I recently read a cute joke:

INNKEEPER: The room is $50 a night, but only $25 if you make your own bed.
GUEST: I’ll make my own bed.
INNKEEPER: OK. I’ll get you some nails and wood.

Making our bed every day is essential at our house. There would be extenuating circumstances for that not to happen! My husband Gaylon and I have the bed made within ten minutes of getting up each morning.

I am the queen of accent pillows on furniture. I like the pop it can give a room or a piece of furniture. On our bed, there are a total of nine pillows which must be placed in just the right order each day. (Don’t judge!)

One morning while making the bed I put the pillows in the wrong order, and Gaylon followed me by putting the ones on his side in the wrong order. I said, “I do not know what I was thinking. These are wrong.”  He said, “I knew they were wrong, but I was following your lead.” We got a good little chuckle out of that.

Do you know what is not something to chuckle about? Following leaders in the Body of Christ who are missing the mark. There is far too much shallow teaching, blind followers, and self-indulgent leaders in the Church. Yep, I said it!

Charisma without character is a dangerous thing in a leader.

Recently I watched a two-hour documentary about a “Christian” leader who is now deceased. Literally thousands followed this man and attended his church. Hundreds of leaders in various countries invited this man to come and speak to their congregations or leadership conferences. Behind the scenes this man was living a corrupt life, and many knew it, but refused to say anything. Why? Because he told them he was a man of God. He used the scripture, “Touch not mine anointed.”

I listened to many women tell how he would send for them to come to his private chambers for a rendezvous. Some continued in this for years even though they admitted that they knew this was sinful according to the scriptures. Many lived in abject poverty as they worked for him because he told them God wanted them to work for nothing and serve the man of God.  Many were beaten if they got something wrong. Some were in bad health because they only got one meal a day. The stories were jaw-dropping.

All of what I described is incredibly sad. It is also sad to listen to those who were abused by this man. So many said, “I knew it was wrong, but he was just so gifted.” 

People of God, more than ever we need to study to show ourselves approved. If a leader asks us to engage in sinful behavior, leave that leader! If a leader is abusing us in any way, leave that leader! If a leader is twisting the word of God, leave that leader! It is my job and your job to know God’s word and not follow someone just because they are gifted. This is not a time to be spiritually lazy. Search the Word and spend time with the Author.

Following someone’s lead when you know they are wrong is deadly spiritually and possibly physically. The Bible tells us that by a person’s fruits we will know they are His, not by their charisma and giftedness. We must stop being charmed by giftedness alone.

God has many leaders who are upholding the standard of true Christian leadership. Ask Him to help you find that kind of leader. Like the Son of God, we are to lead not so we can be served, but to serve. – Mark 10:45

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” – 1 John 4:1