'Now your souls will be strengthened and healed if you hold steadfast to your faith. Haven’t you already experienced Jesus Christ himself living in you? If not, you are deficient. I hope you understand that we cannot be devalued. But we pray to God that you will be flawless, not to validate our ministry among you but so that you may continue on the path of righteousness even if we are denigrated. For in reality, the power we have is used in support of the truth, not against it. And we claim before God that you will be fully equipped and mature, for it brings us great joy when you are strong, even if we seem weak and denigrated.'
This is how a real leader thinks and speaks. He says the truth. He gets right to the heart of the matter by saying - if you haven’t experienced Jesus living in you then you are deficient. He reminds the Church at Corinth that as followers of Jesus, we CANNOT be devalued. I love that because he draws out that their value is inherent because they are in Christ. And that value does not change even if he is mocked and his name is dragged through the mud. He’s not worried about his own reputation or how others who are not under his care view him. And he urges those who are under his leadership to stay on the path of righteousness. What matters to him is the spiritual condition of those under his care and that they continue to grow in strength and maturity. He cares about legacy through them rather than how he appears to the world around him. As leaders in this spiritual battle to take back our state and nation from darkness and demonic control, I hope that encourages you and emboldens you today.
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