Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

31 Jul 2023

The Scope of the Mission – Bifocal Vision

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NIV

For some Kingdom leaders the immediate and close up can be consuming for all of our attention and screaming for more. But we cannot be true to the Scriptures and only concentrate on our local task and ignoring the masses around the world who have yet to hear. It is not enough to say that God loves them, and He will get them the message of the Gospel with or without my help – as was said to William Carey by the spiritual leaders around him in 1790’s.

No, the Word of God demands that we faithfully execute our leadership locally in light of the Great Commission needs globally. Yes, we begin in our ‘Jerusalem’ but always with a vision to impact the ‘ends of the earth.’ It’s a bifocal vision – act locally but see globally!

So much energy is called for in our local responsibilities that it can be hard to stay current with the progress of world evangelization. That’s why a great website like Joshua Project can be helpful in keeping our heads up and eyes trained on the harvest fields of the world.

The unreached peoples of the world remain to be reached by those who know, give, and go. And though every new biological generation must be re-reached for Christ, some peoples of the world don’t not have easy access to the Gospel.  Many of these unreached peoples are in cultures predominated by Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, belief systems that are strongholds of resistance to the Gospel. In sending new workers into these harvest fields, it will require long-term, sustained presence and effort for lasting impact.

May we all be faithful to execute our local leadership responsibilities, but not neglect those isolated and marginalized from the Gospel message that has been entrusted to us.

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24 Jul 2023
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Believing God for the Impossible

“Look at the nations and watch–and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 NIV

When God invites into a journey of faith and affirms His will for us by giving us His promises for our life and leadership, a question often arises in our hearts and minds. “How can this be, Lord?”

Note what Mary says when told by Gabriel that she would be the mother of the Messiah. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:37) Gabriel’s response was to point her to the One who had made the promise, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 ESV)

We are to focus our hearts and minds upon the One who makes the promise – the One whose power and faithfulness stand behind all He says. Focus on the One who cannot lie and who does not change. And let Him take care of how it will all work out. He will surprise you!

In fact, if you can try to imagine how God will work, it’s almost certain that He will not choose that way to answer you. For He does “above and beyond what we can ask or imagine.” You can even imagine how He’s going to do what He’s going to do!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Have you been focusing on ‘how’ God will answer instead of focusing on who and what He has promised, leaving the ‘how’ to Him? Trust Him to figure out how it will all work! He’s really good at doing the impossible!

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17 Jul 2023

Do Not Hold Back!

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” Isaiah 54:2-3 NIV

The context of Isaiah 54 is the promised restoration of Zion and the Lord’s people. The Lord encourages His people to prepare the “tent,” make sure that it is large and accommodating, for the Lord has promised to fill it with many people. Why would He have to exhort them so? What would cause them to think too small, build too small, and be short-sighted in their preparations for the Lord’s actions?

In observing Kingdom leaders’ actions, I would suggest the following reasons as to why we don’t believe God and thus, don’t prepare well for God’s promised blessings:

1. Lack of faith and trust – God is talking about a future that is known and assured for Him. But for us, it is unknown and looks very insecure. We now have a choice to make. Do we trust God, His promises in His Book which are backed by His character and His power? Or do we choose to trust in what we can see, know, experience and trust in our own logic? And all the while we frame it under the argument of being ‘prudent’ or ‘realistic.’

Now certainly God does not want us to ‘throw away’ our minds or ignore sound thinking when we lead others (see Proverbs 3:5-6). But, having done our due diligence, where do we place weight in our decision-making? Are we trusting in ourselves or in God?

2. Fear that limits risk taking – Notice how many times in the Scriptures the Lord says, “Don’t be afraid…” Yet fear is a normal response to a perceived threat. It can be lifesaving in some situations. But we are called to faith, trust, and courage in response to threats. The issue is what controls our actions – our fear that can paralyze us or faith that acknowledges the threat, but chooses to act in faith.

