Armchair Quarterback

Watching two of my sons, and sometimes a third son, play the role as a football quarterback has been challenging, to say the least.  The pressure was surmounting at times because of the enormous responsibility of this position.  Year after year I have sat in the stands feeling like my heart was on the field along with my son because of the pressure of performance, hoping that I could somehow shield the projections of negativity when a play didn’t go as planned.  There were some years that I could literally hear the yells and tongue-lashing from on-lookers as they boldly shouted their opinions of how the pass or run should have been accomplished.  Many times the blame and accusation were pointed at him or even the coach, but no one knew the whole story of what really happened; not a clue about all the prep work, the diligence, the commitment, the sacrifice.  Behind the scenes, I would know the hours that had been put into studying not only the plays, but every position on the field so that he could lead the team effectively.  And later hearing stories that he would have to reteach the plays while out on the field because another player would forget, even after hours and hours of practice.  And yet, there was no begrudging about the necessity to do it.  The whole realization was that the bigger picture was to just win the game, and for even bigger goals, to win an entire championship.  

How many times have you been with a group of people watching a game on television and the screams of opinions start to roll?   Lofty ideas and strategies are thrown around the room of how they would accomplish the failed feat.  But for some reason, most of those people have never been in that position, or if they have, never to that level.  These commentators have been commonly referred to as “armchair quarterbacks”, offering instruction where they have no actual experience.

In light of this subject, doesn’t it appear to hold a similar connotation to the cannibalistic scrutiny of leaders in the church today?  They become dramatically enlightened by what God has done in their lives and set out to lead others in this Christian race.  They understand that it will take extra work and commitment to help ones that have a difficult time understanding the bible or this God thing.  In their zeal, they might take a risk to somehow bring about a huge advancement for the kingdom, all to find out that it wasn’t quite the right path to take.  It could have taken a little more time to seek wisdom and counsel, but the passion to win the lost and broken took over.  Yet, with a little adjustment of things like “repentance” and “going back to the prayer closet” and “seeking the counsel of many”, they start to lead their flock in a more efficient way so that the results can turn out for the maturity and growth of the collective. 

So often do we hear people completely disgusted with the slightest slip of character in a leader.  They are quick to bring about a final judgment of the matter. But how can this be when they have never filled those shoes?  Have they been able to pull back the invisible curtain called the spirit realm to see what kind of battle that leader was truly facing?

Many sit back in their own security of what I call a “hold the fort” mentality, but they have never committed to the work it will take to be in that position.  The work looks too hard and takes too much time. They are afraid of taking a risk or two because of the fear of what people will think. Or they’re afraid someone won’t approve of their leadership skills because they are different from the past skill set of a previous leader.  The possibility of failure looks too risky. But somehow, they seem to be a professional commentator and judge of a leadership situation, yet without concrete evidence or personal knowledge of the background story.

Some may study and analyze the theory of how to lead a group of people all day long, but they have never been put in the actual situation.  They have never considered that there is a real battle going on in an unseen realm; that there is a real enemy trying to shut every voice down attempting to lead someone to Jesus.   Like the “armchair quarterback” syndrome, they just want to criticize the ones that are trying to make a difference, and even dare to win big. 

There has to be accountability in leadership.  And as this age nears an end, it is becoming more needed.   But at the end of the day, there still has to be leadership.  It can’t be discarded.  The apostle Paul asked how people would hear the Truth without a preacher.  He said that God sent some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  Why?  In Ephesians 4:12-13 he said they were “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. 

There needs to be people that will partner with ones in authority.  Ones who will help speak into their lives without undercutting and selling them out because of jealousy, envy and offense; people that truly carry the heart of restoration, seeking the good of all.  The bible calls our actual enemy “the accuser” in the book of Revelation.  He is constantly accusing us before the throne day and night, hoping to find some way to bring us down in order to confuse and wear down the efforts of the saints.  He feverously desires to get us out of unity and to attack each other because he knows that “a housed divided against itself cannot stand”.  Could it be possible that we have been the host that carries the voice of the accuser?  Have we been the critical voice that the enemy used to bring about failure and defeat? What if the bigger picture is that we were the one getting insight into a leader’s weakness so that we would cover them, praying that the light of revelation would come inside of their minds so they could get back on course?  What if God had a plan for a whole city or region and wanted to raise up a strong leader to go ahead into dangerous territory to pave a pathway so others could follow?  And as a result, it would destroy the lies of the accuser, the evil one? 

