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Don’t Run From Pain

Don’t Run From Pain! Instead, Embrace it & Face it Head On:

Sometimes, it’s not that a person doesn’t know his or her worth, but he or she is trying to escape the pain that they feel. There are some painful things that we are required to walk through that help us to build up a resolve of perseverance and a dependence on Christ.
There is a pain related to those who are consecrated to the Lord. To be consecrated to the Lord means that you have been set aside by God for his specific purpose. Many who are consecrated to the Lord get tripped up by the temptation to modify their consecration and who God called them to be to avoid going through the various pain that comes with a consecrated lifestyle—isolation, loneliness, rejection, being passed up because a consecrated person simply will not match with just anybody.

I wrote about this briefly in my first book, “The Single Christian Woman’s Guide.” I talked about Samson, a consecrated man unto the Lord and the Lord’s purpose. He was dedicated to the Lord before he was born as a Nazerite. As a matter of fact, it was an angel sent by God who confirmed this to his parents before he was born. The purpose associated with his consecration was to destroy the Philistines who were enemies of Israel. He had a unique strength to fulfill this because of his consecration.

Somehow, the discomfort of his consecration caused him to let a woman in who was not qualified to help him fulfill his consecration. Once, he opened up to Delilah, she shared his secret to strength with the Philistines, and Samson was in bondage just like that. We give up one form of pain for another when we set aside our consecration to the Lord.

When we embrace the pain of enduring through our consecration we simply pass through that pain on to God’s promises and purpose for us.

God had mercy on Samson and he was able to do some heavy damage to the Philistines in his death, but what if he had decided to endure through the pain of his consecration sticking to it? He would have fulfilled his purpose in a greater way. Learn to embrace the pain of consecration—being a little different, and waiting a little longer for someone who can accommodate the consecration on your life instead of settling yourself to adapt to an identity outside of the consecration God has called you to.
God will give you the grace to endure through the pain. Just recently, I had to ask God to give me the grace to get through a day that began in a very painful manner. Although I am someone who loves God and studies the scriptures, I am still only human and thus go through painful circumstances at times.
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It may seem trivial, but I recently saw someone I used to go with—but had to let go of because we were a mismatch get engaged on social media. Even though I know God has more for me and I trust God for that, it still affected me emotionally making me feel some type of a way. Nevertheless, it also showed the growth that the Lord had worked in me. It was not enough to depress me or to make me stop. After all, I had been through this before. It’s a good check of my strength and reliance on Christ, and my ability to resolve to follow him even through the painful valleys that we will not be able to avoid.
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I’d also like to note that the pain will not always last. It is only for a season. I always have the hope of what the morning will bring when it comes. We have to shift our eyes and perspectives when going through challenging times knowing that God’s promises are real and for us.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. – Psalms 30:5

One scripture, I continually speak over myself is the below in the book of Joel:

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten– the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. – Joel 2:25-26

The scriptures above remind me that even though I am sometimes tempted to look at myself from a perspective of loss due to what my consecrated lifestyle requires me to give up; There is no loss in Christ because God promises to restore what we’ve seen as a loss. I declare this over myself again and again. I get around other believers who also speak God’s word over me encouraging me. Before I know it, the pain is all gone, and I’m on my way with joy and expectation in Christ Jesus for his promises.
This is how we have to be with pain. We have to face it. We cannot ignore it allowing it to simmer and bring us down. Don’t run from pain. Learn to confront it head-on.

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When The Lord is Teaching You His Voice in An Unfamiliar Way – Part II

Sometimes, we will not know that God is speaking for sure until the confirmation comes such as in the cases mentioned last week on part one of the blog. I mentioned the accident, the person stealing the mail, and confirmation that an address was wrong, but if the voice sounds like wisdom that isn’t contrary to the Word of God and could help us in some way; then taking that step of faith will not hurt us, but only help us. Sometimes, what God is trying to say clearly unfolds later as we walk by faith. Each time we see the result; we will grow a little more in hearing and following the voice of God. Take the example of Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples below.
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Peter hesitated to obey God’s voice because God spoke to him in an unexpected way. You see, God was causing a shift in the culture of the Jews and Gentiles, and He wanted the message to be clear to his disciple Peter who he would use to communicate the message. Peter, even though learned in Jewish tradition was to allow himself to be pliable through faith in what God was saying in that moment in order to carry out God’s plan. Likewise, when God is causing a shift in our lives, we have to remain pliable in our faith and response to the Lord as well.

