"The great stumbling block in the way of some people being simple disciples is that they are so gifted they won't trust God." - Oswald Chambers
Many leaders have fallen prey to the temptation I frequently battle. Instilled with particular gifting, I can become dependent upon those gifts instead of the God who gave them to me.
Reality is that great leaders can form large churches and organizations without the help of God.
Let that statement sink in...allow yourself to get frustrated with me for writing it...
Now realize large does not mean healthy. Large does not mean growth. Large does not mean consecrated, holy, spirit-driven, or even good. It simply means large.
Leaders have a tendency to recognize and even use the gifts God has given them to a dangerous degree to which they end up depending on the gift. I've taken my fair share of profiles, tests, and questionnaires to have a strong understanding of the gifts God has given me. The danger lies in the reality that I depend heavily on the gift instead of the God who gave me those gifts.
We are frequently challenged to avoid stifling our gifts...to thrive or seize opportunities to use those gifts, but we are not frequently enough challenged to depend on the Holy Spirit more than we depend on those gifts.
Of course, this is not only a lesson for leaders. We have all been given gifts, but we have to remember what it means to trust outrageously in God.
Perhaps we have too much to really need a Provider. Perhaps we know too much to need a Counselor. Perhaps we are too comfortable to need a Comforter. Perhaps we we know and do too much for God to be Sovereign. Perhaps we are trying to save too many people to need a Christ. Perhaps people seek us more than they do The Truth. Perhaps we are too busy being the 4th person of the Trinity.
Perhaps we are depending too much on our gifts and not enough on the God who gave us our gifts.