We may not all be called or chosen to lead in front of a massive group of people, but we can join in the efforts of God’s heart to BE the Body of Christ, made up of different and unique parts.   We can come in behind a leader and help do our part by taking our prayer life seriously, backing them up, asking God to reveal what needs to be revealed and not what we want revealed.  Let us do our part in preserving the unity of the Spirit to keep the bond of peace.  Don’t fall into the trap of the “armchair quarterback”, living a vicarious life but never one with true commitment to the Father’s cause.  If we aren’t the chosen leader, we can find our place in prayer.  We never know what God will bring about as a result of our contribution.  Let’s fight the true enemy and not each other.  The world will only know us by our love.  That’s the real deal.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  1 Timothy 2:1-3

Julie

Wary of the Leaven

As the opposition from religious leaders heavily tried to hinder Jesus' first manifestation on earth, so it will be as we draw near to the second manifestation of Jesus' return. They constantly were scrutinizing every move He made and never could see past their traditions to understand the heart of what He was trying to accomplish. They were blinded to the idea that the Messiah could come in any other form than their presupposed notions. 

The days that we are living in will be no different.  Jesus said that no man is greater than His master.  If they hated Me, they will hate you.  But why would anyone hate Jesus?  Didn't the bible say He went about doing good?  There is only one conclusion to this mystery.  Satan hates anything that will displace his control, and he has his clutches of control in the seats of religious power.  Jesus displayed true power and authority through love.  Ones controlled by religious mindsets, self-preservation and a critical spirit do not operate in power because they have no love.  They are only acquainted with the law but are foreign to a relationship with God.  This same spirit is at work today and will hate you when you begin to manifest in Jesus' power.

When we truly become acquainted with Jesus, we will operate in the same manner that He did. We will displace the stronghold of power the enemy has in our lives by understanding our authority in Him and the greatness of His love. Once we are born again and cleansed by His Blood, we become the manifestation of Him on the earth. We become His Body, acting out the things we see Him do in the Word.  Jesus said He only did what He saw His Father doing, and in turn we live by the same principle...doing what we see Him do.

So what did Jesus say we would do?  His commission was for us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and do GREATER works than He did. His charge granted us all power and authority over the enemy.  He told us to win people over to Him by displaying His love and anointing through us. Some might say this is presumptuous and arrogant.  Then what did the Son of God pay for, being fully man and fully God?  Was it just salvation and someday heaven?  God sent Jesus to restore what Adam had lost.  What was his loss? Adam lost his DOMINION.  Hence, if Jesus paid the price for all that Adam had lost, which was our dominion over the earth, the curse and the enemy, it was given back to us through the finished work of the cross and His resurrection! Jesus said He came to destroy the works of the devil.  If we are to do greater works than Him, then certainly we were designed to destroy the works of the devil also. How did Jesus do this?  He confronted him, rebuked him and cast him out! And so must we!

After we are born again, we don't live as "sinners" anymore.  We live as heirs of a Kingdom.  This doesn't mean that we don't need to continue to cleanse our minds every day and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any wrong motives or sin that might try to sneak inside of us, but we don't continue to live in a slavery mentality.  We were slaves to sin and death before we were born into the Kingdom of God.  But when we ask Jesus to come into our heart (which is our spirit), we become a brand new creature.  We then become His child.  Our soul, which is made up of a combination of our mind, will and emotions, have to just catch up.  The three parts of our soul have to be transformed by the Word; by the way God thinks.  When it is, our soul will have dominion over our flesh, and we can live in the spirit of true life, which is a supernatural life. 

Religious spirits will attack you with guilt, shame, accusation and rejection to hold you back from taking authority over the enemy and just accepting your "lot in life".  What if your accepted "lot in life" is not the plan of God at all, and actually the enemy has held you or your family in bondage for decades or even centuries?  Do we just accept that way as normal and resolve that there is no hope for change until heaven?  Or do we dare hope that God could have a more prosperous way to live? Does He get tired of helping you each day as you learn to overcome this earthly realm while learning to wield the sword of His Word that is growing inside of you? Why do you think it is referred to as a weapon? It's to use against the accuser, the old serpent, the enemy of your very being!

Be wary of false voices that tell you that you must exist in any less than a supernatural life with God...the ones who project disgust and shame...the ones who want to hold their positions of power and don't want you to surpass them...the ones who want your outward works changed before your heart is changed. When ingested, their words leave you hopeless and defeated, not even desiring to try to overcome.  Through these voices, the lies of the enemy travel like wavelengths through your mind and make you believe you are powerless, ineffective and defeated.

