The further along I get into this pastor gig…the less answers I have & the more questions that I ask. Recently I made a list of eight questions I feel like I always need to keep in front of me…its helping me and I pray it may do the same for others.
#1 - “What if this Sunday was the last sermon I ever got to preach?”
Dear pastor, STOP…and read that again. Think about it…wrestle with it, seriously, allow that question to consume you for the rest of the day.
If THIS SUNDAY were the last time the Lord allowed you to preach…what would you say? How would you say it? What fear would you let go of? (Hmm…maybe someone needs to scrap the sermon they had originally planned for this Sunday & just go for it!)
Two weeks ago I made the decision that I am going to preach every sermon like it is my last…because…reality is I don’t know when my last sermon is going to be…and I don’t want to EVER leave the platform full of regret.
My prayer every Sunday is that God will absolutely set me on fire…and that I will speak clearly and full of conviction. Galatians 1:10 is very real to me…and I want to honor Jesus by saying everything I feel like He’s put in me to say.
Pastor…if Jesus puts it in you…you’ve got to speak it…otherwise you are “burying your talent,” and all of us know how that story ends!
One more thing…the goal of a message like this should be to lead the sheep…not beat them. Just something to keep in mind.
#2 - Am I waiting on God to do something for me that He has clearly asked me to do?
Let me be very clear…the term “waiting on God” really ticks me off because…well…it basically says, “I am so fast that I outran God…and now I am waiting on the Almighty to catch me!”
Uh…that has NEVER happened!
We don’t wait on God…He waits on us! (By the way…He’s outside of time…He doesn’t have to wait!)
So many pastors use the term “waiting on God” in order to remain passive in their leadership decisions. It may work with others…but not so much with Him!
I was reading the book of Joshua the other morning when God told Joshua, “Hey man, the land is yours…but I am not going to ‘do it all’ for you…you’ve got to TAKE IT!” Joshua was NOT waiting on God…but rather had to get to a place where He could embrace all that God has planned for him before he was even born.
Pastors…leadership requires that we take action, not be passive and hope that by some miracle that God will handle the situation that He has given us clear direction on.
God told Joshua to go in and take the land…and went ahead of him as he moved in obedience to God’s direction…and He expects the same from us as well.
When we “wait” on things to happen…we play defense…and God has called us to play offense.