God showed Peter a vision of unclean meat telling him to kill and eat it. At first, Peter said no, rejecting what the Lord was saying because Peter was used to doing things in a particular way. Maybe, Peter in that moment questioned if that was really God sharing with him to kill and eat unclean meat because in the old testament God told them not to eat the meat. He was used to not eating certain meet considered unclean. Peter did not get a confirmation of what God was saying until he met with Cornelius. It was at that time that the meaning of the vision became clear to Peter. The vision Peter received had been metaphorical of the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were used to not associating with the Gentiles, but God was causing a shift in thinking for his purpose.

He wanted the Jews and Gentiles to both receive salvation, and to be on one accord. If Peter had of gotten stuck in his understanding and his way of doing things; he would have missed out on the move of God that was going on during that time. Peter, later in scripture, still struggled with this idea, but he submitted to it because he knew it was God. God is not asking us to be perfect in always knowing everything or doing everything perfectly, but he is asking us to have faith and obey him when he speaks. This is what Peter did in this instant, and Cornelius’ whole family along with many others experienced salvation and the infilling of the Holy Ghost because of the proper revelation taught by the early Apostles including Peter.

Sometimes, in order to get to the next place in life we have to let go of how we hear and obey God and stepping out on our faith to apply just what he is saying, while waiting for the confirmation later. If we are wrong, at least we stepped out in faith, but if we are acquainted with the Word of God we will not be grossly wrong, so stepping out in faith while hearing God’s voice in an unfamiliar way will not hurt us.

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When God is Teaching You To Hear His Voice In An Unfamiliar Way – Part I

​Lately, I had been praying that the Lord would cause me to hear his voice more, and to be obedient when I hear his voice. Sometimes, I have those moments when I am so sure I heard God and other times, I have the seeming quiet seasons where God doesn’t seem to have spoken for some time. During the latter, is when I sometimes question if I am paying attention to God’s voice.

Honestly, I am sort of used to God speaking to me in particular ways, and when he doesn’t speak to me in a particular way that I am very familiar with; I simply miss it until it is too late. The familiar ways that I am used to God speaking to me:

The still small voice discussed in the Bible -1 Kings 19:11-13

When God speaks to me in this way it seems almost as if to come from the deepest part of me and up to my mind where I recognize it as the Lord.

Dreams – Job 33:15

God always speaks to me in dreams and I normally am given the interpretation when the dream is from God.

Through his Word – The whole Bible
I think this should be a given, and of course, nothing that God speaks will go against his word in any way.

A Vision – Ezekiel 11:24-25

This is where God shows me a picture of something and communicates the interpretation of it. Normally, this happens while I am awake. It happens to me most during praying for someone. It has also happened when I was supposed to give someone a word of wisdom/knowledge.

An intuition – Romans 8:16

This is an inner knowing that cannot be explained, but you know God is trying to get your attention or show you something. I experienced this the night I recently had the accident. I felt like something was going to happen that night, but I said to myself I trust the Lord. There is another instance that happened where I could feel the Lord calling me away to pray with him while I was eating. I had to put my food down and pray and God spoke to me about two different things that were going to happen, but everything would be okay.

There are of course other ways that God speaks. He is limitless, and he teaches us what we need to know by his Spirit and his Word. However, when God speaks to me in my mind as simply a thought sometimes, I don’t always recognize it. That’s why I had been praying for God to teach me, and guess what he’s been answering my prayers.

My car insurance came up for renewal in April, and the thought came to my mine saying, “When you renew your car insurance, get full coverage this time.” I paused and said a prayer to God, “God, do you want me to get full coverage auto insurance this time?” I heard nothing after that. So, I did what I had done, and renewed my liability insurance. Little did I know that the confirmation to my prayer on whether God wanted me to get full coverage would come a couple of months later.

