Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

27 Mar 2023

Facing Hardship

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. Acts 21:10-15 NIV

Paul was coming to the end of his third missionary tour. It had been a long four years of service, with most of it in Ephesus. God had given amazing fruitfulness (see Acts 19:10), but now it was time to return to Jerusalem. The prophet Agabus, moved by the Holy Spirit, foretold of Paul’s impending arrest and imprisonment by the Gentiles. Not exactly an exciting future!

We note Paul’s response compared to his companions. They assumed that this arrest and imprisonment was something to be avoided at all cost. They pleaded with Paul, seeking to influence him to change his mind about returning to Jerusalem. They assumed that this was not what God wanted, for certainly God would want his servant to continue his ministry.

Paul’s response was very different. He had no ‘death wish’ nor was he a fatalist. But he was not one to be driven by fear of the future or a fear of man. He had many times in the past seen the Lord deliver him (see 1 Corinthians 1:8-11). His confidence was in the Lord. He would not be dissuaded. Jerusalem awaited and there he would face his destiny.

It’s easy to assume that the avoidance of known opposition, persecution, or trial is the way of wisdom. Certainly one should not go looking for a fight. Remember Ecclesiastes 9:4, “Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” But, Paul’s destiny had been outlined by the Holy Spirit through Agabus the prophet. We note that none of Paul’s companions we saying, “The Holy Spirit spoke to me and says, ‘Don’t go to Jerusalem, Paul.'” No, it was their emotions emanating from the thought of losing their friend, Paul, that drove them to plead for him to change his mind.

Sometimes we may have to choose between the Lord and the pleadings of our friends. Those can be difficult choices in the moment. Listen carefully to be sure it is the Lord speaking and not just the burrito you had for lunch! Then, trust Him who knows the future and is able to ‘do above and beyond what we can ask or imagine.’ He is faithful!

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.  2 Timothy 4:5 NIV

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20 Mar 2023

Communicating the Message

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. … 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. … 7 where they continued to preach the gospel. … 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. … 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. … 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Acts 14 NIV

It is interesting to look at the variety of ways the Gospel and salvation are described in this one chapter of Acts 14.

Note the following from the above passage:

… Jews and Gentiles believed – something to believe

… the message of his grace – a message to communicate and receive

… preach the gospel – the ‘good news’ to be shared with others

… good news – important, life changing information to be listened to and received

… turn… to the living God – a change in life direction towards the one, true living God

… the faith – something to be believed

… the Lord, in whom they had put their trust – a trust-based personal relationship with the Lord Jesus

… the door of faith – something to walk through

As you reflect on and share the Good News with others, may it be the full embodiment of all that is included in putting our faith, trust, and hope in the living God and His Son, Jesus our Savior.

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13 Mar 2023

Your Ambition is Showing

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 1 Timothy 3:1 ESV

Leaders want to lead! But for Kingdom leaders we can sometimes feel like we should aspire to influence others. We tell ourselves that aspiring to lead is somehow like self-promotion rooted in pride and something that we should keep under wraps. Don’t show it or someone may think your ego has the best of you!

Remember what Jesus said to the Zebedee brothers when they aspired to the top two positions in the coming Kingdom – to sit on His right and left? In Mark 10:25ff we see their aspiration verbalized by their bold request. We can imagine the reactions of the other ten upon hearing this request – “And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.” Mark 10:41 “Wow, I thought that we were all in this together? I thought we got selected together to this leadership training team three years ago we were all peers?” they must have thought. “Who died and made you king over us?”

Jesus listened patiently and then pointed out several key leadership points related to the Kingdom. First, don’t think that self-promotion will get you ahead in the Kingdom. Leadership positions are determined by the Lord. Let them come to you rather than you chasing them.

Secondly, we note that Jesus did not rebuke them for aspiring to lead, but He did point them to the process for getting ahead in the Kingdom. Choosing to serve others rather than lead others is the path to Kingdom influence. Kingdom leaders can aspire to express their servant identity should God grant them the privilege of leadership. They don’t aspire to leadership positions because of the power they might have, but rather to Kingdom responsibility for God’s glory, not their own ‘lording it over others.’

Thus, Paul reminds Timothy that it’s a good thing to aspire to the role of overseer/elder for this leadership is a ‘noble task.’ Just check your motives. Is it about me or is it about God and His purposes? He knows your heart.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45 ESV

Be like Jesus!

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06 Mar 2023

Mobility and the Lord’s Servant

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. … Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, … When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Acts 8:4-5, 26-27, 39-40 NIV

Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve the over-looked widows because of he was ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom” (see Acts 6:1-5). After the stoning of Stephen, Philip left Jerusalem, going north to Samaria to proclaim to these people the Good News of Jesus and forgiveness through His name (Acts 8:12). Then, led by the Spirit, he moved south to the road leading up to Jerusalem where he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to faith in Christ as he had done in Samaria. (Acts 8:26ff). Immediately after this encounter, the Spirit took Philip west to Azotus and then north through the coastal towns until he reached Caesarea. And here Philip’s story takes a long pause.

