Role of the Pastor 4: Taking the Land

Part of being a pastor is taking the land.  God has given us a land of promises, but we have to take those promises and make the manifest in life.  Being a pastor means taking those promises and helping other people get into them and walk in them, it means killing the giants in their way, and clearing a path for them.

Listen to me, pastor, you have to train your sheep how to fight.  You have to show people how to have a dream and how to fight for that dream and make the right choices that mean they walk in that dream.  And you have to set an example.  When there were 20 people at Tree of Life, I was dreaming of 50.  When there were 50 people, I was dreaming of 100.  As we are just about to reach 150, I am dreaming of 250.  Dreaming of bigger!   Dreaming of more!  Dreaming of increase!  Then making the right choices to ensure that we walk in the dream.  It is the duty of every pastor on planet earth to take as much land as possible!  The church is not a social club, it isn’t a club – it’s an army that will take the land of promises and walk in the promises.

Moses told Joshua in Exodus 17 to choose men of war.  There are times where we need to put a backbone of steel in our people and get them to fight.  To fast, to pray, to believe, to study, to prepare, to push, to kick sickness, to punch poverty, to deny disunity.

You can’t get into the land of promises unless you fast and pray – are you showing your people how to do that? You cannot get into the land of promises unless you renew your mind – are you showing your people how to do that?  You cannot get into the land of promises unless you develop some emotional stability?  Are you showing your people how to do that?

Are you training your people how to fight?  Are you fulfilling your role as a land-taker?  

You see a lot of pastors see their role as inspirational, and that is true.  My entire life ministry is to provoke and inspire people to dream big.  But I learned very early that it’s not enough to get people to dream, you need to challenge people to live the dream.  You won’t live the dream sitting at home eating coco pops at midday and watching daytime TV.  You need to change your thinking, your perceptions, your actions, your choices, your everything.  That takes time, that takes prayer.  That takes an attitude of war.  That takes a take the land mentality, and a take the land kind of leader.

Are you taking the land?  Are you encouraging others to take the land?