The Spirit of Competition.

So, I'm sitting here almost done listening to Kari Jobe teach on the authenticity of the vocalist through Christ for the Nations Institute teaching podcast in a session called, "Vocals in Worship". Most of you who know me well, know that I love to share things - physical things, things I've learned, benefited from, and I love doing that especially with different individuals from various churches, ministries, educational institutions, different walks of life. But this morning, I want to especially direct this to any one in any form of spiritual leadership - whether it's in your marriage, family, church, christian college/grad school, any aspect of ministry (from small groups, to worship, to youth etc.) Please if anything, please, please, read on, share, pass this along, and I encourage you to be challenged in your thinking, perspective, attitude(s) ... I'm really seeking God to have us all be changed in His presence, to reflect on where He has us in life and ministry.

" ... Have everyone share their testimonies so that everyone can see and hear our stories. Because if we know each others' stories, we'll know how important it is when _________ (fill in the blank here). For example, we'll know how important it is when we get to lead out on a song, or what we're walking through when we're not leading out on a song and how hard it is for our heart and we've got to remember that it's about people. There's people behind the gifting. It's not about the gifting. It's about the person. It's not about what they're asking of us to do. It's about who they are and why God's put that anointing on their life. And that we respect them, and that we honor and serve them because God's called them to that. You know, it's just a paradigm shift. It's a lot harder because God asks us to lay down our own ideas and our own selfish ambitions. We all have them. We all will always have them. But we have to always be surrendering them for the purpose of just what God has for our church and for our ministry as a whole.

So, if you've got that competition thing going on at your church, don't go back immediately and just say, "OK, so we're going to share our testimonies and we're going to quit having this competition thing because ..." No, do it gracefully, just graciously - just ask the Lord for wisdom and maybe never tell them what you're up to. You could share it with your pastor, of just your heart and say, "can you help facilitate this among our team?" Just ask him for his help or her help, in whatever way that that can happen. It's so important to be under submission. It's hard but submission is such a place of anointing. The Lord will so bless you for submitting and not trying to just always be in charge. It's hard sometimes. So, I would just encourage you to do that and your team - cut that competition thing out. Here's a scripture for that. It's a very strong scripture, but it's a very strong situation that can really start to tear apart a worship team (or you fill in the blank here: a friendship, a family, a marriage, a parent-child/ a sibling-sibling relationship, a congregation's relationship with their pastor(s), a leadership team, any other ministry team). The Scripture is James 3:16-18. It's the scripture that says where envy and self-seeking exists are every evil thing. It just really begins to open the door for the enemy to start bringing in dissension in your team, frustration on Sunday mornings when you're trying to work through parts (or whatever is applicable to your specific situation). It really can be if not the root, it's definitely one of the roots of some dissension that could be going on in your team among your vocalists (or whoever it is).

*For those specifically involved in worship through music ministry, and everyone else for that matter (please go back and share this with the people on your teams) please pay attention here, we're almost done - "Just talking about being a lead worshipper. We're called, and this whole thing is all about about worship. And if you think of yourself more as a lead worshipper than a worship leader or just a vocalist, you're not JUST a vocalist ... you're on the stage and so people are looking at you, therefore, you're leading worship, no matter what you're doing, whether you're in the choir ... you're leading worship. You're part of the worship leadership. And so, as a lead worshipper. there's a lot more responsibility that the Lord would like you to carry than just thinking of yourself as just somebody. You're not JUST somebody. You're called and God will use you if you'll let Him. And so, in this area of being a lead worshipper, it's not just the stage presence but it's your heart and what you're doing in your life. And that's not a heavy thing, it doesn't need to be a heavy thing, but everything that we do needs to be worship, and if it's not the Holy Spirit will tell you. He always has a very good way of doing that, sometimes a very frustrating way of doing that ...God's called us to a lifestyle of worship, in every single way that that can apply to. And it's not a religious thing, and it's not a works thing, and it's not ... it's just a heart thing. And if it's hard for you, then the Lord can help ... we're all human, right?"

Finally, Kari shares (and I am completely 100% on board and in agreement) - " ... I just love what we're called to. I have such a heart for people and for ministry. And I think that it all has to do with all of it, it all plays a part, it's all hand in hand, all of it. And what the enemy would like to do is just get in there, in some way just weasel and just start eating away at things where it starts to steal from our worship and I hate that. And I don't want that - for you or for me or for our teams or for our churches or for our kids or for our families, and so any way that we can just expose his lies and kick him out, let's do it, amen?"