Fast forward to June and my car got hit in a hit and run accident, and I only had liability. It was at that moment that I realized that I had heard God’s voice on the full coverage and that he was preparing me. God’s word talks about how the Lord will lead and guide us. Leading and guiding us is one of the ways God speaks to us.

Because it was an unfamiliar way that I did not always recognize as God speaking; I missed out on what God was trying to shield me from. At the time, I was not sure if it was my thoughts or God’s voice. Therefore, I have concluded that the next time a good thought like that comes to mind that isn’t something I would normally think about, I will simply follow it as an act of faith. It could have only helped me.

This was the second time something like this had happened where I did not follow that voice/thought in my mind. Years ago, I used to pay my car insurance with a money order through the mail. This time, the thought came to mind saying, “Why don’t you take your payment in this time? You pass by your insurance company on the way to work every day anyway.” I thought to myself, well I always pay my insurance through the mail.

Do you know someone stole the mail, and my insurance lapsed? My dad covered it and I paid him back. This was a long time ago when this happened, but God recently bought it to my remembrance to put me in the mindset of being aware when he speaks to me in a way that I am not used to.

I can remember a time however not long ago when I experienced this same voice from God speaking to me in my thoughts. I had made an appointment to get my makeup done for a photoshoot for a magazine. The makeup company was supposed to email me a confirmation with the address. I did not receive an email and the place was closed until the day of my appointment. I said to myself I would Google the name of the place and go to the Chicago location that came up online because that is where I booked. Well, the thought came to my mind before you hit the expressway call and confirm the address because if this is the wrong address you will be late and may not get your face done.

I called and sure enough, the address was wrong. I turned out being an hour and a half away instead of 30 minutes. I arrived a ½ hour late but was there in time to get my face done because I followed the thought in my mind to call to confirm.

When we pray and ask God to teach us his voice and help us to become more sensitive to his voice; he does just that. I am excited about learning how to follow God’s voice in a greater way and to get better at recognizing him so I can obey more. It’s important to obey even when we aren’t used to it or when we are used to doing things in our normal manner. I had to realize that obedience to his voice sometimes requires an act of faith when I’m not really sure if a good idea or thought just popped up in my head or if it’s really God providing instruction. Next week, we will read about someone in the Bible who heard God in an unfamiliar way and almost rejected God’s voice because of it in part II.

Have you ever had an experience like the above? What happened in your scenario? Are you ready to step out in faith to hear God in a new way?

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An Intimate Q &A w/John Bevere at the Killing Kryptonite Tour

Recently, I was blessed to attend the Killing Kryptonite tour with John Bevere in Peoria, IL. We had an intimate Question & Answer Session with him where I asked him the question, “What was your preparation process like for the various platforms that God had for you because I’ve noticed that it seems as if God will hide those he has called for a season?”
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John began to share that it was through remaining under authority and serving in the house of the Lord even through suffering, and being done wrong. He shared that it was his endurance through those things that God used to build his character.

“God cares more about your character than what you do for him.” – John Bevere


“God is more interested in people who will finish well. Allowing ourselves to be refined in the place God puts us in causes us to finish well.”- John Bevere

John mentioned some things that he had gone through at his church. He prayed–asking the Lord if he should leave, and the Lord’s answer was to stay and so he stayed and was refined in the process. John shared saying, “Relationships and organizations are messy, and God knows it. Don’t run from the circumstances that grow you.”

He further elaborated on how he found himself in a season where he woke up in pain, went throughout the day in pain, and went to bed in pain (See Jeremiah 15:18). He asked the Lord what was going on. God shared with him that he was in the process of dying. Not physically dying of course, but dying to himself and to his will and such. He continued stating that God wants us to live in such a position that we live almost as if we are dead but alive.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. – 2 Corinthians 4:11

The above scripture provides some brief insight into what John was sharing. When God calls us to die to ourselves meaning our will, wants and way of doing things; it isn’t, at that point, about us, but God’s glory.
He went on stating that a person knows when they are dead because they no longer feel the pain of dying. We love perfectly when we aren’t operating out of seeking our own wills. We aren’t easily offended and do not operate out of fear when we are dead. We live in a place of trust in the Lord.

