[Nia]

I agree with @michael in that it is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that sets us apart from the nonbeliever. Prophetic leadership is not self-serving or about status or position, it is about humbly yielding to the direction and strategies of the Spirit. I am reminded of so many Scriptures that tell us the Holy Spirit is a Helper, the importance of being filled with and led by the Spirit and the distinction between wisdom that comes from God versus human understanding… the Bible is so clear about these things and yet sometimes we view “leadership” as something that’s taught in schools or a natural gift that some people have and others don’t. But this lens of prophetic leadership shows me that anyone who is filled with the Spirit has the capacity to be a leader of men.

[Nia]

Wow, Jesus exercised such discipline in his obedience. Imagine how easily he could have been distracted by the constant demands from people and situations that may have appeared to be worth his time if he only operated with human judgement. We absolutely need discernment from the Holy Spirit to know when to respond to certain demands or not.

[Nia]

Thanks for this overview @michael! I typically expect God to speak through Scriptures or the inner voice but it’s true that there are so many ways to hear God. Now that I think about it, many of my profound moments with God happen in nature There’s something about the beauty and the freedom of being in the midst of trees or near water helps me to be open to hear God, and I’m usually reminded of scriptures when I’m outside exploring nature.
Thank you for pointing out how the enemy can use any of these means to fool us into believing a lie or half-truth. I think that’s why reading the Bible every day is so important, so that we aren’t confused by a single word or verse taken out of context. The more you read the Bible, the more you pray, the more you humble yourself before God and allow Him to lead you, the easier it is to tell when something sounds off. As His sheep, we learn to hear and trust our Shepherd’s voice and continue to follow Him over time (John 10:27). And even when we misinterpret or misunderstand, God is patient with us. As long as we keep seeking Him, His Spirit will ultimately lead us into all truth (John 16:13). That to me is the beautiful part of sanctification – what we don’t know or what we misunderstand today will be revealed as we continue to walk with Him.

[Nia]

I love this post @philip. I think it’s so important to yield to the Holy Spirit in identifying and implementing solutions to the problems that bother us. For me, it often doesn’t feel like a “burning desire” to do something big (although I have one or two of those). On any given day, it’s usually a little nudge from the Holy Spirit. It starts with a simple thought or idea that comes to mind, and then I sometimes forget it, and some days later it will come back to mind… and at some point I realize it’s a God idea that is here to stay and I finally act on it 😂
Like at my job, we all received a copy of a new book written by our CEO last Fall. After that, I started to hear that different pockets of people were forming groups to read it and talk about it together. Nobody invited me to join a group and I started to feel left out. Then I had an idea to start my own group. After a week or two of it just existing as an idea in my mind, I decided to do it and put together a book study plan. Then I extended the study group invitation to other minority women coworkers. That’s when I realized so many people had also felt that need, and were so happy someone took the initiative to start something and actually invite them. They have all shared testimonies of how our time together has helped them to learn more about themselves, and feel more comfortable expressing their experiences and beliefs. It’s been a space for those of us who haven’t felt heard or seen for who we are to find our voice… which is far more payoff than I expected! And as a result, I’ve since been invited into conversations with other leaders about how to increase diversity of thought in our workplace, and help ensure the company’s principles and values are actually being practiced so that people can thrive at work. And it all started with a little idea!

[Nia]

Thanks for the post @michael ! A major reason that I get distracted from the perfect image of myself in “the mirror” is that I’m not consistently in the Word and in prayer, like what Philip alluded to. I think the best thing we can do to overcome the distraction is to protect our time spent studying the Bible and praying. And then outside of that dedicated time, it’s important to take responsibility for the quality of our thought life (2 Cor 10:5). Recently, I’ve felt pretty down about myself because I was feeling overwhelmed and frankly quite incapable of handling the responsibilities before me. It’s not that God or anyone else told me this directly, but I just allowed doubts and fears to creep into my mind and my emotions followed suit. Sometimes the solution is more “consecration” or time spent alone with God. But sometimes there’s just poor management of your actual day-to-day perspective, thoughts and activities, and that needs to be fixed too.

