Pastors can only fulfill their calling as shepherd leaders with the vitalizing power of prayer, and must pray for themselves first. A healthy, prayer-full pastor is an effective pastor. My newest book is to help pastors in this vital discipline of prayer.
Amen Indeed fuels growth by providing more than 100 prayers for pastors to pray for their own mental, physical, spiritual, and relational growth. Each is sourced from Scripture and rings with the “Amen” that Jesus promised to add (2 Corinthians 1:20).
“There is one assured way for our prayers to be answered: It is to pray the will of God.
“There is one assured way to pray the will of God: It is to pray Scripture.
“As ministers of the Gospel we would be wise then to primarily pray Scripture, for ‘the word of our God stands forever’ (Isaiah 40:8).” —Dick Brogden, Founder of the Live Dead Movement
“When it comes to prayer, we need some help. And in Amen Indeed, help is at hand. Whatever is keeping us from prayer, Craig Owens can help us push through to a more consistent and more consistently joyful and fruitful life of prayer.” —T.M. Moore, Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit brings an empowerment that nothing else can—You will receive POWER to be My witnesses (Acts 1:8).
I remember sitting with a group of leaders who were discussing personnel issues that was slowly becoming nothing more than a gripe session. I shared a story from the Book of Acts about some disagreements between some saints, and then made an application that caused all of these leaders to look at me in wonder. One said, “I had no idea that was in the Bible,” and another added, “I knew that story was there, but I never thought of applying that to this situation.” That wasn’t me, but the Holy Spirit who opened up His Word to that situation.
My friend Greg and I are writing a series of books for the business community called Business by the Book, where we are applying biblical insights to every “box” of a typical corporate flowchart. People who have already reviewed sections of our book are having a similar response: “I had no idea these examples and applications were there!”
We are surrounded by messages right now—messages we cannot hear. There are some persuasive arguments, some angry rants, some happy tunes, and some special sporting events. But we cannot tune into those messages with having a radio receiver set to the precise frequency. The Holy Spirit does the same thing for Christians.
Check out David talking about the speech of Creation in Psalm 19:1-4.
Jesus used Creation too—telling us to look at the birds and flowers (Matthew 6:26, 28) or to consider the farmer sowing seeds (Matthew 13:3-9).
In Romans, Paul tells us that Creation is enough (1:19-20) but that God also gave us His Law (2:12) and a conscience (2:15). When men rejected these things, God sent prophets and then His One and Only Son.
Those without the Holy Spirit are deaf to this speech, unable to understand it nor apply it to their lives, as Jesus goes on to tell His audience in Matthew 13:10-12.
We have already talked about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth (John 16:7-15), but notice that one of the first things He does is convict us of sin (v. 8). Without this conviction, we are unable to repent of the things which are keeping us spiritual blind and deaf (Ezekiel 12:1-2).
Oswald Chambers noted, “Spiritual insight is in accordance with the development of heart purity.” How true! And that’s exactly what Jesus went on to say in Matthew 13:13-15. Paul echoes this—
But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT).
One of the prophecies about Jesus included His reliance on the Holy Spirit—not His natural mind—to discern what God was doing and how Jesus would fulfill Scripture (Isaiah 11:1-5).
This Spirit-empowered insight was anticipated by Solomon: If you will turn (repent) and give heed to My reproof, behold, I Wisdom will pour out My Spirit upon you, I will make My words known to you. (Proverbs 1:23 AMPC)
We can then know the sayings of the wise and be able to understand and apply these truths (Proverbs 24:23, 32). See how Peter did this in Acts 10:17, 28.
Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding—drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences.(Proverbs 3:13 AMPC)
The Spirit-baptized Christian is empowered to understand God’s speech through His Word, His Creation, and their life experiences, and then to make Christ-honoring applications of that understanding!
Why would we settle for anything less than this?! So don’t stop at salvation, but press on to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Quality leaders empathize with their teammates, but struggling leaders use their teammates’ stories as a lead-in to tell their own stories. Don’t be a one-upper! Check out our full conversation about the power of a leader’s empathy.
