You get stronger when you lift weights. If you run away from any of the pain points in leadership, you won’t get stronger in them. You will only get stronger when you press through them. Today we are pulling an episode from the archives, the Pain of Leadership.

Leadership is ministry; it’s serving. Today we are pulling an episode from the archives, the Privilege of Leadership. The God of Heaven, the God that spoke the galaxies into existence, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the sender of the Holy Spirit trusts you to do great things in His Name. We need to treat that like it is a privilege all the time.

God wants to release the Holy Spirit through His Church–not just when we are gathered together, but when we are out and about throughout the week. Scripture promises that “these signs shall follow those who believe.” But if there is no believing, there is nothing to follow. When there is nothing to follow, there will be no signs and wonders. Who is the person in your life who is waving their arms because they are open? Pray. Be aware. And then act in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The culture cannot dictate the design that God has for the family unit.

The world is ruthless and the standard has been lowered. The enemy wants to take out the masculine definition of protection and providing. We need men who are going to stand up to provide and lead their families. Ask yourself: What do we want our families to look like and are our actions leading to that desired outcome?

If you want to follow Jesus, survival of self is not guaranteed.

To follow Jesus, we must be willing to pick up our cross and follow Him wherever He leads. Denial is the reality of courageous men. What you say yes to and what you say no to are the seeds of your destiny. When was the last time you said no to your flesh?

Courage is contagious, when a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others often stiffened. –Billy Graham

Fear is a reaction, but courage is a decision. When we make that decision, we need to acknowledge our fears, accept responsibility, and activate a plan of action so that we can move forward in obedience to the Lord.

Don’t just cut off the giant’s head. Display it and testify of what God has done.

The enemy would rather steal the seed than chop down the forest. But we can turn the moment into momentum by celebrating what God is doing. When God is doing something, we need to seal it with the word of our testimony.

When you obey God, there is always a blessing from God. But often, obedience yields a negative reward from men. Courage allows us to focus on obedience and standing for Truth instead of focusing on the ramifications of that obedience.

You will repeat what you replay. Who are you listening to? What are you listening to? Are you feeding yourself something that is poisoning you? Fear comes by hearing the word of the devil. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. 

Where have you lost your anointing? Where have you lost your edge? When we aren’t doing the things we once did (giving, serving, sharing, pursuing the Lord), we can go back to the point where we lost it and get it back. It may not be easy to get to. But through humility and repentance, we can go back, take responsibility, and pick up that ax head.