Note Philip’s mobility for the sake of the Gospel. He went north to Samaria from Jerusalem, then south to meet the Ethiopian, then west to Azotus, and then north again along the coastal road to Caesarea. He was led of the Spirit to this mobile lifestyle. He was ‘deployable’ – able to be moved to a place where he can be used when he is needed. And God blessed his efforts with fruit as he shared the message of Jesus.

We next encounter Philip 20+ years later at the end of Paul’s third missionary tour. Paul and friends stop in Caesarea and there they meet with Philip. In Acts 21:8-9 we read, “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” Philip had married, settled down, raised four daughters, and for the past 20+ years had stayed in Caesarea. What to make of this?

There is a time for mobility and there is a time for settling down. Both are good and right. There is a time for singleness and a time for marriage and raising children. We do not conclude that marriage necessarily means the end of mobility, nor do we say that being single means one cannot settle in one place for an extended period. It is all dependent upon the Lord’s direction. Listen carefully to His leading and you will know if it is time to move or time to stay!

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27 Feb 2023

Revivals in America

Below is a brief overview of the history of Spirit led revivals in the history of America. Of note, four of these six (now seven?) began with college students and moved to all levels of American society. It seems that perhaps we are seeing once again the beginnings of a spiritual awakening. May it be so!

6 Revivals in American History

#1      1730-40 Revival    The Great Awakening

  • Cotton Mather

#2      1805-06 Revival    The 2nd Great Awakening

Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia

  • 3 students met in dorm room for prayer and Scripture reading
  • Mob gathered outside the door swearing and shouting threats to stop
  • President John Blair came to investigate
  • Next week the mtg. met in the President’s parlor with ½ the students present
  • Revival swept the college and the country

Haystack Prayer Meeting  –  August 1806

  • Samuel Mills and 4 other Williams College students caught in a Sat afternoon rain, stopped to pray at a haystack for foreign missions; committed themselves for service unless God stopped them; American mission movement began with these
  • Motto  –  “We can do it if we will!”

#3      1857-58 Revival    The Prayer Revival

NYC noon prayer meeting started by a local pastor burdened to pray for NYC

  • began with a noon prayer meeting in his church on Sept. 23, 1857
  • Pastor Jeremiah Lanphier and 6 people gathered to pray for the city
  • within 6 months 10,000 gathered daily for noonday prayer in NYC
  • Horace Greeley sent a reporter on horseback across NYC at noon looking for anyone who was not praying; could find none!

The revival moved from NYC to campuses across America

YMCA expanded into the collegiate ministry in 1858 to 180 campuses in 1884

  • YMCA staffed with student leadership dedicated to evangelism
  • Carleton College (MN) – 1878 every student in all 4 classes professed Christ!

#4      1905-06 Revival   

  • “Never in the history of universities have there been so many genuine spiritual awakenings among students.”
  • Seeds for this revival were planted at the July 1886 Mt. Hermon student conference for 250 students from 89 campuses with D.L. Moody
  • ‘The Princeton Covenant’  –  100 signed at the conference to go to mission field unless God stopped them
  • Teams  of students went to the campuses that fall encouraging others to sign the covenant
  • Over 100,000 signed and over 20,000 made it overseas!
  • This was the greatest era of missions sending in the history of the USA —  The Student Volunteer Movement
  • Motto  –  “The evangelization of the world in this generation”
  • 90% of the students at U of Florida came to evangelistic meetings and every fraternity organized bible studies
  • 900 men came to Penn State meetings with hundreds of decisions for Christ
  • 2400 of 3600 in one dorm at U of Michigan came to hear the Gospel
  • 500 of the graduating class at Yale were converted
  • Kansas St. YMCA had 29 Bible studies for 380 men

#5      1949-50 Revival

  • 2 students from Los Angeles drove 2,300 miles to Minneapolis to pray with Dr. J. Edwin Orr and Dr. Billy Graham for campus revival
  • Orr preached at Bethel College chapel, “there was much prayer in the dormitories, followed by intense conviction of sin among the students in chapel and in classroom…Conviction was relieved only by outright confession, restitution, restoration or conversion to God”
  • Oct. 1955 NY Times, “More than 1,200 of the nation’s 1,900 colleges and universities how have a ‘religious emphasis week of some sort.”

#6      1970’s Jesus Movement

  • Asbury College in Kentucky
  • Revival quickly moved to many state and private campuses
  • U.C.- Berkeley (1968)     
  • Chuck Smith (founder of Calvary Chapel) was witnessing to the hippies and radical students and began to see many converted! 
  • As many as 250,000 students came to Christ during the next 8-10 years

#7      Today?

