Don't let go of your character.
Broken Rising Blog | 012
By Gary Don
Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash
The temptation to just give in and surrender your Godly character when you’ve been spiritually and emotionally abused by a church leader is high. That’s why the bible is full of admonishments to resist the pitfalls of surrendering your character in the light of your wounding. My advice to anyone who is going through a breaking under season is to look carefully at your life and consider your own convictions in the Lord. Be mindful where the enemy would want to bend, break, change, or push you to surrender your Godly character. You will find that the Lord will bless those who hold fast their Godly character, especially when it comes under spiritual attack.
Even when your character comes under attack, don’t give in.
Spirit filled perseverance comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it looks like Elijah on Mount Carmel calling down fire on the enemies of the Lord to save an entire nation from drought and destruction. Other times perseverance isn’t so dramatic and doesn’t make for a very good story. Often it looks like a lesser-known biblical hero like Asaph of Psalm 73. Asaph was a minor temple priest (or temple attendant) who kept himself pure before the Lord, who had a moment of despair as he looked at how wealthy and hypocritical people lived sinful lives, yet prospered. God opened Asaph’s eyes when he rested in God’s presence, but he never once gave into the temptation to surrender his Godly character and conviction to pursue a lesser life.
The temptation to give up your Godly character can appear in so many ways. It looks like the pressure to exchange the power of God’s presence for the politics of church. It looks like the temptation to put down the bible and take up the world’s leadership wisdom. It looks like the danger of your anger towards an abusive leader turning into rebellion. This temptation to surrender your Godly character looks like surrendering your convictions for righteousness to fit a mold other than that of Jesus. Even though you have been wounded by a church leader, don’t give in. As hard as it is some days, keep going in your commitment to the Lord and His ways.
Godly character will always invite’s the Lord’s presence to be active in your life.
This is vitally important when you have been broken under by a church leader. The spirit of resentment and rebellion are patiently waiting for the opening into your mind and heart to reap destruction on your future. The bible is very clear, rebels reap a rebel’s reward. David refused to rebel against his wicked king even though Saul became the type of leader that deserved to be rebelled against, but rebellion isn’t God’s way. David, after a long season in the dessert, was blessed because he never once lifted a finger towards Saul. David kept his character and he experienced the promises of God. Every one of us has promises from the Lord on our lives. God dreams, spiritual gifts, a calling, an assignment for each season, and an anointing to succeed in that season. Keeping your heart from sin and keeping your Godly character during and directly after a breaking under season is what will invite the presence of God to continue to propel your future instead of the agenda of sin, your wounded flesh, and the narrative of the church leader who wounded you. The ability for God to open up the possibilities of the next season are only possible when your heart is tuned to the ways of the Lord and you hold on to your Godly character.
Choosing to keep your character means you will do better.
No one wants to end up being just like the church leader who spiritually and emotionally abuses those they lead. For good reason, you wouldn’t want anyone else to experience the same wounding your have. You want to lead like Jesus, not your former leader. Your own Godly character is one of the most vital parts of you putting into place a better leadership culture wherever God leads you in the next season. Jesus wants to heal you from the spiritual and emotional abuse at the hands of a church leader, because He loves you. He also wants to heal you so that you can be now set in place a biblical leadership culture based on Jesus, the kind of leadership culture where people are valued as God values them. Your character is so vital, because holding Godly character is what gives you the staying power we need when God gives us an assignment from Heaven. Godly character also keeps our spiritual gifts and graces given to us by the Lord from being co-opted by our own flesh, and then failing. So, know that when you refuse to surrender your character in the Lord you inspire others to hold on to theirs, and the church in the area around your leadership influence will thrive in spiritual health.
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