Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “trusting God”

08 Apr 2024

When God Says “No”

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” … And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. … And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Mark 14:35-36, 39, 41 ESV

Three times Jesus asked His Father to change the plan. He asked in faith. He asked specifically. He asked personally. And implied, not stated, His Father said, “No, Son. We are going ahead with Plan A tomorrow. You will die on the cross as a sacrificial atonement for the sins of the world.”

When God says “yes” to our requests it’s an easy acceptance. But, when God says ‘no,’ we must submit ourselves to His loving, perfect plan for us – whether we agree with, understand it, and regardless of our feelings about His answer. This attitude was modeled by the Son in the Garden when He said, “….Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

David’s baby son was very sick. He prayed and fasted, asking God to heal his son. But in the end, his infant son died (see 2 Samuel 12:15-22). God told him ‘no.’

The demonized man who had been miraculously healed, begged Jesus to let him join the team. Jesus told him ‘no’ – go home and tell your family and friends what God has done for you (see Mark 5:18-20).

James and John asked for Kingdom seats on the right and left of Jesus. They were told ‘no’ – those seats were already taken by someone else (see Mark 10:35-40).

Paul asked the Lord three times to heal him and remove his ‘thorn in the flesh.’ And three times God told him ‘no,’ that ‘thorn’ will remain with you for the rest of your life (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

When God tells you ‘no’ regarding something that seems so ‘yes’ to you, what will you do? Will you rage against the Almighty, shaking your fists? “How dare You not agree with me!  Explain yourself!” 

Will you shrink back, become despondent, and bitter towards your Maker? The clay questions the Potter, “What are you doing? I demand an answer that makes sense to me.” 

Or will you surrender your plans, desires, and your feelings to Him who is good and all He does is good. Will you be able to trust Him with everything – yes, everything? His grace is sufficient for all things.    

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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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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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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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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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09 Jan 2023

God’s Guidance this Year

[God] who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. Deuteronomy 1:33 NIV

Israel had exited Egypt and rejected the minority report from Joshua and Caleb about the Promised Land. Now they were condemned to spend 40 years wandering in the desert for their disbelief and disobedience. Yet, God did not abandon them completely. He remained faithful to His promises to Abraham and led them through the wilderness. They were not left to their own wisdom, but God Himself led them. He provided a pillar of fire for nighttime movement and activities as well as a cloud to shield them from the desert heat during the day. He is faithful!

As we begin this new year of our individual journeys, perhaps your path forward is unclear at this time. Are you struggling to know where the Lord is leading and how you will arrive at wherever He directs? Has the enemy sown doubt in your mind and heart about His faithfulness? Have you forgotten the Lord’s care and provision for you in the past? Do you not believe the testimony of Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

It’s easy to begin the journey well and then lose heart when things don’t go the way we expected. “Where’s the goodness of God?” we say. “This certainly doesn’t feel good.” “I’m worried about my future and the journey the Lord will take me on through my personal wilderness.” “Where’s God?” “Doesn’t He care about me and my challenging circumstances?”

God is in the same place He has always been – leading and guiding you. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. He is good. He was good when you felt good and He is still good when you don’t feel the same. He is guiding you just as He did to get you to this point today and He will continue to guide you into to your unknown future, for that future is known to Him. His loving care does not change with the circumstances.

Therefore, trust and act on this reality… Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 NIV

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12 Dec 2022

Rescued from my Troubles

Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. Acts 7:9-10 NIV

When reading about the life of Joseph we like the part about how God gave him wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh. We leaders really like the part where Pharaoh made Joseph “ruler over all Egypt and all his palace.” But we tend to ignore the process that God took Joseph through to get the ‘good part.’ He was sold as a slave by his brothers, falsely accused of rape by Potiphar’s wife, forgotten in prison by those he helped, and then finally released and honored by Pharaoh.

Note that God did not prevent the troubles from coming upon Joseph. But He did rescue him from all his troubles, not just some of them. It’s similar to the end of life. Almost all want to go to heaven, but few want to die to get there! We like the end, not the process.

I would assume that a part of the wisdom that Joseph was given was perspective. We don’t see Joseph complaining about his terrible circumstances. His destiny revealed to him as a 17 year old in two dreams was finally brought into reality as a 40 year old when his brothers were bowing down before him asking for food to feed their families. God will give you His perspective on your troubles if you ask Him.

Many Kingdom leaders are surprised when troubles overtake them – as if something strange has happened. Yet, a study of the Scriptures shows over and over again that those who would live (and lead) like Christ will have difficulties. These troubles are not necessarily God’s discipline or a consequence of our disobedience. Rather, they are trials that the Lord allows to further His purposes in and through us.

He does not promise to keep these trials and tribulations away from us. But He does promise to never leave us or forsake us. He promises that no temptation shall be too much for us without Him providing the way of escape. Trust Him! Persevere! Set your face like a flint!

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 NIV

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