No King but King Jesus: A Word for Leaders and the People of God
On 2/9/23, I had a vision that rocked me. I saw a chess board being toppled and heard the pieces clattering as they fell to the floor. I saw that before it toppled, a pastor had a game in play. God said, “check” as He called the pastor to bow before Him as King. The chess board in this vision represented the pastor trying to work His ministry from a place of self-will void of the Lordship of Jesus.
When God said “Check”, He was calling the pastor to complete surrender. I sensed the willingness of God to bear with the pastor in the adjusting of strategies to come into alignment with His heart and what He’s doing on the earth, but such adjustments could only be made if complete surrender to the Lordship of Jesus was the condition of the heart. When the pastor did not bow before the King, the Lord toppled the board.
I felt two things so strongly.
The fear of the Lord – The Lord will not be a pawn in man’s game. He’s the King.
Deep compassion and intercession for pastors/church leaders to respond the word of the Lord.
Then on 8/1, I had a dream there was a red and white checkered table cloth coming over a round table but I saw that it was being viewed like a checker board. I saw this table and felt a sadness because what was supposed to be the table of the Lord was being viewed as a place to maneuver and win. Then I heard, “CHECKED.” This was a reference back to the chessboard I saw in February.
What is God saying?
Pastors/church leaders are in a valley of decision and the heart of God is to Father leaders in such a profound way through the transitions of the next few years from a place of renewed dependency upon Him, unconditional surrender and love which casts out fear.
Many leaders are leaning into the work of the Holy Spirit in this way, but there are others who have written off the challenges of recent years based on Covid. “Oh, that was just Covid. We’re getting our momentum back now.” All the while, they run from inner nudgings and dismiss red flags from the Holy Spirit.
But the Lord says, “No, it’s more than Covid. I’ve been trying to check you in this season of transition, to adjust your heart and ways to my kingdom ways and prepare you for what I’m doing in the earth right now.”
God is pursuing the hearts of leaders to not only return them to the fear of the Lord and intimacy with Him, but with that He desires to bring a healing and a total reformation of the heart that sets leaders free from the inner engine that demands, “Produce, produce, produce!” There is a better way. HE is the Way.
I had a sense that for many pastors this would be either a crisis or miracle depending on how they respond.
To pastors/church leaders - The Lord is saying, “There is no victory without surrender. Your triumph will be in your yielding, not striving. Give way to my spirit. Let me re-write what you believe about yourself. My heart is that you would find yourself in Me. Shake off the shackles of despair. Throw off the hidden sin that besets you. Come back to the place of prayer as I restore to you the burning once again. If you’ll yield in this hour, you’ll find that you’ve only just begun. If you resist My voice, I’ll de-clutter your life from ministry so that you can find me as your Reward once again.”
And I sense the heart of God for these leaders knowing that their surrender to Him will disarm the spiritual foes that want to take them out. (John 10:10) This is the goodness of God.
The truth is we are all in a valley of decision.
There is another shaking coming to churches and we must place our whole lives firmly upon the rock of Christ. No one can afford to sit on the sidelines and not be found in Him. (Philippians 3:9) This deep work of the Holy Spirit is for all of us.
Pointed fingers can’t buffer us from the refining we are all called to in this hour. This is the time to lay down offense, unforgiveness, accusation and the idol of opinion and find ourselves at the feet of Jesus. As God refines leaders, He’s also calling the body of Christ at large to repent for a consumer mindset that has often entirely missed the point and shared in fostering an ecosystem that applauds numbers, performance and hierarchy over intimacy with Jesus and the shared mission He’s given us. But friend, this is good news. God is bringing us back to our Foundation so that we can be found a people firmly rooted in Him. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
What should our response be?
Whether we’re a leader or not, our posture must be “Search me, O God.” (Psalm 139:23-24) It is vitally important that all of us allow the Lord to search our hearts in this season and that we respond to His voice. (Hebrews 12:25-29)
We need to humble ourselves and repent for idolizing leaders and/or idolizing being a leader, pride, self-will or any other sin God reveals in our hearts. (1 John 1:8-9, Romans 12:1-2)
We need to FIX our eyes on Jesus by feasting on His Word and keeping our oil lamps full through intimacy with Him. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Only in fixing our eyes on Jesus can we be a people continually transformed and empowered to live from His voice and wisdom amid the shaking and shifting of our time.
We are to pray that leaders would surrender to the Holy Spirit “to will and do His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) We are to pray that their eyes would be enlightened, that the distorted mindset that keeps them in self-will would be consumed in the fire as they surrender to the Lover of their souls. And the same is true for the entire body of Christ.
God, may we be found in this hour a people completely surrendered to Your ways, Your Lordship and Your heart. Have your way, Jesus. Don’t let us settle for anything less.
*Valley of decision references language from Joel 3:14.