The development of this post has been a God moment, teaching me patience. It has been in development for several days, maybe weeks. But, if we are going to be leaders, especially in this current world and in the Ekklesia, we need to seek guidance from our leader, God, and wait for the answer. Not unlike in our work-a-day worlds, at times, the boss does not give guidance right away, so we wait. When we are willing to be patient, the result is generally better than if we had not waited. When it comes to following God, the result is always better when we wait on Him.
God reminded me of desert experiences recently. Specifically, Moses on Mt. Horeb. Horeb means desolation and emptiness. But Mt. Horeb turned into Mt. Sinai and a great victory. In 2018, approximately, God began communicating through the Holy Spirit that He wanted me to walk through a desert with Him. He wanted me to stay with Him (eyes on Him) as He taught me patience, perseverance, and how to love Him and wait on Him. At the time, I was going through professional and personal challenges and thought I understood the lessons. Oh, was I mistaken! Over time, I began to embrace the walk and actually began praying that He would not let me out of this desert until I learned everything He wanted to teach.
My Mt. Horeb experience spanned personal and professional situations, but the real lessons came in understanding His Word along with the complete and utter spiritual battle we are in now. God made it clear that this battle against evil had been going on for quite some time, but I was blissfully ignorant until He took the scales off my eyes. He loves me enough to chasten me through this experience, and I emerged on the other side, not without wounds, but with those wounds bound by the blood of Christ.
So far, my Mt. Horeb experience has lasted about six years, not the 40 years experienced by Moses. During that time, I retired—many more stories around that—sought the next opportunities to serve God, changed long-held perspectives on doctrines in scripture, specifically the gifts of the spirit, and started stepping into a more public-facing ministry. Family members have openly turned on my wife and me, and some we considered friends have begun spreading lies while turning away. God has shown us that we are better off for the loss as those relationships were not edifying. All in a day’s work and not unlike what Moses experienced. Eyes on God.
Why do those willing to lead need to go through these growth experiences? God is looking for the humble (Matthew 5:5). He hates pride (Proverbs 6:16-19) and those who are “wise in their own eyes” (Isaiah 5:21). Because we speak a truth that does not embrace the fallen culture’s narrative, we will be hated because of Him (Mark 13: 12 & 13). Because of that, we need to lead confidently, without fear, and do so boldly (Joshua 1:9; Acts 4:29). We need to lead change wherever we are: in the church—God’s Ekklesia—, schools, government, business, media, arts, and the family!
Therefore, embrace your Mt. Horeb experiences. Be willing to examine yourself for weaknesses and ask for discernment to identify activities and relationships that may be holding you back from God’s best. Then, be bold enough to separate from the activities and relationships that keep you focused on things other than God. Grieve those separations but realize they no longer define you. God is moving you away for a reason, and He will replace it with something better. Leaders must make tough choices sometimes, but those desert experiences will get you ready. Eyes on Him!