Thursday, November 14th, 2024
Today, I am going to continue on in the passage of scripture from the last blog and I want to add in one more aspect that God highlighted to me. 1 Sam 13:22 says this:
22 So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
As we learned last time the Philistines (the Israelite’s enemy) had learned to control the Israelites by not allowing them to make swords or spears. As this scripture shows us Saul and Jonathan were the only ones that actually had swords to battle with. As I read that scripture, I felt a little bit like it was unfair, but I also felt there was a point to discuss there regarding how some of us feel about church leadership.
I think in some churches/denominations the prevailing thought is that only pastors or other church leadership has a good enough standing with God and/or the authority to deal with the powers of darkness. I too used to think this way. I used to believe that my only hope was when someone in church leadership prayed over me or heard from God for me. While there are times when we certainly need elders to pray over us and give us prophetic words, the problem comes in when we think they are the only ones that hear from God or the only ones that can help us. We have turned God into a human. A true mentor is someone who doesn’t become God for you but shows you how to seek God for yourself.
God wants all of us to know that we can all hear from Him and we all have authority over the rulers of darkness. We are all called to put on our armor and battle in the wars God calls us to. He wants us to seek Him first instead of running to our pastors, our elders, our friends or our spouses. That’s sort of a hard sentence to type, but Matthew 6:33 is clear:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
It doesn’t say seek our pastor’s righteousness; it says to seek God’s righteousness. We all go through seasons where we need our brothers and sisters in Christ. I am by no means discouraging us from being in community. That is exactly the opposite of what the Bible says. What I am really wanting to drive home is the fact that the same God that dwells in our pastors and elders is the same God that dwells in us. There is no special indwelling because of our title, our age or the size of our ministry.
Final Thoughts…
Learning how to seek God for myself is one of the best spiritual muscles I have ever trained. Until we understand the level of intimacy that God desires with us, we will wander around from one pastor to the next or one self-help book to another trying to find that thing that will set us free. Take some time today and sit in silence with God. Ask Him to fill the room with His presence and you with His love. You will quickly experience the Psalm that says one day in the courts of God is better than 1,000 elsewhere.