Suffering under authority brings authority. John shared how a minister came to him and shared that he must have suffered through a lot of things to teach in such authority. Enduring through suffering for Christ brings authority. He added that we should not look for our own wilderness as to search for suffering, but that the Holy Spirit would lead us to the wilderness designed for us. Similar to how the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. During the wilderness experience, character and greater authority are birthed.

Another gentleman asked John a question about writing, and John shared how he did not want to be a writer, but two prophets came to him giving him a word warning that if he did not write what God gave him to write, he would have to give an account to God.

John began writing out of fear for God and obedience to God. I think these truths are so important to share and operate by especially for those coming up in my generation and the next generation afterward. Sometimes, we can do things out of obedience to God and fear for God, yet we don’t see a whole lot of fruit from it in the form of likes, comments, or a great following online. It could be that like John shared, we are in a refining process, and that is a part of the process. God could be grooming our character for his purpose, and we just need to stay where God has placed us and to remain faithful

Listen to the portion of the Q&A session that I was able to record on my phone below:

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THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE FOR EVERY SEASON

​I am in awe and wonder at what the Lord is doing in my life right now. Of course, I know this is only the beginning. There are more great things to come. Prior to this season, I was in a season where I was going through one trial and tribulation one right after the other and sometimes more than one running together. I was almost suffocated by pain, and now it’s almost the opposite. I am almost suffocated by excitement, but my expectation tells me there is more.

I learned the need for a greater level of discipline during each season. God allowed me to go through to prepare me to keep my eyes on him during the season of tests and trials, but also during the season of favor, I have to practice just as much discipline to keep my eyes on Jesus.

Things are going so well in my life that I have to be careful not to worship sort of speak or get my joy for life simply out of the season, but from my relationship with Jesus Christ. The truth is we need discipline in every season to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. Pain competes for our attention, and discipline helps us not to focus solely on the pain, but on the God who sustains us through the pain.

When we are undisciplined in dealing with pain, we begin to make self-destructive choices. When we are undisciplined in dealing with the joy of a season, we become lazy with making right choices and seeking God, and we likewise begin to make poor choices.

Again, discipline is necessary for both seasons. It’s like when you are riding a bike uphill, you have to exert more dedication, energy, and zeal in order to make it up the hill. This is the season of trials and tribulations. We are more careful to seek the Lord, fast and pray, uphold God’s commands, and speak the Word of God over our circumstance because we are desperate.

When we are riding a bike downhill, we don’t have to exert very much energy. Things fall into place. All is well. We can easily fall into seeking the Lord or not, reading God’s word or not, meditating on God’s commands or not. It can be more of a ‘Que Sera, Sera, which means whatever happens happens. We focus more on enjoying the moment than investing in the future. It is important to focus on enjoying the moment, but not to the neglect of our future.

During the good times, it is still needful to fast and pray and keep the flesh under submission to the discipline of God’s word. The investment in this area may not be the same as it was during the trial and tribulation season, but it should not go away. Understanding the need for discipline and the things the Lord allows in our lives to produce that discipline and character within us such as trials and tribulations; is a glorious thing to see. It produces a glory within us that points to God that is unmatched by anything else.

The type of glory produced in this lifestyle causes people to question who we are and what we’ve done. Others will want to know what the formula is, and it can be summed up in one word Jesus. Abiding in Christ, and learning to be disciplined in both seasons of life produces a person beautiful, refined, and full of the character of God. Thus, I encourage you not to lose yourself in either season rather trials and tribulations or seeing the goodness of God on display. Continue to offer yourself to God as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable in both seasons of life.

