The Cost of Leadership Part 5

Please start with the first 4 posts in this series if you haven’t already.

The second aspect in the cost of going deep involves laying down our fears through our faith in Him. For me, the deep, was when He first called me to speak in front of my church. If you know me, you’ve heard me say, I’d never be a public speaker. Deeper was when the Lord called me to LifeWay to continue serving out the call to disciple women, this time training church leaders across the country how to effectively develop ministries for women that help them grow deep!

Laying down fear takes courage. Just look through Deuteronomy 31 & Joshua 1. Note the repeated phrase, “be strong and courageous.” Imagine the fear the Israelites felt in facing a flood stage river and giants to be able to enter the Promised Land. What “giants” in serving Christ are you facing right now? In Joshua 1: 5 God said to Joshua, “I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.” This is how we face our fears as well as we go deeper in Christ…knowing He is with us every step of the way.

A third cost in going deep is plain old obedience. When Israel was on the brink of the Promised Land, the way across the flooding river Jordan was for the priests to put their foot in the water. Notice in Joshua 3 that God provided a split sea, not before they walked into the water, but AS they stepped in. Their job was to obey God and step in the water. That is our job as well. Do what He has already said, then watch Him provide the way. A fav quote of mine is from T. W. Hunt, “When God gives us a command, we don’t need to understand His directive, we need to understand His authority!”

Going deep can include a fourth aspect: laying down our dreams. Similar to purpose, but not exactly the same. We can lay down our purpose (first aspect in the “going deep” category) to seek His purpose for us and still cling to dreams of how life is supposed to be, even to the point that they become our idols. Deep for me came through broken relationships with loved ones. Honestly, I still struggle with how I think things should be. Envy and comparison can creep up in my hearts and mind as I look at how others seem to have perfect relationships.