Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
I am sure everyone has heard the comical philosophical question, âWhich came first: the chicken or the egg?â At Creation, the chicken clearly came first. But in other instances, sometimes the correct answer is not either-or but both-and.Â
The apostle Paul warned his protege Timothy, âFor the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hearâ (2 Timothy 4:3). In other words, the people are saying, âThe truth makes us uncomfortable, so tell us something that makes us feel good. If you do, you will be rewarded by our popular support.âÂ
Nearly 600 years earlier, God had something to say to those popular teachers, âWoe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!â (Ezekiel 13:3). The New King James Version says they âprophesy out of their own heartâ and the New American Standard Bible says they âprophesy from their own inspirationâŚfollowing their own spirit.â In other words, they are speaking a popular message, not a truthful message.Â
So which came first: the chicken of people with itching ears or the egg of false prophets with a popular message intended for itching ears? I think this is a true both-and. Itâs both people looking for a feel-good message, and false prophets realizing they can be rewarded for sharing a popular feel-good message.Â
Absolutely no one benefits from a prophecy from my own inspiration. True prophets of God donât want people following their own spirit but following the Spirit of God.Â
A mark of anungodlyleader is one who uses Godâs name only as his platform for personal gain.
To those false prophets, God says, âWoe are you, for My judgment will fall on you.â To those with itching ears who trade popularity for truth, Paul says to Timothy, âHave nothing to do with themâ (2 Timothy 3:1-5).Â
This is part 72 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series 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.Â
Plato said, âArguments, like men, are often pretenders.â This is both true and a logical syllogism. It is true because men often pretend, and they design their arguments to support their pretenses.Â
One of my favorite classes in college was âIntroduction to Logic.â In fact, it is one of my few college textbooks that is still in my personal library today. It always struck me that God created logic. That means He is infinitely logical.
So we can restate Platoâs quote like this, âGodâs arguments, like God Himself, are always authentic, logical, and valid.âÂ
In my Bible study time, I often highlight the words that denote premisses and conclusions. In just Ezekiel 36 alone I find:Â
therefore (6x)
because (2x)Â
then (6x)
for (1x)Â
so that (1x)Â
We can argue against Godâs logic, and we can even try to invalidate His arguments. But to do so makes me illogical. God not only gives the premisses and the conclusion, but He makes them both logical and valid. God told Jeremiah, âI am watching to see that My word is fulfilledâ (Jeremiah 1:12).
So any of my attempts to redefine or re-order or invalidate what God has logically presented ultimately brings disorder, collapse, and frustration. It is far better for me to simply follow the premisses and trust God to bring about His promisedâand logicalâconclusion.Â
I encourage you to look for these logic statements as you read the Bible yourself. Here is a Bible study from Proverbs 2 that can help get you started.
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Have you ever noticed how many of our Christmas carols celebrate the dark night giving way to the bright light? For instance, the hymn O Holy Night contains the line, âlong lay the world in sin and error pining until He appeared.âÂ
English historian and theologian Thomas Fuller was the first to put into print what has now become a clichĂŠ that so many people use: âIt is always darkest just before the Day dawneth.â Indeed, Micah paints a very dark scene just before the Messiah makes His First Advent (Micah 5:1).Â
The Light of Jesus that burst onto planet Earth in a Bethlehem stable revealed Him as our Great Shepherd, our Prince of Peace, and our Mighty Deliverer. And there is also one more title that Micah foretells: our Triumphant King!Â
What does our Triumphant King do? He confronts and defeats the darkest foes. Check out the words in Micah 5:9-15: destroy (5x), demolish (2x), tear down, uproot, take vengeance.Â
Christâs birth in Bethlehem is our proof that Godâs plan prevails. God always gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word!Â
Most of the Old Testament prophets foresaw both the first and second advents of Jesus simultaneously. The mountains of prophecy look like they are on top of each other, so itâs very common for the prophets to see events of both advents happening simultaneously. So Micah sees both the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and His coming at the end of time as King.