“Personal devotion to a friend or a pursuit means that they will always hold a place in our heart, even when other people and things occupy our attention. Personal devotion to Jesus means that we allow nothing to separate us from Him for a moment. To abide in Him and His love, to be kept by Him and His grace, to be doing His will and pleasing Him—this cannot possibly be an irregular practice if we are truly devoted to Him.” —Andrew Murray
“Let us all seek out the good points of our brethren, and consider them, that we may afterwards be the means of guiding them to those peculiar good works for which they are best adapted.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Hebrews 10:24
AI deepfakes are a very real and present concern. This is a long article from Fight The New Drug about how innocent photos and videos are being manipulated into sexualized content. Parents: “A practical rule: before posting, ask, ‘Could this image embarrass my child later, reveal personal information, identify their location, or be misused if copied?’ If the answer is yes, do not post it publicly.” This post also lists several resources to remove AI-generated photos and videos that have been shared online.
“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” —Charles Dickens
“Not all who wander are lost forever. By the mercy of God, even now, may your wanderer return home.” Jill Noble has encouraging words for parents who are praying for their prodigal child.
“Servant leadership is all about the person you serve. To grow in effectiveness, you must value what is valuable to that person. It is not enough to just ‘get better.’ We must get better in the areas that are important to the ones we serve. As a leader, do you possess what your team members need, specifically in the areas that can benefit your people?” —John Maxwell
“How many preachers mimic Achan with his stolen plunder? Contraband discourses, borrowed knowledge, unlawful paragraphs copied and pasted because a quick AI prompt was easier than doing the work themselves. To me, these have the glimmer of cursed objects, gold and silver under the ban. …What is a studied and well-expressed sermon built largely on the foundations of artificial intelligence? Is it not stolen plunder? What value is that orthodox teaching, conjured with a few keystrokes, when bereft of orthodox affection? Is this the blessing that Jacob wrestled all night for, the blessing that marked him the rest of his days? Men’s sacred trains of thought ought never run on AI search engines. There may be gold in their orthodoxy or oratory, but too often these are nuggets taken by the hand of laziness, inexperience, and lack of prayer. A lifetime of AI-produced sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons will not honor God and will end in defeat. …What is the point? Ministers must never replace their reliance upon God and His Spirit with any tools. The warrior of God does not trust in his spear or his chariots or his ChatGPT.” Greg Morse has more to say to preachers about the reliance on AI.
“The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly “as to the Lord.” This does not, of course, mean that it is for anyone a mere toss-up whether he should sweep rooms or compose symphonies. A mole must dig to the glory of God and a cock must crow. We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with his own vocation.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
One of the most difficult—but rewarding—decisions a leader will ever make is to honestly confront themselves on their part in a relationship or organizational problem.
Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on the Craig and Greg Show episode called Growth from the Hard Road. And you may also want to check out a whole series of messages I shared in the series Thankful in the Night.
Get more information on my book When Sheep Bite by clicking here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Remember your leaders… (Hebrews 13:7).
As the writer of Hebrews closes his epistle, he speaks to the saints about how they should interact with their leaders (Hebrews 13:7-21). He concludes this section by saying their confidence in their leaders brings joy to their leaders.
But I would like to flip the script on this to describe how leaders are supposed to live in a way that makes it a joy for people to follow their leadership.
So, leaders, let’s make sure we are…
…speaking the Word of God, not any kinds of “strange teachings” (vv. 7, 9).
…living a life worthy of imitation. This requires a consistent and steadfast example of Christ-like living (vv. 7-8).
…strengthening people with grace, not man-made strategies (v. 9).
…not giving ourselves special privileges just because we are in leadership positions (v. 10).
…not concerned with public perceptions while we stand for Jesus (vv. 11-13).
…keeping in mind that our reward is in Heaven, so we don’t look for human accolades here but in “the city that is to come” (v. 14).
…setting the example in hospitality (v. 16).
…leading with the integrity and gentleness that makes it easy for saints to have confidence in our leadership (v. 17a).
…serving with sober joy (v. 17b).
…praying for others to be empowered “to live honorably” and with a clear conscience (vv. 18-19).
A mark of a godly leader is one who makes it desirable for others to follow Jesus.
Jesus is “that great Shepherd of the sheep” (v. 20). We are merely under-shepherds of small flocks, but we have been appointed to this pasture by Him.
He will equip us “with everything good for doing His will” (v. 21a), which means we don’t have to attempt to equip ourselves. Instead, we can operate in His empowerment.
