A quick lesson on who to listen to
Do the names Drew, Joe, Raun or Craig mean anything to you? Probably not. But they mean a lot to me. They’re some of the men I consider part of my inner circle. They are the men with whom I've chosen to surround myself. They push me forward and edify me in every single way, holding me accountable to the truth along the way. Early on, it was obvious to me that the only way to run a ministry was to have a dependable inner circle, men who would remain faithful to the truth no matter what. I learned this from watching other leaders who surrounded themselves with “Yes Men”, men who agreed with everything they said and either lacked the gumption or the courage to push back. I also learned it through my personal experiences; I’ve had several “Yes Men” come and go during the tenure of Legacy Minded Men.
I can’t lead — you can’t lead — without a trustworthy inner circle who can reveal my blind spots and point me towards the right way when I’m heading the wrong way.
During his reign as King, David went the wrong way. He slept with another man's wife, Bathsheba. When she revealed she was pregnant with his child, David had her husband killed and took Bathsheba to be his wife. But one man, Nathan the prophet called out David’s wrongdoing. No one else, we’re told, called out David’s blind spot or tried to keep him from doing wrong. The individual he sent to bring Bathsheba back to his palace knew what was happening, but that person said nothing. The individual with whom he sent word to place Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, on the front lines to be killed, likely knew this was a damnable request, but said nothing. There were likely many people who witnessed or were aware of David’s wrongdoing, but only one was bold enough and brave enough to bring the truth to David. Thank God for Nathan.
Moses, too, required and benefited from having a solid inner circle. While Moses was leading a charge, he was instructed by God to keep his arms up. Keep them up and the Israelites will be successful, God said. Put them down and that’ll be the end of it. An impossible task, right? Wrong. Not with Gods strength and the right group of people around him. Moses’ brother Aaron and another man stood beside Moses, holding his arms up until the Israelites won the battle.
The gentlemen I mentioned are helping me fight my battles. They are there to hold up my arms when I get tired and discouraged and to call me out when tempted. We’re all made to be relational. No man nor woman is meant to walk this road alone; we’re designed to each have an inner circle.
Do you have yours?