RCCG Victory Temple Chantilly's Podcast

"Leave them; they are blind guides." Mt

15:14 NIV

There are plenty of good leaders around-don't be afraid to follow them. But what about the "blind guides" that Jesus talks about?

Here are some signs to help you identify and avoid them: (1) Inflexibility. True leaders have a teachable spirit and a servant's heart. They rejoice in your growth and aren't threatened by your development. They won't try to "keep you in the nest" when it's clear that you're ready to fly. (2) Elitism. Look out for the "we-alone-are-right" attitude. When someone can't acknowledge and fellowship with other members of God's redeemed family, something's wrong. The word exclusive is often another word for paranoid. (3)

Moneygrubbing. Here is God's standard for leadership: "Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve" (1Pe 5:2 NIV). The Bible also says good leaders are "worthy of double honour" (1Ti 5:17), which means twice as much. But look out for those who teach that you must only sow your seed into their field, and nowhere else. (4) Accountability. Beware of the untouchable, "-am-God's-anointed" types. No matter how gifted we are, we all have blind spots and need to be confronted and counseled from time to time. Solomon said, "Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up" (Ecc 4:10 NIV). Here is what Jesus said about the religious leaders of His day: "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit" (Mt

15:13-14 NIV). When choosing a leader, you don't need a blind prima donna; you need one with a servant spirit.

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"Teach them to your children and your grandchildren." Dt 4:9 NKJV

Let's read what God said to the parents who entered the promised land: "Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren" (v. 9 NKJV). Notice the progression here. First, "take heed to yourself." Next, "teach them to your children." Your ability to influence and mold your children is based on your credibility with them. When the principles you live by produce joy, peace, strength, kindness, discipline, and success, your children will begin to take you seriously. And you have a limited window of opportunity. There are skills that can be learned during early childhood that become much more difficult later on.

Have you ever wondered why it's so simple to teach preschoolers any language they hear?

And they can learn it perfectly, without even a trace of their own accent. Fifteen or more years later, they will have a much harder time attempting to make those same sounds. This is explained by a process called "phoneme contraction." The larynx of a young child assumes a shape needed to make any sounds he or she is learning to use. It then sets in those positions, making it impossible or challenging to make other sounds in later years. A child's attitude toward parental leadership is similar. That's why it's essential to "shape the will" during the preschool and early years by balancing unconditional love with consistent teaching and firmness at home. If you miss that opportunity, the adolescent years can be rougher than they need to be.

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"The seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how." Mk 4:27

NKJV

Have you sown a "seed" of faith, and now you're wondering when you will reap the

"harvest" God promised in His Word? If so, read on: "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (vv. 26-29

NKJV). Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages. First there is the "not knowing" stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen. Next comes the "blade" stage.

It's just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it's enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way. Next comes the "head" stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God's Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief. Finally you enter the "full grain" stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.

Whatever stage you're in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way.

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"He does our praying in and for us." Ro

8:26 MSG

Life can wear you down. You can get to the place where your anxiety runs so deep, or your stress levels increase so high that you can't think clearly. The problem or pain you're experiencing is so overwhelming that you can't put it into words. Good news: That's when the Holy Spirit living within you prays for you and through you. As you bring your burden to the Lord and kneel in His presence, a wonderful thing happens. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases it this way:

"God's Spirit is right alongside helping us...If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves...That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good" (vv. 26-

28 MSG). Because prayer is relational, the Holy Spirit will communicate your heart to God and His heart back to you. When you don't know how to pray-stay. Just remain in God's presence with your heart open, and He will communicate with you. "You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things" (1Jn 2:20 NKJV). Before God puts the answer in your head, He puts His peace in your heart. That's why prayer cannot be rushed. It's why taking the time to meditate and be still before God is so important. It allows the Holy Spirit to share God's thoughts with you so that you begin thinking His way.

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"With favor You will surround him as with a shield." Ps 5:12 NKJV

To have job security you should: (1) Increase your visibility in your industry. Establish contacts and relationships with others outside your company by attending local industry gatherings wherever possible. Your goal should not merely be to know enough to get by but to develop your skills so that you will get noticed and get ahead. When the time is right and you're ready, God will open doors for you. "For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield" (v. 12 NKJV). (2) Maintain a divine perspective on your job. Remind yourself that it is not the source of your security but simply one of many channels God can use to provide for you. Read the story of Elijah the prophet and how God miraculously provided for him through a raven, a brook, and a single mom with just enough food for one meal. God used four different streams to water the garden of Eden. So when you have an unmet need or a financial shortfall, ask Him to reveal different streams of income to you. And stand on these two promises: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Php

4:19). "God has not given us a spirit of fear [of losing your job], but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2Ti 1:7 NKJV). Fear and faith are powerful forces that seek to rule your life. One will take you in the wrong direction, the other will take you in the right direction. So, strengthen your faith by reading God's Word, praying, and entrusting the outcomes of your life to Him.

