"So now, beloved ones, stand firm, stable, and enduring. Live your lives with an unshakable confidence. We know that we prosper and excel in every season by serving the Lord because we are assured that our union with the Lord makes our labor productive with fruit that endures.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 TPT
When I seek revelation on a particular aspect of kingdom living, God often presents me with a real-life “learning” experience. These are the times when I come out of my prayer closet and step into the arena of “faith without works is dead”!
In my recent exploration of “abiding in His presence”, I found myself battling between faith and thought-induced defeat.
Here’s a brief account of my lab experiment in abiding:
I felt a bit disconnected from my horse shortly after I climbed into the saddle. She was challenging my role as a leader.
I was on a self-focused mission to improve my horsemanship skills and she was not trusting my doubleminded leadership. My emotions were being expressed through her behavior. My horse was responding to my soul because I was not fully abiding by the Spirit.
We stepped from the grassy field onto a concrete path and approached a small arched bridge. I nudged my horse forward hearing her horseshoes clank on the pavement toward the bridge. The moment her first hoof stepped up on the bridge, she began to move her head from side to side and started backing up on the pavement (I could hear her metal horseshoes scuffing the concrete). As I was trying to correct her and move her forward, I felt my body tighten as my emotions heightened with physical signs of nervousness. She continued to resist. All the while, my thoughts were reminding me of the potential danger. I was frozen in the tension between “We can do this and the pavement is going to hurt when I crash”. In this frozen state, the Voice of truth broke through and redirected me. I heard, “The war is in you. Lead her, she must trust you to follow through”.
That one whisper awakened me and I whispered to my soul, “trust in the Lord”.
We finally followed through and with my husband’s assistance, Skye and I made it across the bridge 3 times!
Looking back, I realized the situation was a lesson in abiding. I have little leadership power when I am not abiding by the Holy Spirit. Circumstances do not determine my victory.
When my mind yielded to fear, my horse reacted to my emotional cues, and my leadership potential was limited.
Abiding is crucial to godly leadership
Holy Spirit, help us engage wholly with the Father’s heart and the mind of Christ. Give us ears to hear the Voice of truth and a deep knowing that we are victorious in Christ. You have given us authority. In Jesus' name, amen.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” - The Art of War