There is a spiritual battle that has been raging since before Time began (Ephesians 6:12). It started when Lucifer became satan by his rebellion against God, and then he began his agenda of the destruction of Godâs people (Ezekiel 28:12-17; Revelation 12:7-9, 13, 17).Â
Into this dark battle, Jesus enters the scene. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undoâdestroy, loosen, and dissolveâthe works the devil has done (1 John 3:8 AMP).Â
I already talked about how the death of Jesus on the Cross meant the death of Death, and Jesus became our Mighty Deliverer! The resurrection of Jesus means satanâs time is nearing an end. It may be dark now, but the darkness has to give way to the Light of the King of kings (check out these verses in Revelation).Â
âIt is always darkest just before the Day dawnethâ should assure us of the victory of the King of kings! Jesus assured us that darkness is only afforded an hour, and then the Light will completely overwhelm it. The Light dawned in Bethlehem and is returning soon to completely vanquish every last bit of darkness!
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When God spoke to the âprinces of Israel,â He was speaking to those in leadership positions. They were men who had wealth, position, and a high level of influence. God called them to live up to their title as âprinceâ because leadership is a high and holy calling given by God.Â
They are to be peacemakers, never men of violence nor oppression (45:9).Â
They are to be fair, consistent, and impartial in their interactions with others (45:10).Â
They are to generously provide for the people under their care (45:15-17, 22; 46:13-14).Â
They are to have a âget to do itâ attitude toward their duties, not a âhave to do itâ attitudeâ (46:5, 7, 11).Â
They are to be among their people, not aloof nor isolated from them (46:10).Â
They are to provide for their family without impoverishing the people under their care (46:18).Â
Since God calls leaders, He will also call them to account. Jesus made it clear that there are only one-of-two assessments that leaders will hear from God:
Well done, good and faithful servantÂ
You wicked, lazy servant
Let me say it again: Leadership is a high and holy calling. SoâŚ
A mark of a godly leader is one who joyfully and faithfully fulfills Godâs leadership call.Â
This is part 67 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series 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.
There is a mistaken belief that urges or yearnings or cravings that humans have are sinful and must be quickly squelched. To that end, many will deny themselves absolutely anything that brings them pleasure.Â
But what God creates, He calls âgoodâ and even âvery goodâ (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). In one part of the Creation account, we read that God created âtrees that were pleasing to the eye and good for foodâ (2:9). Things used in the way God created them are both good and good for us. The Creator knows the best uses, and He shares these with us. He also knows the harmful misuses, and He warns us of these.Â
Even Lucifer was created âperfect in beautyâ until his craving for more than God had given him corrupted his goodness and turned him into satan (Ezekiel 28:12-19). satanâs craving perverted his heart because he craved more than what the Creator had given him.Â
He still uses the same tactic today: he attempts to turn a craving for a legitimate good into an irresistible, entitled pursuit for more. This is what he did with Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, trying to get them to doubt Godâs wisdom in forbidding them from eating that one tree (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-6).Â
Adam and Eve needed food, and God gave them a craving for good food. But they didnât need the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evilâthey just wanted that forbidden fruit.Â
When wants become âneeds,â âneedsâ become idols.Â
Once again, satan tried the same strategy with Jesus. Jesus had a craving for food after 40 days of fasting, but His Father said, âNot yet.â Notice how satan again tried to get Jesus to question Godâs wisdom with his âifâ questions at each temptation. He even quotes a Scripture out of context to try to legitimize turning a want into a need (Luke 4:3, 7, 9).Â
When wants become âneeds,â âneedsâ become idols. And when âneedsâ become idols, our unfulfilled cravings create anxiety. And when anxiety persists, sin is usually not too far behind.Â
So any anxiety in our hearts should alert us to the idols of wants-turned-to-âneeds.â In other words, make sure what you are calling âneedsâ arenât just wants in disguise.Â
How can you do this? By asking yourself these four questions:Â
Is this an earthly craving or an eternal craving? Cravings for earthly things will ultimately fail because this world is temporary (1 John 2:17). Â
If I donât get this thing, will I die? If I answer âno,â itâs probably a want.Â
Will this craving bring me closer to God? Jesus said, âYour Father knows what you need before you ask Himâ (Matthew 6:8). So letâs ask ourselves, âIf this longing is fulfilled, will it make me more dependent on God?â If the answer is âno,â then itâs probably a want.Â
