before you cry out for judgement of others, remember the times you cried out for mercy for yourself.

There was a season on my life when I was walking through a transition that was particularly painful. On top of wrestling through my own doubts and fears, there was the addition of accusation and gossip from a former, trusted friend. Their words were abusive and slanderous; their actions unnecessary and unwarranted; their behavior unloving and ungodly. I remember pacing through my house one day, tears rolling down my face as I cried out to God for judgement. In my agony, I asked Him to silence and punish them. I leveled my indictment against them and asked God to act swiftly on my behalf.

I’ll never forget the gentle whisper of His loving correction in that moment… “Be careful how quickly you cry out for deserved judgement for others when you’ve cried out for undeserved mercy for yourself.”

I was reminded of the times when, in the pit of my failure and shame, I cried out for God’s mercy, even though I knew I didn’t deserve it. I was reminded of how He graciously covered, loved and redeemed me. Then, I remembered this passage- “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” James‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬

Did my pain go away after that? No, but my perspective changed. I realized that I’m too little, too limited, too human to decide who deserves what and when. So instead, I decided to lean into trusting God with my life and finding comfort in the shadow of His wings. To this day, when I think of that person and my heart still flinches, I thank God for His mercy, because I know I certainly don’t deserve it.

Don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying. failure isn’t final.

Maybe you’re afraid to take a risk today because you don’t want to epically mess up.

Maybe you’re afraid to move forward today because you’re carrying guilt and shame from previous mistakes.

Maybe you’re afraid to step out in faith today because you don’t want to be wrong.

Maybe you’re afraid to try something new today because you don’t want to be criticized, evaluated and judged by others.

Failure isn’t final. The soil of failure can be fertile, if we allow it. Failure, in the wrong hands, has the power to break us down and tear us apart. But, the broken ground of failure can become the building site of something beautiful in the hands of God. He’s not afraid of ashes and ruin. In fact, rebuilding broken things is His speciality.

Don’t let the fear of failure stop you. There’s nothing to lose when your life is in God’s hands.

Don’t carry a burden that you’re supposed to cast.

So often in life, we can feel overwhelmed by the weight of the burdens we carry. We all face struggles and challenges. Some situations are beyond our control, yet we can’t escape the pain of their grasp.

When I was growing up, we used to sing a song called “Cast All My Cares” in church. The lyrics have stayed with me all these years. They’re simple and beautiful; comforting and reassuring. I pray they minister to you today.

“I cast all my cares upon You. I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. And anytime I don’t know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon You.”

Don’t carry a burden today that you’re supposed to cast. Give it to Jesus and let Him take care of the rest. He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

God isn’t looking for celebrities to headline his mission. He’s looking for laborers to harvest his fields.

Many of us want to do incredible things for God. We want to impact the world around us and bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth… and that’s a wonderful desire! It’s the right thing to want. But, a challenge that we all will face is the temptation to make His work about us; to want the spotlight, the attention, the followers and the glory. 

God fully knows the human condition. He’s well aware of the fact that He put His treasure in jars of clay. So, as we fight for the Kingdom while also fighting our pride, let’s remind ourselves daily of our role. We’re harvesters and servants. We’re laborers in His field. 

“And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2

Don't trade private approval from God for public accolades from man.

The temptation for this generation of leaders is to trade private intimacy, refinement and approval from God for public likes, praise and attention from people. 

The former involves a process. It’s a life-long journey that is wrought with challenges and struggle. 

The latter is instantaneous and immediate, which cheapens its value and shortens its lifespan.

Learn to champion others. The world already has enough critics.

It costs absolutely nothing to cheer other people on beyond convenience and kindness. Celebrating others takes nothing away from us, from our accomplishments or our value. It’s easy to be a critic of others, to compete with and compare ourselves to them. But, the world doesn’t need more critics. It needs people who are willing to champion others. So, look for ways to champion others today. After all, you will reap what you sow.

When you're tempted to compete with other brothers and sisters in Christ...

Remind yourself that we're co-laborers in our callings, not contestants in a competition.

Set your focus on building the Kingdom of God not your personal empire.

Pray for the ministries of others and ask God to abundantly bless them. Prayer shifts our thoughts heavenward and promotes unity in the Spirit.

Thank God for His goodness and love, for the opportunity to serve Him, and for His grace in your life. Gratitude kills discontentment.

Let's be honest - we all face the temptation to compare ourselves to and compete with others. How can we not in our social media likes and hearts driven world? It’s not the temptation itself that’s bad. That’s human. It’s how we handle the temptation that matters.

So, next time you’re tempted to compare and compete, which will likely be some time today, remember these truths.

Fight the urge to make a name for yourself. Instead, make his name famous.

When you’re tempted to strive to get your name out there, to chase down opportunities for exposure, to fight for recognition, or to market yourself to the masses…

Pause and remind yourself that the greatest name in heaven and earth already exists… and it’s not yours or mine. Nor will it ever be. There’s no competing with the name above all names. There’s no comparison to it. There’s no eclipsing it. The Name stands firm through all eternity. So, let’s just focus on His renown, and not attempt to establish ours.

Human ability does not equal holy anointing.

There’s a difference between talent and anointing.

Talent gives us goosebumps. Anointing breaks our chains. 

Talent impresses us. Anointing delivers us. 

Talent entertains us. Anointing restores us. 

Talent pulls our attention to people. Anointing draws our affection to God. 

There’s nothing wrong with talent. We can enjoy and admire it; we can even craft and refine it. 

But, let’s not mistake it for anointing.God doesn’t waste seasons and He doesn’t miss timing. No matter what things looks like, He’s always preparing. Trust Him.

God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you.

God doesn’t waste seasons and He doesn’t miss timing. No matter what things looks like, He’s always preparing. Trust Him.

Maturity over marketing. Building over branding.

We’ve got a generation of people who are more concerned with marketing their talent than maturing their faith; who are more focused on curating their brand than building the Kingdom.

We will never get Kingdom results apart from Kingdom ways.

Cultivate in private what you want to produce in public.

I remember being young in ministry, eager for moments when I could stand on a stage and lead a room of people in worship. I couldn’t wait for opportunities to come and doors to open. But, things never seemed to move as quickly and doors didn’t seem to open the way I hoped they would.

Through seasons of waiting, frustration, and even disappointment at times, the lesson I learned was this- We have to cultivate in private what we want to produce in public.

Honestly, that continues to be true 20+ years later. Our private moments with the Lord matter most.

Leading worship is a sacred calling, not a stepping stone.

Leading worship is a sacred calling, not a stepping stone. If you want to be a Christian artist, that’s great! Go be one! But don’t use a sacred calling and God’s holy presence as a stepping stone for your discovery. Worship is for the glorification of God’s presence, not the magnification of your talent.

You may have been marred by people, but you've been marked by God.

If you live any amount of time on this earth, you’re going to be hurt my people. People are imperfect and sinful; we all have a sin nature that’s warring against transformation. Some people are just flat out cruel and destructive.

Wounds from other people can leave us feeling weak, tattered and destroyed. But God, in His incredible love and power can always take what the enemy, or people, meant for evil and use it for our good.

People may have marred you, but God has marked you. He created you with purpose and destiny. He fashioned you in His image and calls you His very own. His thoughts are toward you for your ultimate good, and your name is written in the palm of His hand.

Wounds are indeed painful and even traumatic at times, but remember - His MARK on your life is more powerful than any wound from man. The next time the enemy tries to tell you that your purpose has been destroyed by someone or something, you remind him that you’ve been marked by God.