It’s not a lack of volunteers. Although, it can definitely feel like it when they are all on vacation.
The biggest battle I see leaders facing today is this: the battle for your faith.
In life and in ministry, we juggle multiple roles, responsibilities, and relationships. It’s no wonder we can feel overwhelmed or overworked sometimes. When this happens, our souls yearn for more, and we can get confused. We end up attempting to manage that yearning by trying harder, doing more, isolating our needs and our weaknesses, and being “busy.”
As leaders in ministry, the daily discipline for us has been and always will be to keep our focus simple. To take God at His Word, and to remember that we lead by faith. What we really believe, what we are actually trusting in, what we are truly hoping for- these things will work their way out in the way we live, lead, and run the race ahead of us.
Hebrews 11 helps us grasp that our faith is connected to our degree of confidence in what we hope for, and our assurance regarding what we do not see. I am captivated by the way the author of Hebrews takes us on a journey through the accounts of ordinary people who chose to walk by faith.
It encourages me to read in verses 8-10 about Abraham’s faith… when he was called to go, he obeyed and went “even though he did not know where he was going.” Have you ever been there before? Not knowing where you were going? Verse 10 helps us understand how practicing and maintaining this kind of faith is even possible: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” He had his heart, mind, and soul fixed on God and eternity in His presence. His confidence rested in the Lord, and he had a resolute hope about his destiny and his future.
This is how we heed the call, how we obey, and how we walk – even when we don’t know where we are going. By faith.
But here’s a warning… your Enemy knows this, too. This is why it’s a battle. His first, slimy question that he hurled at Eve in the beginning was: “Did God really say….?” Bringing her faith, God’s character, and His Word into question… that was his plan for dismantling her future. His strategy is the same today, but he is powerless. Hebrews 10:39 reminds us that we “do not belong to those who shrink back, but to those who have faith and are saved.” And we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have proved that we can run and persevere!
Today, courageous and faith-filled leader, remember Who you hope in, be assured your future is secure and your home is eternal, and remember who you are as you go into battle. You are adding your footprints to a path that believers have run from the beginning, and each step helps the ones coming up behind us to see it better. Keep running by faith.