Will this craving glorify Godâs name? Jesus taught us to begin our prayer with an attitude of longing for Godâs name to be glorified (Matthew 6:9-10). We can definitely spot wants weâve turned into âneedsâ when we are looking for personal gain. Check out this verse from the prophet IsaiahâÂ
And therefore the Lord earnestly waits, expecting, looking, and longing to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessedâhappy, fortunate, to be enviedâare all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Himâfor His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship! (Isaiah 30:18 AMP)Â
God longs to be gracious to you, so He puts cravings in your heart that can only be satisfied by His presence. Lucifer and Adam and Eve all lost Godâs âmatchless, unbroken companionshipâ when they tried to appease the wants-turned-to-âneedsâ idol. It doesnât have to be like that for us! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you spot those wrong cravings and turn them into cravings that only God can satisfy.Â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
In a recent teaching time with some ministry interns, I discussed the two main metrics that we can use to measure growth: quantity and quality. Sadly, too many churches and ministries have gotten so caught up in the ânumbers gameâ of more-more-more being the only metric of success, that theyâve forgotten about quality. Or maybe they do focus on quality, but only as a means to the end of more-more-more.Â
This is never a metric of success that is discussed in the Bible. Check this outâŚ
In the chapter entitled âDonât Try to Grow Your Ministryâ in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter I wrote thisâ
Businesses think in terms of quantitative gainsâthings they can countâbut churches and nonprofits should be thinking in terms of qualitative gainsâa quality improvement that isnât as easily counted. I think we all know this, and yet we still persist in wanting to define success in a church or a nonprofit by those quantitative standards such as attendance growth, donations, and the like. When we think qualitative over quantitative, suddenly what seemed âsmallâ is so significant and so valuable that it cannot be calculated! What if one of those babies that werenât aborted discovers a cure for cancer, or deciphers a dialect to take the Gospel to an unreached people group, or becomes the loving next-door neighbor that leads your son or daughter to a relationship with Jesus?Â
Just as you cannot put a price tag on a life, you cannot put a price tag on a sheep. Make no mistake about it, God views His sheepâevery single one of themâas invaluable. Because His valuation is so high, we can understand why He gets so angry at those who are more concerned about their success than they are about the health of the sheep. When God uses the word âWoe!â we should definitely take that seriously. He uses that very word to warn shepherd leaders who were shirking their responsibility when He said, âWoe to those shepherds who only take care of themselvesâ (Ezekiel 34:2).Â
When we map out our plan for success, or when we try to define success solely by quantitative measurements, we ultimately become more committed to our plans than to Godâs sheep. God pulls no punches when He calls leaders with this attitude evil, mere hired hands, or even thieves (Jeremiah 23:3; John 10:8, 12). And most sobering of all, God says, âI will hold them accountableâ (Ezekiel 34:10).Â
Friends, letâs make sure we are focused on the metrics that really matter. Recently, a pastor shared honestly with me about his frustration with the ânumbers game,â and purchased five copies of my book to use as a discussion starter with his church staff. I hope you will consider using Shepherd Leadership in a similar way. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.Â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
God had a rather simple message for Ezekiel, âThe word of the Lord came to me: âSon of man, speak to your peopleââ (Ezekiel 33:1â2).Â
I find that pronoun âyourâ intriguing because you would think that God would say, âMy people.â They are indeed Godâs people, but God had set Ezekiel apart as His watchman (vv. 7â20), so Ezekiel had to take personal responsibility for the people. They were to be treated and spoken to as though they were indeed his people.Â
This idea of responsibility gets a little tricky for some leaders because, with the responsibility to their people, they usually feel they are accountable to their people as well.Â
But in the next few verses, God makes it clear that Ezekiel must be accountable to God alone.
Responsible to his people. Accountable to his God.Â
When we start feeling we are accountable to people, we can get distracted, discouraged, or derailed by their unpleasant responses.Â
Notice that when Jesus spoke pleasing words to people, everyone spoke well of Him. But when He pointed out to them the words of God they were ignoring, they were ready to kill Him.Â
People are fickleâthey sing praises when they hear those words they like, and they are ready to attack the messenger when the words are upsetting.Â
A mark of a godly leader is one who has a clear understanding of his responsibility and his accountability.