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Behaviors of the Broken Vs. The Whole – Part VII (Finale’)

Presumptuous​
Because of the pride that naturally comes from not seeking the Lord as we should; it’s easy to become presumptuous based on how things appear. This is what Israel did. Those who came back with the negative report in Numbers 14 were killed by a plague. After those remaining saw this; they took it upon themselves to go up to Canaan themselves to attempt to inherit the land. This they did without seeking the Lord. They were used to being presumptuous and making choices off of what appeared to make sense instead of seeking the Lord. This is also a result of the broken. Sometimes, we can get so busy, even as believers, and fail from seeking the Lord, and in our presumption make poor choices. A little humility to stop, be still, listen to wise counsel, and seek the Lord will prevent unnecessary mistakes made in presumption.

After ignoring the warning of Moses not to go up to Canaan because God was not with them in their decision; the children of Israel went up anyway and they simply got a beat down.

Nevertheless, in their presumption, they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah. – Numbers 14:44-45

Destroyed or Preserved
Ultimately, we all have a choice in how we will navigate uncomfortable circumstances that come to stretch us and build our faith so that we can handle promise.  Moses, Caleb, and Aaron were in the same boat. They all were in a foreign land making passage to a land of promise by faith. Even though they were in the same boat facing the same circumstances, not all of them had the same outcome.

Some were destroyed due to lack of faith, unbelief, competition, control, contempt toward the Lord, and all-out rebellion. All of the negative things mentioned were a choice. Just like Caleb, Moses, and Aaron chose to have faith–so can we. Now Moses, Caleb, and Aaron were not perfect by any means, but they trusted in the Lord. That is the lesson that has to come out of this whole series. We have to be able to recognize when we are exhibiting characteristics of one who is broken, and address those characteristics with the things that make us whole such as humility, seeking the Lord, faith, the Word of God, and having the right perspectives. We do not have to be destroyed while we are in transition from one place of faith to the next. We do not have to allow ourselves to remain broken when we do face challenges that break us, but we can by God’s grace and our choice be preserved to enjoy life in the next season of our personal promised land.

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Characteristics of The Broken Versus The Whole – Part VI (Negative Speaking)

Broken people often speak negatively because they have just about given up hope. They tend to forget what the Word says about how a man will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth (Proverbs 12:14). 

This is what the children of Israel did. They spoke negatively saying their wives and children would be taken, and they would die in the wilderness. God responded to them by giving them over to the evil that they had spoken upon themselves, but he said he would spare Caleb and the children of those who did not believe.

So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness, your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. – Numbers 14:28-30

This negative speaking shows that there is unbelief somewhere in our hearts regarding what we are speaking about negatively. This can easily be uprooted through building up our faith in the particular area. If you are experiencing brokenness in an area causing you to lose hope and speak negatively; you have a responsibility to build your own faith. Moses and Caleb attempted to build the faith of Israel, but many of them just would not get it because faith is something that has to be grasped by a person. You have to get it for yourself.

But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. – Matthew 15:18

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, – Jude 1:20

Next week we will discuss presumption and summarize this as next week will be the finale’ of this series. For more on wholeness visit the link: Click here

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Behaviors of the Broken Vs. the Whole – Part V (Contempt for God)

Contempt For God

Contempt: the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. disregard for something that should be taken into account. the offense of being disobedient to or disrespectful of a court of law and its officers.

How could we ever look at God with contempt? There would have to be some deception involved. We would have to somehow believe that God is not for us, but against us. We would have had to believe a lie rather than the truth. We would have to allow ourselves to be distracted from the promises of God for us and get caught up simply in what we see. This is really the only way I can see someone looking at the Lord with contempt because of who God is.

Admit it or not, we all at some point during our lives have been tempted to look at the Lord with contempt, and if you have not; you will need to keep on living. This is a discomforting result of being broken because when we are broken we do not always see right or think clearly.

God’s response:

The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? Numbers 14:11

Not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. – Numbers 14:22-23

Have you ever been tempted to disobey God due to being in a hard circumstance for some time where you thought to yourself God could just get me right out of this? I have, but it was my love for God that did not allow me to give in to temptation. God can take us right out of situations easily, but there is something for us in the process. This is where a demand is placed on our trust in the Lord. Disobedience to God is a form of looking at God with contempt. However, when we honor our intimate relationship with God and love for God above the comfort of circumstance; we too can pass the test of looking at God with contempt. Caleb, Moses, and Aaron had the same experiences that the rest of Israel had, but one party chose to honor and believe God; while the other chose to disregard God.

