Category: Mindset

  • Jesus was never a people pleaser

    Jesus was unafraid to stir the pot, flip tables, or offend religious naysayers. He wasn’t a peacekeeper, He was a peacemaker.

    So often we are concerned about keeping conflict at bay and harmony on the horizon.

    But the truth is, the Prince of Peace is not concerned with pleasing people, instead, He is concerned with making peace. Sometimes that means offending the crowd to ensure that His Father is pleased.

    Jesus knew and lived out the truth of what it meant that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). He cut through cultural and religious barriers in order to bring the Truth about who God is to the hearts of men.

    Over the last couple of years, we have seen the deep destruction of division portrayed across cultures, nations, and political propositions.

    The cultural climate has felt turbulent and tense to say the least. Yet, the truth is, often it’s not the storms of life that create the conditions of our hearts, they simply reveal them.

    It might be easy in our own frustration and offense to decide that the decisions, sins, or outcasts of society rightfully deserve to be treated differently. But, it’s the beautiful humility of Jesus portrayed in John 13 that rocks the cultural concept of justice, unravels our perceptions of people, and transforms the condition of our hearts.

    Moments before what Jesus knew would be the greatest and most grievous day in history, He knelt on His knee, poured water into a bowl, and washed the filthy feet of His disciples; knowing that two of the twelve would betray Him, He still invited them to take a seat, displaying a true act of humility.

    extract for a blog by Kris Vallotton 22.03.2023

  • What is God’s role in government?

    Kris Vallotton says ….
    Our government isn’t perfect. There are imperfect people in leadership across the nation and a system that often feels polarizing; full of insufficiencies, gaps, and evil agendas.

    But, in the midst of our shortcomings is a God that isn’t scared of the imperfect structures we’ve created, rather he has selected people to lead nations and govern people. Yet, so often in our uncomfortably, we deem things insignificant or even worse destructive.

    The Church often strays away from the conversation of politics because of the nature of the sphere, but the Lord has created people to step into these very spaces and bring supernatural solutions from Heaven.

    However, so often we think that a Christian politician is going to save our nation’s spiritual condition when the truth is that is not their job. Their call has been to govern justly with good character and a pure heart posture, not to evangelize to their city, state, or nation. (more…)

  • I Am Part of God’s Genealogy for Revival

    Overcoming feeling insignificant
    “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”                         (1 Corinthians 3:6)

    One Christmas season I was reading hurriedly through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew. As I was waiting to get to the “good stuff,” I sensed God speak to me. “Steve, you are part of the genealogy of the great end-time revival. You are also included in many other big things that have been done and will be done.” 

    As I read this genealogy, a couple of things struck me. First, none of those mentioned really knew that their highest purpose was for something that would occur after they died. They had a seed in them to pass on that was greater than any obvious assignment. Second, they lived in varied spiritual climates. Some lived in a revival culture, while others were living in backslidden times. Even so, they all were vital in God’s big picture of things.  (more…)

  • “This one thing I do…”.

    “This one thing I do…”.                Paul the Apostle, Philippians 3:13

    Have you ever tried to focus your eyes on two things at the same time? It’s impossible! In order to focus on one thing, we have to let the other focal point go. Often as leaders we can feel an inner drive to be great at everything we do. Whether it’s raising our kids and running our home, as well as leading our ministry and reaching friends at work, we want to give our all to it all! Life can pull us in so many different directions that at times we get left feeling spread thin. We can often spend our time distracted by the ‘urgent’ and miss the ‘best’ that God has for us.

    We need singular focus. (more…)