Note what God promises in the passages that follow the above in Isaiah 54:4-5:

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”

Will you choose to trust God and prepare for His promised help and blessing? Or will you choose to trust in your ability to see and what your current resources tell you is prudent?

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10 Jul 2023

Let Go and Let God – Really?

There is a dynamic tension that Kingdom leaders face in how much do I, the leader do, and how much do I let God do? This tension is manifested in leaders being people of action – we are not satisfied with the status quo. We want to make something happen! And yet, for those who lead in the Kingdom of God there is a balancing pull to not take control and depend solely upon yourself and your own abilities. Wanting to see God’s hand and power displayed through our leadership. One extreme might push us towards frenetic business, trying to make things work the way we hope. While the other extreme calls us to a passiveness that sits and waits for God to show up and do His God-like stuff. Neither seems correct.

When tempted to passivity, I’m reminded of the truth in Colossians 3:23 NIV – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… We are called to work with our whole hearts on whatever we endeavor for we are serving Christ our Lord by this work. Thus, laziness or a half-hearted effort is not honoring to Him who died for us. Yes, work and work hard when you do. Give it your all!

But when you do work, remember this in Proverbs 21:31 NIV – The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. Yes, we engage in our work initiatives with all we have, holding a standard of excellence worthy of the King of kings. But we leave the outcome of the battle with Him. He is the one who determines the results. Should my efforts go well, I thank Him. Should they not, I thank Him by faith that He is doing something good that I do not understand at this moment. I trust Him regardless of my outcomes.

Our human fears and insecurities will tend to push us to want to take control and try to assure an outcome. Yes, we give lip-service to God, but we are really trusting in our own strength and abilities to effectuate and outcome. We shy from fully committing our way to the Lord and by our actions communicate that God needs our help.

God says this – The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 NIV

And again, He says – He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV

So, it’s a both-and, not an either-or course. Yes, we work. And yes, we trust in Him. Just don’t move off the center to trusting more in your own efforts than trusting Him to work on your behalf.

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03 Jul 2023

Trapped in Our Past

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

It has been said, “You can’t drive ahead by focusing your eyes on the rear-view mirror!”

Some Kingdom leaders are so wrapped up in their personal past that they can’t see the new thing that God is doing right in front of them. They are trapped in their past conflicts, hurts, failures, and disappointments and fail to see how God is going before them opening new pathways for them to walk.

Notice God’s admonition above – Forget it! Let it go! Stop spending your emotional energy on it! For the more you dwell upon your past problems it can take root in your life and defile you with bitterness.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31 NIV

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15 NIV

God exhorts us to “see” – He is “doing a new thing!” It is springing up right in front of you! Look ahead, not behind! “Don’t you perceive it?”

In what appears to be wilderness or wasteland in front of you, God is already there making a way in the wilderness and creating streams in the wasteland to turn it into a fruitful, productive land. You just have to obey, follow Him, and occupy the land. He has you and your future in hand.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16 NIV

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26 Jun 2023

Wholehearted Obedience

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. … He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. 2 Chronicles 25:1-2 NIV

Beware of half-hearted obedience! You may be compliant on the outside, but your hearts are far from what the Lord desires. Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for their hypocrisy, ” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'” Matthew 15:8-9 NIV

Obedience to God is a matter first of our hearts and then our actions. These two must be aligned for wholehearted obedience instead of half-hearted obedience.

Amaziah was a king of conflicting values. There were times during his leadership when he obeyed God. Yet, there were other times when he rebelled and disobeyed. Thus, the author of 2 Chronicles says of him, ‘he did what was right, but not wholeheartedly.’

The word ‘mediocre’ comes from two Latin roots which literally means, ‘half-way up the mountain.’ A half-hearted obedience is one sets off for the summit, but settles for half-way to the top!

Is your leadership ‘mediocre?’ Have you settled for half-way to the summit?

Do you find yourself struggling with wholehearted obedience to God?