  • February 8, 2023 chapel service at Asbury College
  • Seems to be spreading to other campuses – both to Christian colleges and state colleges
  • Gen Z (iGen) students leading this movement of the Spirit of God
  • Pray for a movement of repentance from sin!
  • Pray that believers will be bold in proclaiming Christ!
  • Pray for a reaping of many souls into the Kingdom of God!

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20 Feb 2023

God’s Favor on a Leader

After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Acts 7:45-47 NIV

We note from Stephen’s testimony above that David, the leader of Israel, that David “enjoyed God’s favor.” That is, God’s hand of blessing was upon David and his leadership. God prospered David’s kingdom and blessed his endeavors. He was a “man after God’s own heart” (see Paul’s testimony about David in Acts 13:22). Yes, David was blessed and favored by God, yet there were limitations.

David had in mind to build a permanent structure for the ark of the covenant. Since the time of Moses and the 40 years of desert wanderings, the Tabernacle containing the ark had moved from place to place. David thought it a good idea to build a temple to house the ark – a means of remembering God’s faithfulness and blessing. But it was not to be David who built the temple. It was Solomon, his son, who would have the privilege of completing what his father, David, had dreamed of doing.

Just because you experience God’s blessing on your leadership does not mean that His blessing rests upon every idea or initiative you take in your leadership. David’s plans to build the temple were rebuked by God. “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-13 NIV

David submitted to God’s plan for the temple. He did not demand God’s favor on this dream. Rather, he humbled himself, made preparations for the build, and entrusted the task to Solomon as he transitioned his leadership to his son.

This is what made David a man after God’s heart. Yes, he made mistakes – major mistakes! Yet, when confronted with his sin or rebuked by God, he repented, humbled himself, and obeyed the Lord’s commands.

Are you ‘a leader after God’s own heart’? How’s your attitude when God does not bless your efforts or prosper you endeavors?

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13 Feb 2023

Making Tough Calls

Paul and Barnabas are at Pisidian Antioch in the midst of their first missionary tour to the Gentiles. As was their custom when entering a new city, they would go first to the synagogue to present the gospel of Jesus to the Jews. Once that obligation was fulfilled they would then turn to the Gentiles. Their ministry to the local Gentiles would continue as long as open doors presented themselves. But once opposition formed, they would move on to the next town. This ministry pattern was repeated as they moved from town to town. Note this process as described in Acts 13 below.

From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” … 26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. … 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. … 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad d honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. Acts 13:14-15; 26; 42-46; 48-51 NIV

We can’t do everything all the time. Making strategic Kingdom leadership decisions are influenced by multiple factors such as: resources available, opportunity alignment compared to our God-given mission, timing, and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Good leadership considers all of these factors in the decision making process. We will have to say ‘no’ to some options in order to say ‘yes’ to the best choice. Some will question our decisions and perhaps disagree.

Ultimately, ‘wisdom will be known by her children.’ (see Luke 7:35). Note that the Word of the Lord spread beyond Antioch to the entire region (v. 49).

Be courageous and make the tough calls! God has your back!

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06 Feb 2023

Changing Your Plans

When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. Acts 18:20-21 NIV

Paul was at the end of his three-year second missionary tour. He had added a new couple to the team in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla, and now he sailed with them to Ephesus. Paul, as was his custom, went to the synagogue to proclaim the Messiah to the Jews in Ephesus. There seems to have been an open opportunity for Paul the share the gospel among this Jewish audience indicated by their asking Paul to “spend more time with them.” But Paul declined. Why would Paul say ‘no’ to this open door?

Note that Ephesus (main city in the province of Asia) was the target audience for Paul and team two years earlier when they were at the beginning of the second tour (see Acts 16:6ff). The Holy Spirit prevented them from entering the province at that time, and now two years later there was an opportunity. Paul left Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus (remember, they were Jewish converts) and sailed back to Jerusalem and eventually to Antioch of Syria.

Paul’s parting comment upon leaving was, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” We know he did return to Ephesus on his third tour and remained there for over two years (see Acts 19). Ephesus was still a strategic ministry audience, yet Paul’s future was dependent upon the Lord’s plans for him. He had learned to make his plans, but know that their execution was dependent upon the Lord’s guidance.

Some might say, “Well, what’s the use in planning if we don’t know whether they will be implemented? It seems like such a waste of time and effort. Why not just ‘wing it – let the Holy Spirit guide us as we go?” The Lord is an intentional God who acts according to His purposes. Jesus acknowledged the completion of the work (plans) the Father gave Him the night before His crucifixion. So, put aside this ‘wing it’ idea thinking that somehow this is more aligned with God’s leading us.

