Leadership, Prophecy and Criticism

In the Old Testament, every time God wanted to do something significant, He would raise up a prophet. "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets" Amos 3:7 (NIV). Today, I believe God is still looking for men and women who will listen to Him and speak for Him. Would you love to speak for God? Lead spiritual movements? Catalyze people toward God's mission? For that to happen, you and I must embrace the requirements that come with being a prophet. Prophets have a few key characteristics.

Prophets Get Their Vision from God.

Prophets never define the vision for themselves. God doesn't promise to put His stamp of approval on our agenda. Prophets must get the vision from God. This means, we don't get our vision from a conference speaker, from another church, a website, a tweet, or a blog. True prophets spend time alone with God enough to receive a fresh vision only God can give. Do you know what God's mission is for your ministry or organization? If we want to be the type of prophet God uses in these last days, we have to be still for long enough to know what God is saying. We must accept that we do not invent or strategically shape the vision. We get our vision from Him!

Prophets Challenge the Status Quo.

A true prophet will often be bold enough to go against the grain. When we communicate a fresh vision that challenges the status quo, some will disagree with us. No prophet has ever gotten one hundred percent support from everyone. Jesus couldn't even get one hundred percent support! He even had one guy who was kissing him on the cheek while stabbing him in the back! Why would we think that our leadership would be different?

Prophets Embrace Criticism and Loss.

If you are new to leadership, allow me to save you some shock; If you start challenging the status quo, it won't be long until you are approached by a group that wants to "meet and talk about some things." This was the case with Nehemiah. "When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall...Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.' But they were scheming to harm me" Nehemiah 6:1-2 (NIV).

Nehemiah reminds us once again that every prophet has had critics. So how do we respond to critics and criticism in our leadership? Just like Nehemiah did. First, we shouldn't spend too much time listening to them. Nehemiah said: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer" Nehemiah 6:3-4 (NIV). Most of us would tend to think that kind of response is not very godly. Nehemiah shows us otherwise. He basically says, "No, I don't have time to mess with you. We are on a mission here, and I can't slow down just because there are a few critics." Is that liberating or what?!

Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying we should be un-teachable or un-coachable. I'm not saying that we should avoid critique. Critiques come from people who love us; believe in us; and believe in the mission we are on. Critiques seek to strengthen the mission and make me a better leader. Criticism, however, has an alternate agenda. Criticism undermines the mission and my leadership. Taking a cue from Nehemiah, once we determine that a this is a criticism and not a critique, that person no longer gets our ear! Now that's permission.

Prophets Live To Please the Right Audience.

Does it hurt when we are criticized? You bet. However, prophets always make a decision. Moses and Jesus both made their decision in the desert. Jonah made his in the belly of a whale. Paul made his on the road to Damascus. What decision? The decision to live to please the right audience. Two thousand years later, we must do the same when we take our offices, stages, platforms, and pulpits every weekend. We must make an conscious choice: Which audience will I seek to please today? C. H. Spurgeon said, "You are not sent of God to court smiles but to win souls." The apostle Paul said, "Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant" Galatians 1:10 (NLT). Prophets- people chosen by God to speak on his behalf, and move people on mission for Him, must daily choose whom they will seek to please.

Today, God is looking for people who will answer the call to become His prophets. The price is high. In fact, it could cost us everything. However, if we choose to stand up despite the sacrifice; and remain committed to His vision, the reward will be worth it. Today, would you be willing to go back to Him? Get still? Receive His fresh vision for your life and ministry? The, with courage and boldness, would you challenge the status quo, embrace the criticism, and live for Him? If you're willing to answer that call, you could be one of those people that's written about a long time from now. More importantly, God will remember you.

* This is an excerpt from Shawn Lovejoy's book, ‘The Measure of Our Success; An Impassioned Plea to Pastors'