It’s never too late to change your heart and obey wholeheartedly the direction the Lord has given.

Do it today!

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19 Jun 2023

Beware of Lighting Your Own Fires

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God. 11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:10-11 NIV

All Kingdom leaders have times when they do not know what to do, how to do it, or when to execute it. When leaders arrive at these pivotal moments they have a choice to make. They can choose to trust in the Lord and rely upon God to show them the way forward or they can trust in their own thinking/logic/experience and reap the consequence.

Those who trust in God and obey Him will not be forsaken or forgotten. He will lead you forward – in His way and in His time. Note what He promises in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) : Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. He will show you the path to take! Count on it!

But this promise comes with a caution to ‘not depend upon your own understanding.’ The word ‘depend’ or in the NIV it says, ‘lean upon,’ means to place your full weight for support in it. Thus, as we seek the path to take we don’t use our logic/experience alone to find the way forward. Don’t put your full weight upon this for God’s ways are often different for our ways. See Isaiah 55:8-9. Use your mind, but don’t rely solely upon it! Those who do trust in themselves, who ‘walk in the light of their own fires’ will reap the consequences. The law of the harvest cannot be avoided – we reap what we sow.

What choices are you facing today? What light do you have from the Lord? Are you obediently following?

What light are you creating by setting your own torches ablaze? Are you willing to forsake your own self-created light and repent in order to follow Him?

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12 Jun 2023

A Leader’s Timing

Note the response of Jesus in both of the following incidents and His sense of timing regarding His overall mission. 

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”  “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”  John 2:3-4 NIV

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.  John 17:1 NIV

Jesus was very aware of why the Father had sent Him and He states that He completed the mission when praying in John 17 in the upper room.  He says in John 17:4, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” He had a task to do and a timetable within which to accomplish it.  No, He didn’t need a Gantt chart to manage all of the components of this world-alternating mission!  But He was very aware that as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He was to be sacrificed on the Passover.  His timing had to be perfectly aligned to accomplish all He intended. And it was!

A Kingdom leader’s sense of timing related to the mission is essential for the best outcomes.  One may have the right initiatives in mind, but if the timing related to the mission is not right, it can lead to confusion, mission delays, and set back.  A leader must not only know what to do, but also when to do it! 

When the timing is right, Kingdom leaders can expect confirmation from the Lord.  For the Lord does not want us wondering about His work that He has asked us to accomplish. 

But if the timing is wrong, expect the Lord to raise up a ‘slow’ sign as we reflect and rethink the timing of our initiatives.  You will know when it is right to move ahead or when it is best to slow down and rethink the intended actions – both the ‘when’ and the ‘what.’ 

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05 Jun 2023

“I Am” All You Need

The Lord is continually seeking to remind us to depend upon Him. He states and restates that “I am” all that you need in life and leadership. Trust in me!

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:13-14 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live… John 11:25 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV

So, how is your dependence on the great “I Am?”

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29 May 2023

The Names of God: Know Who You Serve

“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory [is] above the earth and heaven.” Psalm 148:13  NIV

·  El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty; All-Sufficient One)  –  Genesis 17:1

·  El Elyon (The Most High God)  –  Genesis 14:18-22

·  Adonai (Lord, Master)  –  Deuteronomy 10:17

·  Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)  –  Exodus 3:13-14

·  Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)  –  Exodus 17:15

·  Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)  –  Psalm 23:1

·  Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)  –  Exodus 15:26

·  Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)  –  Ezekiel 48:35

·  Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)  –  Jeremiah 23:6

·  Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Makes Holy)  –  Exodus 31:13

·  El Olam (The Everlasting God; The God of Eternity)  –  Isaiah 26:4

·  Elohim (God; Creator)  –  Genesis 1:1

·  Qanna (Jealous)  –  Exodus 34:14

·  Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)  –  Genesis 22:14

·  Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)  –  Judges 6:24

·  Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts)  –  Isaiah 6:5

Know the One whom you serve!

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