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"Do not merely listen to the word... Do what it says." Jas 1:22 NIV

A pastor writes: "The Latin word for 'listen' is where we get our word audit. When you audit a class, you take in lots of information, but you don't do anything with it. You don't do the homework, or if you do, you don't turn it in to get it graded. You don't take the tests. And you don't get any credit either. The same is true in our spiritual lives. You don't get credit for auditing Scripture. You've got to put it into practice. Every word of Scripture must be translated via obedience. In the Western world, we make a distinction between knowing and doing. But there was no such distinction in ancient Jewish thought.

Knowing was doing and doing was knowing. If you didn't do it, you didn't really know it.

Knowledge isn't enough. Truth must be translated with your life." James writes: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do" (vv. 22-25 NIV). God doesn't bless you because of what you know but because of what you do about what you know. So each time you come across a verse that tells you to do something, put it into practice that day.

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"With favor You will surround him as with a shield." Ps 5:12 NKJV

To have job security you should: (1) Increase your visibility in your industry. Establish contacts and relationships with others outside your company by attending local industry gatherings wherever possible. Your goal should not merely be to know enough to get by but to develop your skills so that you will get noticed and get ahead. When the time is right and you're ready, God will open doors for you. "For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield" (v. 12 NKJV). (2) Maintain a divine perspective on your job. Remind yourself that it is not the source of your security but simply one of many channels God can use to provide for you. Read the story of Elijah the prophet and how God miraculously provided for him through a raven, a brook, and a single mom with just enough food for one meal. God used four different streams to water the garden of Eden. So when you have an unmet need or a financial shortfall, ask Him to reveal different streams of income to you. And stand on these two promises: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Php

4:19). "God has not given us a spirit of fear [of losing your job], but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2Ti 1:7 NKJV). Fear and faith are powerful forces that seek to rule your life. One will take you in the wrong direction, the other will take you in the right direction. So, strengthen your faith by reading God's Word, praying, and entrusting the outcomes of your life to Him.

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"I can do everything through Christ." Php

4:13 NLT

Losing your job can be devastating. This is when you must keep the right perspective.

Having less doesn't make you a lesser person.

God still values you, and you must keep valuing yourself. The Christian life is one of trial and triumph. Paul writes: "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength" (vv. 12-13 NLT). What should you do when you're unemployed? (1) Reduce your expenses to the bare minimum. That may mean riding the bus or train, making your own lunch, and using other cost-saving measures.

(2) Take the stigma out of being unemployed.

Don't presume that people think less of you because you have lost your job. People generally respond to your situation in the same way you do. They will find your enthusiasm about your next move inspiring-even though you may not yet know what it is. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Ro

8:28 NKJV). Getting thrown into prison led to Joseph becoming prime minister of Egypt.

"The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you" (Dt 23:5 NKJV). God can reveal talents within you and connections around you and open the door to a level of blessing and success you never dreamed possible. So, trust Him and keep believing that your best days are ahead.

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"Jesus answered...'I also will ask you one thing.'" Mt 21:24 NKJV

Jesus often answered a question with a question. When asked about paying taxes, He took a coin and said, "Whose image and inscription is this?' They said to Him,

'Caesar's.!' And Jesus answered...Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at Him" (Mk 12:16-17 NKJV). It seems we're afraid of asking questions, and afraid of answering them. But God would much rather receive a genuine question born of humility than a disingenuous prayer born out of pride. We have to keep it real with God, and with one another. If we aren't talking about real problems people are facing, we are going to lose our prophetic voice. When people ask us, "Who is God? Who am I? What is the true purpose of my life?" they won't be satisfied with easy answers or clichés we have picked up along the way. God isn't intimidated by those questions. He loves them. Like the parent of a curious toddler, God occasionally laughs at our questions. But he always welcomes them. The church ought to be a safe place where people can ask dangerous questions. But all too often we're guilty of answering questions no one is even asking. We ought to be challenging the status quo, but all too often we're guilty of defending it. But what if? What if we stopped force-feeding answers and learned to unleash the primal curiosity in our churches? It's our curiosity regarding God that fuels an insatiable desire to know Him. So, let's keep asking questions, and encourage others to do the same.

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"It was three years before I went." Gal

1:18 MSG

God's direction will often be followed by a season of preparation. And the length of that season is determined by the size of your assignment. So when God speaks to you, it's not always wise to rush out and tell people.

Who wouldn't want to talk about the amazing experience Paul had with Christ on the Damascus road? And there would be a right time for Paul to do that-but not yet. So don't move until God gives you the green light.

Why? Two reasons: (1) You need time, maturing, and equipping so that the word you have received can take root within you, grow, and be fulfilled in the way God wants. (2)

Sometimes God takes time to prepare the hearts of those He is sending you to. Paul writes: "Immediately after my calling-without consulting anyone around me and without going up to Jerusalem to confer with those who were apostles long before I was -I got away to Arabia... It was three years before I went up to Jerusalem to compare stories with Peter...Then I began my ministry" (vv. 17-21 MSG). Paul knew people would find his calling unbelievable, and he had the wisdom to wait. He allowed God to go ahead of him and orchestrate the circumstances. And while he was waiting, he allowed the word he had received to grow and make changes in his life.

Then, and only then, did he start doing what he was called to do. Paul didn't try to convince anybody; he let God do that. And the end result? "Their response was to recognize and worship God because of me!"

(v. 24 MSG).

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