I’m reminded of the manufacturing industry where quality assurance and quality control are both essential measures in the manufacturing process. Quality assurance is the proactive means of ensuring the right process is in place to produce good products, whereas quality control is the more in-time/reactive aspect of inspecting the products as they are manufactured to make sure they’re actually good before they are sent to distribution. In our own lives, we can do our own quality assurance by being proactive about time we invest in prayer, study of the Word, relationship with other believers, etc. This helps us to keep the right mirror before us, staying focused on what God is saying, and making sure we’re using his Word to direct our motives, thoughts and actions. But we are also responsible for quality control – this looks like inspecting our thoughts and rejecting the ones that don’t align with God’s Word. It also involves confessing when our actions don’t line up with God’s Word. Or adjusting our tone or our words based on the Holy Spirit’s leading. It’s the choices we make every moment. Because we all know that we can wake up early for prayer and devotions, and within 30 minutes we’re frustrated with a spouse or a child or exploding at someone as we drive in traffic! 😅 It’s the consistent quality control that keeps us grounded in reality and connected to God throughout the day.

[Nia]

Thanks, @Michael! Great post and questions.
Simply put, the biggest challenge to my morning devotion routine is waking up on time and staying awake! It’s always been a struggle for me because I am naturally a night person. Most recently, motherhood has exacerbated the challenge because I am more physically tired when I’m pregnant or nursing through the night. Like you mentioned, any time your life and work responsibilities/schedule changes, it can easily impact your piety if you’re not intentional about being consistent.
As far as tips… I’ve found that in addition to consistently dedicating time, it’s helpful to be open to trying different things in my one-on-one time with God. Sometimes that looks like reading a chapter in the Bible and praying for the day, other times it’s a Greek/Hebrew word study, using a devotional or study, or listening to the audio bible, or making declarations over myself, or spending time to journal my prayers to God or what I hear God saying… I’ve found that my devotion time looks different in different seasons and that’s okay. Years ago I had consistent times of extended worship, praying in the Spirit, and Bible study. I haven’t been in that flow for a while now but I still remember it and I recognize the fruit of that time… I’m just in a different life season now.
Some may disagree… but I think the discipline of spending time alone with God isn’t so much about the specific activities I do or the order I do them or the precise amount of minutes or hours… it’s about consistently making time and space for intimate communion with Him. When it’s not just about checking boxes on a spiritual to-do list, but it’s meaningful time that ultimately strengthens my walk with God, then I consider it a “success”.

[Nia]

This is a wonderful exhortation @michael ! Thank you for sharing and persevering to get this post to us. I can totally relate to feeling inadequate in leadership/calling or getting caught up in perceived failure. I think it’s common for a “mature” Christian to be so motivated to do awesome things for God, but we easily forget it’s God working in us to accomplish those things! I’m reminded so often of the prayer Paul prays for the church of Ephesus at the end of Eph. 3 and he closes with “Now unto Him who is able to do infinitely more than we could ask or imagine according to His power at work within us…”

I agree with @phil4krist that Paul was a great example in the Bible of a leader who accomplished so much as a result of His commitment to obeying God and being led by the Spirit in all decisions. I think of Paul as the kind of guy who had incredible mastery over his mind. He knew he needed to be focused and even when he was tempted to doubt himself (I think of Romans 7), he didn’t let it defeat him… he always came back to the truth of what God says and continued on the path God had for him.

[Nia]

Absolutely! You summed it up well. Innovation isn’t just a carnal thing. We’ve talked in previous discussions about God being the ultimate Creator and how we are “creators” because we are made in His image. The way that humanity has innovated over the years is a reflection of that… that’s why I’m inspired by any example of innovation that improves the quality of people’s lives – to work smarter, not harder as some would say. I love to hear new ideas from believers and non-believers alike – we are all creative by nature. But as believers, we have the supernatural ability to be led by the Spirit to create and innovate… those of us who make up the church have the opportunity to create the best innovations out there!

[Nia]

Great examples, Feng! It’s true that virtual work saved us a lot of commuting costs (time, energy and money)! When you mentioned the money saved on gas, it made me remember the financial implications of commuting! People will not only have to adjust their mindsets to go back to working in person but they’ll also have to adjust their budgets! And like you mentioned, this app has been incredible for us to stay connected and continue to grow spiritually.

[Nia]

Co-operation versus obedience! Wow, what an important distinction.

[Nia]

I love this @marlin!

[Nia]

That’s a great testimony @feng! When life gets busy or stressful, it’s easy to forsake fellowship but I’m glad you’ve learned to prioritize it and can see the benefits in your life.

[Nia]

@michael, this is a great example of taking initiative to innovate at work! Many people would assume that if they don’t hold a leadership title, there’s no need to bother coming up new ideas and solutions that would help their place of work. But the Kingdom way is different… well done.

[Nia]

Absolutely! Walking in faith is critical. Your response reminded me of this song we used to sing in church based on Psalm 27: https://youtu.be/3T28PDBICtI

[Nia]

😃