He will also work in us “what is pleasing to Him” (v. 21b). We are not trying to please people, but we should want to please the One to Whom we must give an account.
All “glory for ever and ever” goes to Him! We are not serving as His under-shepherds so that we can be recognized, but so people can draw closer to Him. We shepherd people to make Jesus known.
If we will keep these things in mind, we are free to serve. Leaders who are secure—who are humbly confident in their calling—are leaders who are easy to follow.
Let’s pray: Holy Spirit, help me to lead in a way that allows others to see Jesus because of my lifestyle. I want to be an example that helps others draw ever closer to Him. Amen!
This is part 88 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here. And you may also want to check out my books for church leaders—Shepherd Leadership and When Sheep Bite.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run withPERSEVERANCEthe race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him HeENDUREDthe Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who ENDUREDsuch opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
The words perseverance (v. 1) and endured (2x in vv. 2-3) are all the Greek word hupomone. This word means: not swayed from the goal, not hesitating to run the race, pushing forward no matter what.
These three verses also identify three thing that could trip us up:
Sin. Not just blatant sin, but any area where I am hesitating to respond to the Holy Spirit.
Shame. Paying attention to how I look in the eyes of others, and then feeling ashamed that I don’t measure up to their standard.
Opposition. The attacks from the devil and his willing agents.
Fortunately, this same passage also tells us the three ways to avoid these trip-ups:
Throw off the sin! Make the changes the Holy Spirit has shown me—do it immediately.
Keep my eyes on Jesus. After all, it doesn’t matter what anyone else things of me. If I keep my eyes on my Savior, I can be fueled by the same joy that kept Him from getting tripped up.
Consider the opposition. The Greek word for “opposition” is literally a combination of “anti” and “logic.” The opposition has opinions that are illogical, but I have the logical Truth in Jesus!
No regression. No hesitation. Only upward and onward every single day!
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Choose work you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”? I’m not sure that is totally accurate. Work that is meaningful and fulfilling will be draining, hard work. We see Jesus taking time away from His work to be replenished from the activities that drained Him.
Instead, I think we need to find joy in our work. That joy comes from knowing why we are working. If we know the answer to the question, “Why do I do what I do, even if what I do is hard and demanding work” (and we can stay focused on that), then I think there is a joy that makes our duty a delight.
Jesus knew His duty from the very beginning. We see this in the story Luke shares with us about 12-year-old Jesus visiting Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-50). The phrase “I had to be in My Father’s house” (NIV) is rendered “must be” (NLT, KJV), and “I had to be here dealing with the things of My Father” (MSG). And I think the AMPC version is especially telling: Did you not see and know that it is necessary as a duty for Me to be in My Father’s house and occupied about My Father’s business?
Jesus came to Jerusalem every year for the festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits (see Leviticus 23:4-6, 9-14). Now at “twelve years old” He has had His bar mitzvah and is considered a Man in the eyes of the Jewish community. Eighteen years later, we see Jesus still focused on this same duty (Luke 3:23, 9:18-22).
Jesus found delight and fulfillment in doing His duty (Luke 10:21; John 4:31-34).
Jesus calls His followers to this same food that sustained Him (John 4:35-38). He calls this “hard work” that allows us to “be glad together.” Our joy is the joy of Jesus. Notice in Luke 10:21 that His joy was because His followers found joy in doing their duty for Him (Luke 10:1-3, 17).
Don’t look for the wages or your reward here, but do your duty joyfully in expectation of future and eternal rewards (Luke 17:7-10; John 3:27-30).
Let’s go back to 12-year-old Jesus in the temple. He was there during three Old Testament feasts that all pointed to Him and were fulfilled in Him:
Passover (Abib 14)—the day Jesus was crucified
Unleavened Bread (Abib 15-21)—when Jesus was in the grave
Firstfruits (Abib 16)—the day Jesus was resurrected (see James 1:18)
Pentecost (50 days after Firstfruits)
Twenty-one years after this story in Luke 2, in the very same place where Jesus is interacting with these religious leaders, the followers of Jesus would be baptized in the Holy Spirit! He is the One Who makes our duty a delight.
