Session 1: There is a particular mindset that endures. It is productive. It fulfills the will of God. The question of the day, though, is this: Why is the right mindset so very important for your leadership? What’s at stake for you?
The reason this subject is so very important, especially right now in the church today. So many of us are affected by the events and the circumstances in the world today. Pandemics and random acts of horrific violence bring an incredible level of anxiety to many of our lives as leaders. If our minds are not right, and our thinking is skewered by the chaos, that chaos on the outside can manifest itself in all aspects of our lives, including our leadership.
(NOTE: This series of the blog, comprised of three entries, will include a lot of scripture. Why? The mind is not just the topic for psychologists and psychology discussions. The mind is very much a part of Biblical leadership).
Isaiah 26:3-4 3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
2 Corinthians 10:10 “10Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…”
We must understand this: When the mind is in alignment and balanced with the will of God, everything else in life can follow in balance and alignment.
The mind makes us conscious of who we really are and what we are here on earth to do. When that becomes confused, even slightly, we can find ourselves not knowing what to do. If we don’t know how to deal with this when it happens, and it will happen, we will stumble emotionally. We may even stumble spiritually. We lose sight of our primary purpose and our goal of Biblical leadership. We need a plan for getting our minds and hearts shifted back on course, when confusion and chaos threaten.
2 Corinthians 4:4 “4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not...”
From the very beginning, Satan, who is the god of this world, made it his personal mission to attack the minds of unbelievers . . . and not just unbelievers . . . he comes to steal, kill, and destroy believers as well, by blinding your mind and confusing your mindset.
Take just a moment and think about Adam and Eve. From the very beginning of time, Satan used darkness and deception. His goal was to move Adam and Eve away from the will of God for their lives, to take away their destiny, and diminish their abilities. When you have time, read Genesis 3 (yes, the whole chapter!) and ponder the story of the serpent tricking the woman into disobeying God. He did exactly what the enemy continues to do today!
The serpent promised the woman her eyes would be opened and she would see something she somehow couldn’t see without a few bites of forbidden fruit. He twisted the word of God, and the intention of God, and convinced her that a lie was truth, and that the truth, was, in fact, a lie. As we know, she fell for it. Satan’s tactic from the beginning worked as he confused her thoughts and caused her mind to believe something that was not true, which in turn resulted in behavior that was sinful. If we look around us, I think we can find that this is still one of the primary tactics he uses against church leaders even today.
Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
There is nothing satan would love more than to continually and progressively deteriorate the minds of church leaders. He would love to drive us to a place where we eventually find ourselves in a carnal state of mind.
Please understand this: I am not saying everyone who struggles mentally or emotionally is destined to end up in a bad situation. However, I do believe if we do not give attention to our mindset on a regular basis, if we don’t care for ourselves in soul, mind, and body, we may well be setting ourselves up for failure on many levels. At the very least, we are setting ourselves up to not be able to live up to the potential God strategically placed within us.
I want to not only live in the favor of God. As a Christian and as a church leader, I want to accomplish the perfect will of God in my life.
Evaluate your life through the lens of this question: What negative fruit comes to the surface in your mind when you are tired and stressed?
Copyright © 2021 Ryan Franklin. All rights reserved.