THRIVE Leadership

God takes rebellion seriously because He takes authority seriously.
1 Samuel 15:23 NKJV - “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
God takes authority so seriously, that He considers rebellion the same as serving another God, and working against His will. Rebellion towards an authority figure in our lives directly sets our will against God's...and leaves us in a place far from his blessing.

When I think of rebellion, my mind goes first to the story of Korah, and the rebellion he led against Moses in Numbers 16. Korah was the first cousin of Moses. So in their world, Korah was a person of influence and power. The problem: Korah wanted the authority that Moses had...and he recruited 250 men who felt the same way he did. This group of 250 men would prove to be enough to infect the entire nation with grumbling and complaining against Moses.

What you need to understand is that Korah and his men were men of distinction in their nation - they were middle leadership. They were men who wanted the priesthood. They were jealous they had not been picked. They had probably ministered in holy things to some degree, and now they felt that they distinction of the priesthood was best suited for all of them. Little did they know they weren't just picking a fight with Moses on this day...

How often does a support leader have the opportunity to feel like Korah? Personally, I think it is a regular battle! Support leaders are brought onto a team for their leadership strength...their ability to handle leadership tasks on behalf of their Senior leader. We are strong leaders! We desire to see progress made, and take results very personally. The challenge lies when opinions vary. When opportunity comes, and someone else is picked for the task, it is another proving ground of our internal strength and humility.

I made a decision a long time ago that I would not sacrifice my place in life on the altar of my own opinion. I have learned that the place of peace and agreement in God's Kingdom often comes with sacrificing your own opinion, or personal desires, for the good of the team. You know what happened after I crossed this line? I found this is the place of God's blessing. It's not the place of ME-first...it's TEAM-first.

Unfortunately Korah didn't learn the lesson soon enough. His fate? God cause the ground to open up and swallow he and his rebellious team.

Next time we'll talk about where rebellion starts...and how it grows.
Until then, have a great weekend and lead well. Let's bring honor back!