johnmarkharris.net

“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

Exodus 32:32

Prayer is not designed to change God; it is designed to change us. Prayer is not calling God in to bless our activities. Rather, prayer takes us into God’s presence, shows us His will, and prepares us to obey Him. Moses climbed Mount Sinai and spent forty days communing with God. God showed him the wickedness of the Israelites (Exod. 32:7). Moses had not known their desperate condition; nor had he realized the imminence of God’s judgment upon them until God revealed it to him. As God made Moses aware of all that was at stake, Moses felt the same compassion for the people that God felt. 

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To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.

Titus 1:15

Your heart’s condition will be expressed through your life. It will be evident by your attitudes, your words, and your behavior. Jesus said that you can clearly see others only when your own eyes are unobstructed (Mark 6:42). If your vision is hindered by sin, you will not look at others properly. If your heart is pure, you will approach life without malice. You will not question the motives of everyone around you; you will not doubt the truth of everything others tell you; you will not look for fault in others. Instead, you will look for the good in others, finding what is praiseworthy. 

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Here are 43 quotes from Pastor Johnny Hunt on leading through “dry seasons.”

1. If you’ve never been through a dry season. Hold on. It will one day come uninvited.
2. When I first got converted, I had never owned a Bible.
3. I made commitments in the early part of my life that I didn’t want to be mediocre.
4. David experienced times when God seemed distant.
5. You may not finish long but you can finish strong.
6. It is not your duration of life but your donation of life.
7. If you’re experiencing long periods of dryness, I must examine my life.
8. Is there any unconfessed sin between my Lord and I?
9. Am I physically unprepared?
10. Stress is a silent killer.
11. Sometimes you try too much.
12. Sometimes you have stress or burn out simply from routine.
13. Sometimes there are lack of margins in our life.
14. When the first sign of burnout appears, it’s time for a break.
15. Pastors are expected to lead even when the desire to do so is challenged.
16. Being an entrepreneur, everything you initiate arrives on your task list.
17. 24% of our best leaders felt secure in their faith but spiritually dry.
18. Spiritual exhaustion doesn’t come from sin, but service. – Oswald Chambers
19. Remember your soul is satisfied in environments where your soul engages eternity. – Boyd Bailey
20. You have no idea where God wants to take you, so be obedient.
21. The day you die should be more celebrated than the day you were born.
22. If I could stay awake 24-7 and comprehend God, it is beyond my capacity to comprehend all God is doing.
23. You can’t estimate what God is doing through you.
24. It’s not my duty to convince the people to believe. It’s my duty to be convinced I believe.
25. We preachers never prepare to give a boring sermon.
26. It is not the truth I know but the truth I obey that makes the greatest difference.
27. God’s work at times is incomprehensible.
28. You may grow weary in the work but never grow weary of the work. But sometimes you can’t know the difference between the two.
29. Most people who get in trouble, it’s not a blowout. It’s a slow leak.
30. Emotional emptiness leads to chronic exhaustion.
31. A leader can make some of the worst decisions of his life during emotional emptiness.
32. Some of the regrets of my life were allowing daily decision-makers to make decisions I should have made.
33. Sometimes you go through such a difficult time that you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy but wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
34. The biggest drain on your reserves is managing difficult people. Politics in the workplace.
35. It was in the prime of David’s life he had most of his difficulties.
36. How do you find time with your family as a pastor? The same way you do.
37. Fight back. It is always too soon to quit.
38. Recruit others to help you emotionally.
39. Find a new mission that renews your passion and creates meaning in life.
40. Help always comes in incremental increases.
41. God, with what time I have left, let me carve out the priorities.
42. The single greatest platform God has ever given me is First Baptist Woodstock. Mentoring young men to preach the Gospel is a big priority to me.
43. When I was at a difficult time in my life, the only thing in ministry I did was touch poverty. I had to touch people in a worse position than I was in.

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45

David was certainly an optimist! Regardless of his circumstances, David could always see God’s activity! A pessimist focuses on the problems, concentrating on the reasons why something cannot be done. The optimist sees those same problems, but he sees them from the perspective of God’s presence. David was just a young boy when he faced Goliath, an intimidating veteran warrior who frightened even the bravest Israelite soldier. As he prepared for battle, David saw that Goliath was a giant. He heard his boastful taunts. He could not fail to notice his enemy’s weapons: a sword, a shield, and a javelin. 

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Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

2 Corinthians 11:29

Christians do not live in isolation. When we sin, there are repercussions throughout the Christian community. When a brother or sister suffers, we are affected. Our calling is not to be solitary Christians but to be members of a priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9). It was impossible for Paul to remain unmoved while there were believers in Corinth who were spiritually weak. When he learned that false teachers had caused Christians in Corinth to stumble in their faith, Paul burned with indignation. Paul told the church members at Corinth to rejoice when a church member rejoices and to weep when a fellow member weeps (1 Cor. 12:26). 

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