The enemy can't steal your call, so he goes after your confidence (w/ Bil Cornelius)

Bil Cornelius is one of the church leaders— a church planter— who paved the way for others. As Shawn points out in this episode of The Courageous Pastors Podcast, Bil— * Used direct mail and actually marketed the church (against the wit of some naysayers) * Hosted spontaneous baptisms Because of this, amidst his innovative approach, he's not a stranger to criticism. How do you deal with critics? Bil says, "The devil can't steal your gifts, so he wants to take your confidence." Think about that one. And how hesitating in your calling can keep you from pushing forward into the role God has— in His grace— fore-ordained for you (Ephesians 2:8-10). If the devil can rip away your confidence, he can stalemate you in your calling… This leads us to a posture of prayer— of extended times with the Father. Bil prays for an hour a day. At least. And sometimes he does it while he's walking, so he can talk to God out loud and not get distracted. He admits, "I don't pray long hours because I'm so spiritual, I pray long hours because I'm not…" And— "It's not about the quantity time of prayer, it's about finding the quality WITHIN that quantity…" That is, he explains that God often shows up in a special way, in some subset of those minutes, some unique time that makes the entire time extremely valuable. Bil talks, too, about the importance of learning from mentors: "Information is cheap," he says. "Especially today. But what's not cheap is relationship and connection." He counsels leaders to learn from others, but to still "be you," that is, not to lose the confidence if your own calling. Don't be a copycat; resist the temptation to be a clone. Replicate the principles you learn amidst those relationships but execute your unique call— because you can't duplicate someone else's anointing (nor can they copy yours). One of the biggest lessons of this post-pandemic season? We are learning NOT to worship at the feet of numbers. That's always been a tendency for church leaders. "Preach in season and out of season," Paul tells us (2 Timothy 4:2). "This is," Bil says, "an out of season season." And, it's a time in which we need to realize that the "numbers" we have not ARE the actual numbers. In a sense, we're not at 50% or 70% or whatever-% of our capacity… we're at a new 100%. And that's OK. You've grown "the numbers" before, so you can do it again… Sure, the numbers are important. They represent real people. But, we need to focus on the things that really matter— * Your marriage * Your children * Your health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) If you have these, you're "winning" in life AND in ministry…   ++++++++ Links for today's talk = Church Unlimited = https://churchunlimited.com/  Bil on TikTok = The Praying Pastor Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/BilCornelius/  Twitter = https://twitter.com/bilcornelius  Schedule a free strategy session at www.CourageToLead.com/strategy