We get a foreshadowing of the joy in the Holy Spirit in Luke 1:41-44 when just a greeting from Mary—who was pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit—causes the baby in Elizabeth’s womb to leap with joy in the Holy Spirit. We, too, live in joy when the Spirit is actively at work in us (John 15:11; Romans 5:3-5). The Spirit reminds us of the rewards for our joyful duty (Matthew 25:34; Luke 12:35-37).
You can stick with your have-to-do duties if you have a get-to-do attitude that comes from the joy the Holy Spirit gives.
Which is why Jesus prays for our joy to be complete, and Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Check out all of the messages in this series about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives by clicking here.
Sometimes leaders will have to part ways with a staff member. The way this is done can either bring resolution or it can create lingering problems. Check out this clip from our conversation on combatting toxicity in the workplace.
I thoroughly enjoyed this commentary from John Piper on the power of silence in the face of critics and revilers. Pastor John noted, “Both the teachings and the sufferings of Jesus are meant to teach us how to respond when we are treated badly, unjustly. We are to glorify God by finding in Him the reward that satisfies our heart deeply enough that we don’t need to return evil for evil.” I really leaned into this supernatural response to critics in my book When Sheep Bite.
“To preach Christianity meant primarily to preach the Resurrection. … The Resurrection is the central theme in every Christian sermon reported in the Acts. The Resurrection, and its consequences, were the ‘gospel’ or good news which the Christians brought: what we call the ‘gospels’, the narratives of Our Lord’s life and death, were composed later for the benefit of those who had already accepted the gospel. They were in no sense the basis of Christianity: they were written for those already converted. The miracle of the Resurrection, and the theology of that miracle, comes first: the biography comes later as a comment on it.” —C.S. Lewis, Miracles
“We all know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it’s because we’re burning off stress or reducing muscle tension or boosting endorphins, and we leave it at that. But the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important—and fascinating—than what it does for the body. Building muscles and conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially side effects. I often tell my patients that the point of exercise is to build and condition the brain.” —Dr. John Ratey
“When it comes to leadership, attitude becomes even more important. You need to see possibilities when others don’t, encourage people when they are feeling defeated, and demonstrate commitment when others want to quit.” —John Maxwell
J. Warner Wallace not only makes the case that original accounts in the Gospels haven’t been changed over time, but he also shows how the corroborating sources affirm the original account—
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
If you are reading the Gospels with the words of Jesus printed in red, there is one place where the red ink virtually disappears: When Jesus is on trial before Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin. There’s an important lesson here for us.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
There has always been a lot of discussion in the field of counter-factual history. That is, asking the “What if” questions and then trying to guesstimate what might have been. Howard Blum shares an adventure that might have triggered a whole bunch of “What if” questions, except his story is factual history.
Imagine if the Nazis would have assassinated Winston Churchill? Or if the Axis powers had been able to take out Franklin D. Roosevelt or Joseph Stalin? Or, even more frightening, what if they were able to target and eliminate all of the leaders of the Allied nations? Shockingly, this was almost a reality, as Howard Blum relates in his book Night of the Assassins.
This book is primarily told from the perspective of the Nazi spymaster who was trying to pull off “Operation Long Jump” and the head of FDR’s Secret Service detail that was trying to keep the US president out of harm’s way. This true story is full of the twists and turns of leaked plans, lucky guesses, unexpected double agents, good luck, bad luck, and blind luck. Even though I already knew that the Big Three weren’t assassinated by a highly trained Nazi commando squad, I was still on the edge of my seat to see how Blum’s account would play out.
Students of history and aficionados of detective stories will both thoroughly enjoy this book!
After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. (1 Corinthians 3:5 NLT)
The most well-known evangelist is only God’s servant, and the most obscure pastor in the smallest of communities is only God’s servant.
It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT)
God‘s rewards are not for how big I did my ministry, but for how faithfully I did my ministry.
The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.(1 Corinthians 3:8 NLT)
The subtitle of my book Shepherd Leadership is “The metrics that really matter.” The whole third section of my book When Sheep Bite is about remaining faithful to the field where God has called you.
Your faithfulness to God’s call is what matters. God sees you, God will sustain you, and God will reward your faithfulness!
Pastors can only fulfill their calling as shepherd leaders with the vitalizing power of prayer, and must pray for themselves first. A healthy, prayer-full pastor is an effective pastor. My newest book is to help pastors in this vital discipline of prayer.
Craig T. Owens 