But… and this is big…. as we act out our carefully thought-through plans, we must also listen very carefully to the Holy Spirit and be willing to change our plans as He directs. He is God and we are not! He has the right to do as He sees fit and do it at anytime and in anyway He chooses. Our job is to follow His lead not expect Him to ‘rubber stamp’ our plans.

You may think that changing your leadership plans will cause a lack of trust from those you lead, but the opposite can be true. A leader who acknowledges God’s guidance, who has the humility to change plans because God has given a new direction, actually gains trust. Who doesn’t want to be led by someone who in humility says, “I had planned on this, but God over-ruled and directed us this new way?” At the beginning of his second tour, Paul changed his plans three different times before finally understanding that God wanted he and his team to go into Macedonia (northern Greece), not western Turkey.

Listen carefully to the Spirit as you execute your plans and be willing to change them. Study and apply His Word to your ministry efforts and expect Him to use the Word and others to confirm His leading (see Acts 16:1-10).

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15 NIV

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30 Jan 2023

Leadership Paradigm Shift

There has been a fundamental shift in how Kingdom leaders lead. This change came at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to all believers, not just God’s chosen leaders.

In the Old Testament paradigm, God’s anointing and His Spirit rested upon specific leaders enabling them to know God’s will and communicate it to His people. In Moses’ recounting of God giving Israel the Law on Mt. Sinai, he illustrates this, “At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain)… Deuteronomy 5:5 NIV God spoke to Moses and he delivered God’s message to the people.

But after the Holy Spirit came upon all believers in the New Testament we now have a different leadership paradigm. Yes, Kingdom leaders are still God’s anointed for their responsibilities. But these leaders are now leading God’s people who themselves have His Spirit within them. We are leading fellow members of God’s family, His children, who also have God living within them. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16 NIV

Thus, when leading others – our leadership team or our ‘flock’ that we shepherd – Kingdom leaders today must realize that the Spirit can also speak directly to those we lead. In our New Testament paradigm we don’t have the opportunity to say, “God told me that…” and assume that those we lead will automatically accept it as God’s will. Because they too have direct access to the Lord’s voice, we should listen carefully for confirmation from those we lead, especially the spiritually mature.

It may well be God’s direction was known by the leader, but if it is, we can assume it will be confirmed by the Spirit within many of those we lead. I’m not suggesting that decisions should be 100% consensus (this can be tyranny by the minority), but a wise leader will listen to the voices from those led, discerning what the Spirit is saying through them. Should there be a lack of agreement, wisdom and prudence would suggest to wait and rethink the direction, seeking more clarity.

Remember, “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Proverbs 19:2 NIV 1984

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23 Jan 2023

Headwinds and Crosscurrents!

And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” … Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” … And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” Acts 10:15, 20, 22 ESV

Jesus had given the Great Commission to the apostles and His disciples multiple times and in multiple places during the days between the resurrection and His ascension back to heaven from the Mt. of Olives. This last command was to make disciples of all peoples – Jews and Gentiles. Yet, though the scope of the Commission was very clear, the acceptance of it by the leadership was seemingly slow to be acted upon.

Here’s an approximate timeline for the progression of the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews) in the book of Acts.

Pentecost Acts 1 30 AD.

Samaritans Acts 8 31 AD.

Cornelius Acts 10 37 AD.

Jerusalem Council Acts 15 48 AD.

The Lord sent Phillip to preach the good news to the Samaritans in Acts 8 after the stoning of Stephen. Peter and John, having heard that the Samaritans believed, went to confirm this news (Acts 8:14ff). After meeting these new believers and praying for them, they came to realize that the discriminated against Samaritans were given access to the Kingdom.

Several years (six years?) later Peter received a thrice-repeated vision that nothing was unclean that God created and was sent for by Cornelius to come and explain the gospel to him and his household. Cornelius, a God-fearing Gentile, a Roman centurion soldier, had been instructed by God to get Peter and listen carefully to his message. Peter obeyed God’s direction to go to Cornelius’s house – an ‘unclean’ Gentile house – and shared Christ. Upon receiving the truth, Cornelius and his entire household believed.

Peter was called back to Jerusalem to explain why he was fraternizing with Gentiles. After hearing about the providential circumstances that led to Cornelius and his family’s response to the gospel, the apostles and other leaders began to accept the new reality. When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:18 NIV

Further clarity was brought to the issue about Gentiles and the gospel lifestyle at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 after the conclusion of Paul’s first missionary tour. Leaders affirmed the inclusion of Gentiles in the family of God and encouraged Paul and friends to continue their God-defined mission to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. This meeting was now approximately 18+ years after Jesus gave the disciples the Commission to make disciples of all peoples of the world.

Are you sensing that the forward movement of your leadership mission is slow to progress? Are you feeling like it’s two steps forward and one back? Are you facing fierce headwinds and crosscurrents that threaten to take you off course or sink your ‘ship?’ Time to refocus! Fix your thoughts and fix your eyes upon Jesus!

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

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