(Who do you wanna fix?) Core Prayer – Discipline – Leadership. Man Paul is hooking this church up and here’s the interesting part. He’s not being so plain and so simple and just putting it out there what he is doing…Not like I am. I am showing you the pattern and unlocking for you the underlying theme and reason and tone because that is what I look for…I look for God’s heart in the scripture because that’s what I’m after! But Paul writes this letter and for those who want to see, they would.

Folks could walk away and say, “That Paul! Always pushing his stuff on us…commanding us and telling us what to do.” Or they could read this with the intent to see and the intent to hear and they would walk away, install this Word, and find themselves more than conquerors through Christ. This is the proposition laid before us by God in His Word.

No weapon formed against you will prosper. You can do and overcome and anything through Christ who strengthens you. To possess even in these earthen vessels the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him! And you rise!!!! Or, not…the choice is entirely up to you in what core prayer you will choose. And then with the desire birthed in your heart, the discipline is entirely up to you to seek God through His Word…and then…and thennnnnnnnnn YES AND THEN! HA! And then…God takes that messed up lost kid from the Section 8 side of Forbes Street, and causes him to know leadership unto the glory of the Most High…Not “be a leader…” KNOW LEADERSHIP. This is the proposition laid before us by God in His Word.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verse 6

•This is serious. This is how Paul spoke to demons! He commanded them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…and man it is time Jesus Christ is not just God but He is Lord, amen! It is time that we care not more about His desires and ways, it is time we care only about His desires and ways! Leave humanity behind! Leave worldliness behind and walk by faith! I am convinced that we will not heed the commands of Jesus until He is regarded as Lord in our heart of hearts, no matter how much we weep, hope, want and try…Paul says, “In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ,” and so the stage is properly set…

•Withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and doesn’t listen to us…Now I like this because there are a few hidden nuggets here…first, think of this…how can you withdraw from someone? Many ways…but one way is to simply pull ahead. Lead them. See that!? This word literally means, “To set in order…,” so you are indeed removing yourself from them but in such a way as to establish order…that, my friends, is leadership.

•Paul says, judge ‘em man! HA! How else would you perceive, discern, understand or decide that they should be withdrawn from? Oh people please we gotsta open our eyes and seek the Lord!! If we are concerned only with the upward calling of Christ in our own lives then we are rightful judges and called to do! SO THAT there will be order and in that order…glory unto the name of Jesus! (John 7:24) Paul says if there is disorder, LEAD!

•And I love this…,”withdraw,”…it’s a verb, man! That means get to it! Right now! Lead right now! You don’t start leading when others are around you…you lead anyway! You don’t lead when there is a task, you lead when there isn’t…you see, instances and circumstances and disorder doesn’t make leaders…it just reveals them! We gotta put in work, verb style, right now…install…rise up man! Core Prayer – Discipline – Leadership (Not your will!)

•And Paul commands this. See how this is hidden? Hidden in plain sight…that if you aren’t pressing in now, you won’t then! If you aren’t leading now, you won’t then! You are who you’ve decided to be…see that? What will you decide today?

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 7 – 10

•Fix up our economy right there, right? HA! Pretty simple. If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. Why so hard and heavy, Paul? Because…

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verse 11

•Why so hard, Paul? Because those that work hard have what’s called a “work ethic.” And with that work ethic comes humility…comes a sense of responsibility and a sense, almost a need to do well. Purpose and direction meet dead center with energy and ambition….and leadership is birthed in your heart.

•And again, hidden here in plain sight, when someone is handed everything or given their food without earning their food, their mentality most often becomes one of entitlement…and entitlement, in the economy of God, is disorder. Wickedness…

•Now I could go on and on and on here because I am a believer in hard work…in fact I could not imagine living without a schedule and daily accomplishments for tomorrow. I am constantly on a war mission against weakness, laziness, waste and disorder in my universe and so this is a topic I could host a seminar on…extreme ownership, accountability and integrity…but…look at this statement in a spiritual sense…

•Core prayer – Discipline – Leadership. We all want to grow in the things of the Lord. To unlock scripture in our hearts and minds…to forge ahead in our walks with God and to each day become more and more established and well. Jesus says in Revelation 2:17, “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat…” But here’s the case…if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. Have you resolved your core prayer? That takes work! Have you installed discipline into your time of study each day and time of prayer…do you discipline your own flesh and tell it to bow down moment to moment to your spirit…that certainly takes work. If not…why then do you expect to reap the abundant life blessings of God? If anyone will not work, neither will he eat…Back to the text…

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verse 12 – 13

•In other words, you who have a little strength….don’t let ‘em break-a your stride. Identify as a leader and be ok with being very alone in that place of leadership! I struggle so much with this! I falter and pout to God because homeboy won’t turn his dag on spiritual lights on and so his kids suffer SO MUCH and so aggression stirs! But I fall on my face at the cross and beg God for His heart…because it’s so hard for me to watch them fail…knowing they don’t have to…

•And so you leaders, lead. As you see God pull away, or better should I say, as you watch folks pull away from God…you keep close to God…I hate watching folks pull away but I gotta keep up with Jesus, man. And when my eyes fix on Him, loneliness in the human realm is ok…and I don’t grow weary in doing good…although man, weary I am…just not of good…

•Watch this…I know God would have us lead…way out in front with Him very alone even at times because look at this next verse…

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 14 – 15

•This doesn’t say give them the silent treatment…this says, don’t keep company with them. No life partnership. No friendship. Keep company with Jesus…life partnership…friendship…so that they might have the opportunity to be ashamed…

•Man being ashamed for the things of this world, that is an opportunity for repentance…think of it this way. To be ashamed of the flesh is also to be reverent towards righteousness…yet, Paul continues, they’re not our enemy…forgive them…do not be hateful towards them…but admonish them…LEAD them…as a brother.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 16 – 18

•Oh how we need God’s grace…how we need to apply His grace to our understanding of this entire adventure called life…and with that, man if we grasp for a moment His grace, the cross, Jesus’ precious sacrifice, our core prayer may just be changed…our life discipline towards loss may just be changed…and we may become the warrior leader He has created us to be…with circumstance and situation crazy and battle-filled but peace always in every way…have you yet received God’s grace? Today, He calls you to Himself…