I want you to think about your work.
Ponder what it is you’re really good at.
Now ask yourself the question, “Do I need God to accomplish this?”
Because if your answer is “no”, you may be too self sufficient for your own good.
When I first started leading worship, I nearly wet my pants…every time. I wasn’t just nervous. I was paralyzed.
I depended on God. I literally cried out to God because I knew without His miraculous intervention, nobody would worship and my life would come to a sad and sorry end.
Proverbs 3:5-6 used to define me. How am I doing today? Well, let’s just say I know what I’m doing.
And that is precisely my problem.
The Problem With Work
At what point are we just working in our own strength and no longer relying on God?
How can we tell the difference?
There’s a particular verse that speaks to this dilemma:
“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen (I Peter 4:11).
Are we ministering in the strength that God provides so that God gets the glory?
Or are we just working hard and producing what we could do without Him?
Worship leader, pastor, servant of God – you need to lead and produce and “get it done” in the strength that God provides. If you’re like me, you have hard time with this.
How can we lead worship, lead our families, lead our churches, lead our companies…in God’s strength?
Maybe Prayer Has Something To Do With It?
You already know you need a prayer life. But a few minutes on your knees will not support this sort of leadership. Prayer must become as natural as breathing.
How is this done, you ask? Well, consider habits that you’ve developed. You don’t forget to eat. You don’t forget to brush your teeth. Maybe you’ve recently lost a lot of weight. Point being, habits are worked on.
The habit of prayer can be worked on. And without a lifestyle of breathing prayer, you will drift towards self sufficiency.
God doesn’t need us to pray. We need us to pray. Continual prayer is the first step to leading in the strength that God supplies.
Are You Weak? Perfect!
Wait…what?
Don’t forget – the Kingdom of God is oftentimes backwards to what we naturally believe. Let me just drop a theological awesome bomb on you: the power of God is made perfect in weakness. Perfect.
By “weakness” I mean something you can’t improve on your own. Deciding to not work on something you can improve is called laziness.
You may have a physical infirmity. You may have a speech impediment. Whatever it is, don’t disqualify yourself because of it. Use it and look for God’s power to be put on display.
Working in God’s strength is about dependence. It’s intentional weakness. It’s realizing that you…need…God.
Question: How do you work in the strength that God provides? Let us know in the comments!
“The power of God is made perfect in weakness”. I love that. I need God daily at my job. I work in the construction industry and I need God daily to show the love He shows me to others. It can be hard and i deal with some brash people. Without Him I would surely show too much me….
So true, Adam. How do you practically do construction with the strength that God provides? Is it a matter of praying throughout your day? I’m interested to know 🙂
I love this. An encouraging reminder to rely on the power of God instead of the power of myself.
And thanks for contrasting weakness with laziness. I definitely don’t want to mix those up 🙂
I suppose an argument could be made for sitting around, doing nothing, and asking God to make His power known 🙂 I have a hard time thinking He would bless that.
“Working in God’s strength is about dependence.”
always need to be dependant on HIM….always…
Dang, I know I just wrote about this, Arny, but I struggle with it. My natural self doesn’t like to be dependent. I prefer independence, getting stuff done, and making my own decisions. It’s a daily battle to depend and work in such a way that God is seen.
I know I need God every moment of everyday, however sometimes I get so busy “doing” that I forget. It’s only when I start to grow weary that I realize I drifted from being God centered to me centered. I am so thankful for the weariness, it is a wonderful reminder for me to stop and spend time with my Father. Thank you for emphasizing prayer, it is so vital. God already knows what we need, but praying helps us realize our dependency on him and helps us remember to give him the glory when prayers are answered!
“I am so thankful for the weariness” – I appreciate that. God teaches us about dependence through the victories and the struggles, you know?
Thinking I can do this on my own is trouble. one way I have that helps is: my church knows I am a fairly good pianist, especially of classical music. Our pastor loves classical music, so he requested that, ona Sunday when no groups are scheduled, we have a “classical Sunday”, with me at the the piano. one way this keeps me focused on God is for me to choose a very difficult piece, and, even with plenty of practice, still have one or two sections that aren’t quite “there” yet. All I can do is pray to God to get me through them, and keeps me focused on His help and not being able to rely totally on my own talents.
Fascinating. Does the congregation sing to your classical music or is it all instrumental?
instrumental
I really needed to read that verse from Peter today.
Fantastic post. It’s so easy to fall into a routine and get comfortable with leading worship. It gets easier and easier to rely on just myself. I have to constantly re-focus. Having my own private prayer and worship time is such a key part of it – how can I lead others into worship if I don’t do it myself? Thank you for the reminder. I just have to remember that a wonderfully done worship set is not what changes people. Only His Spirit and power can change and speak to us, and He is so powerful – it’s all Him 🙂
Well said, Sheila!
If the internet was made up of nothing but your blog I would be fine with that. The God inspired revelation he breaths into you is contagious! Love it! I am a worship leader as well and this blog is real and refreshing! Thank you for obeying the call of the Lord on your life! Its a reminder its not just for you its for us! Love all the scripture. love all the posts, love all the tips! Keep it up! I have been in a season where I have transitioned to a new church where I have not been leading worship for about 5 months. God has just been so graceful in this off time for me in teaching me and training me for when he is ready to use me again. This blog has been very fruitful in lending to the stirring of my gifts! BLESS YOU
Ahhh, dude, that’s so kind of you. It means so much to me that you read. Looking forward to a great 2012! Thanks.