“The instinct to challenge the process is a fundamental quality of every leader. When God created leaders, he equipped them with an unsettling urge to unpack, undo, and unearth methods. This explains your tendency to question everything around you. It’s the reason you have such strong opinions – and such a strong desire to share them. God wired you that way. Deep in your heart you may feel that if you were in charge, things would not only be different, they’d be better. This is not a problem of arrogance or pride. It’s simply the way God wired you. It’s a good thing.”
Thanks Andy Stanley, for those words.
My own biggest critic – Me. The person with the greatest power and influence to slow the forward motion of my progress with God – ME. God created us. God put dreams in our hearts. God placed talent in our hands and vision in our soul. He can’t show us all at once how awesome a plan He has for us – we wouldn’t believe it if He did. We would doubt. We would most likely run in fear. We are our own greatest critic, greatest limitation. Yet we are God’s handiwork. We exist to be God’s fingerprint on His creation.
People will doubt your call. People will even hate you because of your call (sounds like something Jesus said). People will fear you. People will tell stories about you and try to hurt you.
Our responsibility is to wake up every morning not worrying about who is against us or who is on our side but rather whose side we are on. Are you on God’s side? Are you following His lead? Are you worrying about making your mark or making His mark? Are you concerned about the rumors? The doubters? The haters? Or are you concerned with knowing that you are on the side of the Creator? Really, what does it matter who is for us? What does it matter who is against us?
I am for God. God is for me. And this is just the beginning.
Chad has spent the last decade as a youth pastor and worship leader. In the past few years, he has successfully led and developed of one of the largest and fastest growing youth and college ministries in Northwest Ohio. Chad lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife Katie and two daughters, Morgan and Macy. He is co-founder of the Columbus Church Project and leads a growing team of 20-something young people committed to planting a new church in the Columbus area in 2010.
Awesome and so true
How true that is!! When God is for us WHO can be against us?? When you know you are called and you follow that calling you will be attacked. I just heard a big leader this week speak on that very thing. How in the early days of starting a ministry everything came against her but she keep going. There is a price to pay to be a leader in ministry, there will be hard time, times of doubt, discouragement, but the finish is rewarding!!! Keep your eyes on God, focus on God and unsaved and Blessings will follow! God does not show you the end cause it would scare you for more than one reason, the mountains, and then valleys, But Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world…. YES IF GOD IS FOR YOU WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU???????? GOD BLESS YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND THOSE GOING INTO MINISTRY WITH YOU…. LOVE AND PRAYERS…
My problem: The strongest “doubters, haters, and rumor-starter” critics are always other Christians. The one that hold the power seats.
Jesus didn’t go into the temple in his day and nitpick what he thought they were doing wrong…he went out into the streets (started with people from scratch), and told us to do the same.
The question you have to ask yourself is: Are you a cynical critic? Or are you critically evaluating because you want to get involved and try a new solution to the way we “do life?”
I agree Chad, I am my greatest critic. No matter where I go in life people will doubt, criticize and start rumors, but the only thing that will stop my momentum is my own doubt and criticism. Some may think that others are their biggest critics, but the thing is that my momentum doesn’t come from others, my drive doesn’t come from others and my longing for change does not come from others. So untill I start doubting myself, other peoples’ words cannot hurt me. Very encouraging article!