Generational Leadership (Part 1)

A face-to-face meeting with God trumps any other meeting you'll ever have.  I wonder what Moses was thinking as he was hearing God speak?  

God was giving Moses specific instructions on how to lead His people through a difficult time.  

• Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.  And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Distinct hearing is required in Difficult times.

If Moses had listened to the negative voices of the people they would have drowned out the positive voice of God.

• People will always have an opinion.  
• Opinions, ideas, strategies, etc; can be good but when God speaks in your ear...you'll know it...above the voices of others.

Expect Confirmation.

When God speaks to you, He will surround you with CONFIRMATION.  He will place fathers and elders in your life who will confirm what God has already spoken to you.

• After confirmation, you'll enter into PREPARATION.  
• Just because you've heard a "word from the Lord" today doesn't mean you run out and do it tomorrow.
• The TIMING of God and the DIRECTION of God have to come together to form the INTERSECTION of OPPORTUNITY.  This can take months and years.
• Rest assured, in the middle of your preparation there will also come a season of SANCTIFICATION and ISOLATION.

In my own life I've discovered that when I've been to the mountain and heard from the Lord, I won't be intimidated by what those in the valley are saying or better yet...mumbling under their breath.

• However, I must leave my heart open with a TEACHABLE SPIRIT for my fathers to confirm, correct and coincide a unified direction for my life.
• Paul tells us that although we've had 10,000 instructors...YET...we have not many fathers. (1 Corinthians 4:15)
• In essence, the fathers that God has given you are there for a purpose.  
• If you bypass them, you directly bypass delegated authority over your life.  On this side of the cross, God has instituted the blueprint of delegated authority as a pattern to follow.
• Again, Paul writes about this in Hebrews 13:7 as he deals with the submissive heart every leader and leader in training must continually possess.

Avoid getting ahead of God.

• God has given you what it takes to accomplish what He sent you to do.
• Moses PRACTICED his ministry on the backside of the dessert.
• Sometimes God puts you in a small setting so you can practice your gift.
• A place to practice in ISOLATION before He exposes you to the whole world.
• Moses had to have his desert experience...it was there he was practicing.

The Change Begins In Me.

• Change takes time.  However, change can come faster when we allow God to SHIFT our INSIDES.
• When God begins to change us on the inside, we will visibly see an outward manifestation of growth as well.  It will even show up in our temperament and the choices we make.
• As our leadership grows, positive change will occur in multiple dimensions of our life.

When our CHARACTER catches up
to our CALLING...then we can expect greater CLARIFICATION for the next step.

• However, if our character doesn't change or grow...then it doesn't matter how many prophesies are spoken over us, how many prayer lines we've stood in, how many moves we make, new environments we create or how many dreams we may have...we will delay the process.
• God is more concerned about our character than He is our position, title or placement.
• He knows what we can handle.
• He knows the timing of our ministry.
• He has charted our course and is fully aware of the bends in the road ahead of us.
  
  

Fruitfulness is an outflow of faithfulness.  

• However, you can be faithful to something without bearing any fruit.  Jesus addressed this in the parables.
• This can happen when we're distracted from our purpose.  
• Remember...everything you're doing right now is preparing you for your destiny.  The good news is that your destiny is not some far off place...you're already walking in it.  Realizing this will help you focus on the HERE and NOW...not the THERE and LATER.
• Another way to view your present assignment is...IF I CAN'T DO IT HERE...HOW DO I EXPECT TO DO IT THERE?

Promotion isn't based on fruitless entitlement
...it's based on fruitful endurance.

• The key to fulfilling GENERATIONAL LEADERSHIP is allowing God to have the reigns of your life...NOW.

Leaders don't whimper, cry, play the victim or place blame....leaders make internal changes so that external growth can be measured...with the hope of making a GENERATIONAL IMPACT in this lifetime.