So how does God bring you into His power? He writes on the tablets of your heart and changes you from the inside out.  His desire is to help you break through. He wants to know you personally and partner with you to change your atmosphere and the atmosphere of your entire domain. When He draws you by conviction of His spirit to detach from something unclean, it's not to condemn you.  It is to bring you into legal alignment with His perfect plan for your life; to bring you pure joy and peace. That’s what a true father does. He desires to give his children an inheritance of power and authority as they grow in responsibility.  There is no difference with our Heavenly Father.  In fact, how much more does He want to entrust the authority that Jesus walked in on the earth to you.  He doesn't want to beat you up.  He wants to GROW you up so you can maintain His power in love and not ingest the glory to yourself.  When He can get all the glory, then He can pour His miraculous power inside of you!  And He can then trust you to hold places of influence and become a light for all to see.

Why do you think the enemy doesn't want you to know what power you have available to you? When you learn and start to walk in it, he loses.


From the words of Jesus... “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.   Luke 12:1-2

Julie

Due Time

Back in the early 90’s our family was going through a season of great uncertainty and a complete career shift. God had asked my husband and me to step down from full-time ministry after being youth pastors for six years and senior pastors for almost three years.  The closest reason we could think of why the Lord would ask this of us was the same purpose that Jesus had to be led into the wilderness.  In the beginning stages of this season, we went through immense confusion and unrest.  There were many times we were misunderstood, rejected, betrayed and despised.  This not only came from on-lookers but from many of our closest allies.  Many times I would think, “If there was just some way to open up the invisible realm of our hearts and let them see what’s really in there, they wouldn’t have this judgment about us.”  To say the least, our faith was extremely tested.

There was one particular day that I had just gotten home from an event and was so frustrated.  I went to the laundry room to start a load of dirty clothes and remember thinking, “God, I just can’t do this anymore.  Why would you even allow this?”  Tears that I had cried so many times weren’t even possible anymore.  All the pain had just settled into anger and revenge.  It was not more than a millisecond when I heard the voice of the Lord speak back to me and say, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and in due time He will exalt you.”  Wow…something supernatural flooded into me that day.  It started a resolve in my inner being to cling to Him and to not put my trust in man or his ability to promote me. 

Needless to say, after thinking this “wilderness sabbatical” would only last maybe six months, we were kept there for six years under the direction of the Lord’s loving voice.  Over time our situation became easier and easier.  We adjusted to not defending ourselves and learned to completely rely on God for our defense; learning to put our entire trust in Him for every single move and decision we made.  The Holy Spirit took us through a rigorous fine-tuning of motives in great depth, stripping us of anything that we could have taken the credit for or could have shown to be our own accomplishment of strength.  And ultimately we learned the foundational truth that we could not do anything unless we heard our Father tell us so.  Sound familiar?  Didn’t Jesus Himself say, “I only do what I see my Father doing.”?

Fast forward to our most recent years, the wisdom of the Lord in His development of our lives and calling has become astounding.  We are able to hear the voice of God in much greater capacity.  We don’t make the same mistakes we used to with our actions or our words.  Our relationships exist in love and understanding and not in manipulation.  We are able to see now who people really are on the inside before they even realize who they are because we were emptied of accusation and judgment.  Where we had very few friends in our past, we now have an abundance of family, friends and partnerships that we allowed the Lord to bring into our lives when He was ready.  The desires of our hearts are finally coming true.

I find myself saying over and over, “Isn’t God smart?!”  To most of us that would seem like a “DUH”??  But when we truly wait and surrender to what God wants to do in us, even when it seems like it should go faster, we yield a much greater reward of joy and peace.  We begin to exist in contentment, confidence, and love.  Our need to control everything around us dissipates, and the Lover of our soul finally becomes all we need.

Be encouraged by this today.  You may have powerful ideas and dreams inside of you.  Your whole existence seems driven by it.  Day by day it grows and expands.  But without the container of character and the love of God, you will never be able to fully accomplish it.  Our Father wants you to become more than you know.  He made you.  And He’s actually pretty excited about who you are about to become if you can dare to give Him your self-will, self-reliance and man-made power.  His ways of training you for your harvest are higher than earthly ways.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  Galatians 6:9

Julie