“The purest form of leadership is influence through inspiration.”
– Myles Munroe
When Jesus asked His Father God to lead us, He knew that human beings, for the most part, needed leadership. Scripture often refers to us as sheep, and by their very nature sheep require leading.
Sheep need to be led to quiet places of peace. They need protection from wild beasts, and when they are sick with sores, they need their shepherd to medicate them with the healing oil he carries.
If sheep are not led, they will run all over the countryside. They will fall into ravines, get stuck in bramble bushes, or become food for some animal.
As human beings, we are a little less cooperative than real sheep. We don’t want anyone telling us what to do. Generally we do not want to submit to anyone, because we want to do our own thing.
But we cannot faithfully serve God if we are not submitted to His will and His way. We may act like a Christian and go to church every time the doors are opened, but outside those four walls we concentrate on doing our own thing and we never consult God unless there is a crisis.
When God leads, He does not intentionally send you out on a limb to twist in the wind. He has a plan, and it is for good and not for evil. He knows your nature, your flaws and your hang-ups. God knows what you can handle and what you cannot.
This week practice letting God lead. Ask Him to take the leadership role once again in your mind, your will, and your emotions. Ask His opinion about every decision you have to make, big or small, and you will be surprised at His wisdom.
“They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble” (Jer. 31:9).
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
