Know the scope of your calling
MANY TIMES in the business arena and in the Church, leadership will get frustrated. Companies and churches struggle at times because they are unable to service those within.
Luke 4: 18-19, says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
My calling is to the poor in spirit, poor in finance, to set the captives free and to bring healing to the broken-hearted and recovery of sight to those who are blind spiritually and physically. So if you are a prostitute, if you messed up, if you are a misfit, if you are rejected, or if you are a sinner or you are unrighteous – WELCOME! I am not called to righteous people, nor religious people, nor to those who have already arrived.
Paul was called to the Gentiles, so God gave him the grace to deal with the Gentiles. He was set apart (Romans 1: 1 7) Many leaders – whether business or church – are spending too much time focusing on the wrong areas. Some even get disheartened and discouraged when certain people within the society don’t accept them. You will not be accepted by everyone in the society.
The Pharisees did not accept Jesus, and neither did His own city/town. When God gives you an assignment, keep going, keep doing good. Give hope to people. Stop moping and groping and focusing on those who criticise you and reject you.
Do an analysis and see who your biggest supporters are and focus on them, those who genuinely help you.
Who are your biggest clients? Who always supports your work no matter what?
Those who are called to you will follow and support you. Recognise that you are not called to everybody.
Organisations fall when they change their mandate. Many companies are going into markets and territories that pull them away from what makes them great. Recognise that while businesses must be willing to take risks, they also need to draw the line between taking risks and shifting from the vision. What if KFC decided to open a supermarket chain, or if Digicel started selling life insurance?
Acknowledge and embrace your difference and run with it. Many churches are diverting from the mandate - even transforming to attract a certain set of people, or doing things which are not scriptural. Now the many churches are becoming a laughing stock. Jesus did not try to fit in at all. Stick to your mandate despite the challenges. Know your clientele, know your sheep. Many times the poor are more appreciative of the work you do and the sacrifices made and they need your difference.
EMBRACE YOUR DIFFERENCE
Many pastors today say they are called to the rich, but the rich don’t truly need God until they become poor. Some of these church leaders today want to emulate Dr Phil or Steve Harvey or John Maxwell – they simply need to be themselves. Many politicians are trying to be like President Barack Obama. One thing about President Trump — whether he is loved or hated, he never tries to be like anybody else, he was himself — take it or leave it.
Quite a few women of God try to be like or sound like Prophetess Juanita Bynum, but all they need to be is themselves.
Several tried to change him even his mode of dress to keep him within tradition, but He did not fit in it. If he did not take of the traditional and just be himself, he would not have survived Goliath. Always remember this, your difference is there to deal with what is to come, not for what already exists.
Have you ever heard each time something goes wrong that the only solution that can come is to pass a law to make something work. So the only solution we can find to any issue is to ‘pass a law’. Passing a law may not be the best solution at all times. It may even bring greater oppression. Interestingly, while they are passing these laws, they are not passing laws to hold themselves accountable.