When you are Godâs leader, He will entrust people to your care and He will entrust His message for those people to you. You are now responsible to deliver His message to your people. You are then accountable to God alone for delivering His message. Be responsible to people, accountable to God, and be careful not to mix the two.Â
This is part 66 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series 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.Â
John Maxwell was right: âEverything rises and falls on leadership.âÂ
As the leader goes, so goes the family, the neighborhood, the business, the church, the country. Just as Israelâs leaders fell into sin and took the people down with them, so too the religious and political leaders in America are leading people to sin.Â
God told Ezekiel, âSee how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed bloodâ (Ezekiel 22:6). These ungodly leaders were described as:
The bottom line: God says, âYou have forgotten Meâ (v. 12).Â
This kind of evil must be punished by an All-Righteous God.Â
But God is still merciful. He is still looking for just one who will turn away from the sins of the culture and live righteously. He is looking âfor someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy itâ (v. 30).Â
God is looking for just one leader who will seek Godâs glory and not personal gain, who will stand for righteousness even if he has to stand alone.Â
Will you be that one?Â
I pray I may be that one!Â
I pray for godly leaders to stand up! âHoly God, may we stand for You in this evil culture. May Your Holy Spirit strengthen us to stand unmoved against the onslaught of depravity. Strengthen us against the evil one and against evil people, knowing that greater are You in us than the evil that is in the world. May we be the ones that refuse to bend our knee to anyone or anything but You. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray this. Amen!âÂ
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
God said to Ezekiel, âSon of man, stand up on your feetâ (Ezekiel 2:1).Â
Ezekiel had fallen face down at the sight of Godâhow awesome Godâs presence must have been! Now God tells Ezekiel to stand up so that He may speak with him. It seems as if God is asking Ezekiel to do the impossible.Â
But we must remember this principle:
All of Godâs commands are also His empowerment.
Ezekiel responded: âAs He spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feetâ (v. 2).Â
As God spoke His commandment to Ezekiel, His empowerment to help him obey infused Ezekiel. Godâs power allowed Ezekiel to obey. His word of command was also His word of enablement.Â
There is no word of God that can ever be too hard for us to obey. God would never command us to do what is impossible for us to do, but with His command also comes His empowerment to obey that command.
And as Ezekiel obeyed, he was then able to hear even more of Godâs word to him.Â
This principle is still true for us today. When God speaks a word to our heart, never say to Him, âWhat? Thatâs too hard! I could never do that!â Instead, we need to say, âGod, that seems like a hard word, but because Your word is also the empowerment I need, I will obey You.â And as you obey, God is then able to speak even more words to your heart.Â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
âEzekiel will be a sign to youâŚâ âGod (Ezekiel 24:24).Â
How many times have I told God, âI am Your servant. Use me as You know bestâ?Â
But do I really want that?
Ezekiel is told by God in the ninth year of their captivity in Babylon, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that the siege of Jerusalem had begun that very day. Ezekiel is then instructed to share this news with his fellow exiles. God tells Ezekiel that after he shares this news, he will be unable to speak until a messenger arrives in Babylon to confirm the report.Â
That same day, God also tells Ezekiel that his wife will die, but that he is not to mourn over this loss. God had grieved for years over Judahâs slide away from Him, but He could no longer grieve because it was now time for Judahâs punishment. Perhaps just like Judahâs slow downward slide, Ezekielâs wife had been in declining health too, but now Ezekiel was called to obey God in this second illustrated sermon.Â
About seven months later, Jerusalemâs walls were broken through, King Zedekiah was captured, and about three weeks later Nebuzaradan torched the city. On that day, Ezekiel lost his power to speak, just as God said he would, and Ezekiel remained mute for nearly two years (2 Kings 25:1-10; Ezekiel 24:1-2, 15-27; 33:21-22).Â
This is what it means to be used by God. He used Ezekiel as His illustrated sermons to vividly show the exiles the consequences of their sinful choices.
But we donât read a single word of complaint or bargaining from Ezekielâjust complete obedience.
A mark of a godly leader is one who signs a blank check for God to fill in the amount.
The leader that serves God in this obedient way is one who is highly esteemed by both God and men. God said, âAs for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, âCome and hear the message that has come from the Lord.â … When all this comes trueâand it surely willâthen they will know that a prophet has been among themâ (Ezekiel 33:30, 33).Â
I want to believe that I am willing to serve God this way but am I truly willing? Perhaps my prayer should be, âFather I want to be able to be used by You. I want to say that I am ready for You to use me as You see best. But You alone truly know my heart. Holy Spirit, if I am not as committed as Ezekiel was, please do Your work in me so that I can truly say, âI am ready to be used.ââÂ
This is part 63 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.Â
I am sure everyone has heard the comical philosophical question, âWhich came first: the chicken or the egg?â At Creation, the chicken clearly came first. But in other instances, sometimes the correct answer is not either-or but both-and. 
Craig T. Owens 