This is why an intimate relationship with God on a consistent basis is so important. God cannot be looked at as a God to provide comfort and things only. We must be committed to knowing him.

He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. – Daniel 11:32 (ESV)

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” – John 14:21

Our example in Numbers 14 shares how many of the children of Israel who had spied out the land of Canaan looked at the Lord with contempt. Because they came back with a negative report despite the fact that God said he would give them the land shows their contempt for God’s ability to do what he said.

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Behaviors of the Broken Versus the Whole – Part IV(Comparison)

Full of Comparison

The insecurity birthed out of one who leans to the flesh and to one’s own understanding; instead of what Jesus Christ says about him in his word, causes a comparison, and a constant need to attempt to measure up to a false standard that was never meant for them in the first place. The person who lives like this despises who he or she is and what he or she has to offer while constantly focusing on someone else. This person is broken in a bad way.

Dathan and Korah were already community leaders, who despised their very own position, compared themselves to Moses and Aaron seeking to bring them down while lifting their insecure selves. This is a constant theme with the insecure and broken even now. While they focused so much on Moses’ and Aaron’s calling; their posts or calling from God remained un-maned.

With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” Numbers 16:2-3

Koran and Dathan could have easily resolved their personal issue that they so rudely projected onto Moses and Aaron. They could have taken a note from Moses, whose immediate response was to fall on his face before God. Humility will always be the answer for one who has become prideful within his insecurities. Because of Koran and Dathan’s reliance on the flesh and what they saw; nothing they did would prosper. However when we lean on God instead of our own understanding; everything that we do will prosper.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding; – Proverbs 3:5

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord. – Jeremiah 17:5
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither–
    whatever they do prospers. – Psalms 1:2-3

The end result of Koran and Dathan was an early death. Read about it in Numbers 14. Koran and Dathan, along with the 250 men who opposed Moses wanting his position so bad that Moses said go ahead take it. Moses instructed them to do what the priests do, who were set aside by God. Moses told Koran, Dathan, and the 250 men to bring up sensors as priests to the Lord. When this happened the 250 men were killed by fire. Koran had previously been killed by the earth opening up and swallowing him and his whole family. When we operate outside of who God called us to be; we set ourselves up for disaster. Don’t allow competition to grow within you in a state of brokenness, but give that area of brokenness over to God allowing him to heal you.

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Behaviors of The Broken Vs. The Whole – Part III (Control & Rudeness)

Broken People Exhibit Characteristics of Control

People often mask their insecurities and weaknesses with trying to control things, people, situations as to appear to have it together. Control is one of the worst manifestations of the broken. 

Those who walk in control; have to learn to relinquish the things they are trying to control over to the Lord. They have to become humble enough to ask God for wisdom and then humble enough to apply that wisdom.

And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” Numbers 14:4

Now, Israel already had leaders, but in the spirit of control, they wanted to circumvent the leaders God had set up to find other leaders who would pursue their broken agenda. This is a very dangerous characteristic of the broken because their control, stubbornness, and rebellion actual work against them to keep them from moving forward. It sets them backward every time. We don’t want to be in cycles of moving backward instead of forward.

Rude & Prideful
Those that operate from a broken perspective often set up walls of pride to protect themselves, their opinions, and the way that they see things. The Bible says that Korah and Dathan, two leaders in Israel became insolent: 

​Insolent: showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect (Google Dictionary).

Those that operate from a broken perspective have in many cases already exalted their opinions above everyone else—even leadership. They’ve become rude and prideful. If you start to notice this type of behavior in your own life, you my want to do a heart check asking the Lord to reveal where these patterns are coming from, and to give you the grace to deal with it so that it is resolved and no more.

Those that are whole recognize these patterns and begin to humble themselves; while those that are of broken perspectives simply accept this behavior as if this is the way it is. God calls us up higher. He does not allow us to stay the same.

For more on wholeness click here for new book, “The Wholeness Action Plan.”

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