group of women. We want God to speak to us, inspire us, and equip us to passionately and joyfully live our God-given callings. There’s probably no argument there, right? BUT, what if you’re part of a secret group of women that’s so secretive that you don’t even know you’re in it? Take a listen to what the research says about women and vision and decide for yourself if you are in the majority of women who get suspicious about vision, or if you're in the minority of women who has come to terms with vision. Then let’s combe through reasons why you might duck and cover from God and vision from Him.

If you haven’t checked out Truth Groups, it’s the funnest, deepest, most authentic way I’ve studied the Bible with friends. You won’t believe how SIMPLE it is to read the Bible and go deeper than you ever thought possible. A new journal study just dropped on the Holy Spirit. Check it out! Here’s the link:

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Here’s the primary study referred to in today’s podcast called, “Women and the Vision Thing.”

http://storage.ugal.com/3066/womenthe-vision-thing.pdf

Here are a few good reads about women, vision, and leadership:

Define Your Personal Leadership Vision - Harvard Business ...https://hbr.org › 2008/08 › title

https://www.barna.com/research/christian-women-today-part-1-of-4-what-women-think-of-faith-leadership-and-their-role-in-the-church/

Brue, K. L., & Brue, S. A. (2016). Experiences and outcomes of a women's leadership development program: A phenomenological investigation. Journal of Leadership Education, 15(3), 75-97. doi:1012806/V15/I3/R2