frontline ready

Don’t be fooled by the cushy couch in the green room. This is not peace time. Wake up! You’re on the front lines. Read on…

In Today’s Email

1. 🛡️ Frontline Ready

2. 🎄 106 Days Til Christmas

3. 🙏 Tozer on Spiritual Safety

🛡️ Frontline Ready

Tired of all of the battle metaphors? That may signal danger ahead. One of the most precarious positions we can find ourselves as vocational worship leaders is to forget about the battle being waged in our churches, in our families, and in our own personal lives.

You have an enemy who wants to destroy and distract you (John 10:10).

The question for you is this: are you prepared for the front lines?

Worship Leaders (musicians) have historically been called to the front lines of the battle. You have a large target on your back. And most of the time, we go day after day without acknowledging the battle at all.

The result: many of us wake up one day and find ourselves exhausted with no margin in our lives for others, utterly frustrated by those closest to us, and considering doing something else with our lives for all sorts of reasons.

If we aren’t aware of the tactics and schemes of our enemy, if we aren’t prepared to defend against them, and if we are too tired to stay alert… should it surprise us when the exhaustion, frustration, or disillusionment comes?

This shouldn’t discourage any of us. There’s a reason Paul charges the Ephesians to “put on” the armor of God and not to “make sure you don’t take it off” (Eph. 6:10-17).

The default, in our flesh, is vulnerability to the blows and wounds of the enemy.

The goal of this email isn’t to prepare you for the front lines. We’ll save that for later. The goal is to help you identify whether or not you are “frontline ready.”

Here are three statements that are true of those who are ready for the frontlines:

1. I have organized my life in a way that protects the most important things and allows for margin.
   
   First, have you identified the most important things in your life? What is important to you? What should be more important to you but isn’t?
   
   The way you spend your time, especially your discretionary leisure time, is evidence of what you value. Does the way you spend your time reflect your deepest values?
   
   Does your current schedule have any margin built into it? Or does everything feel overwhelming and does your cup feel constantly full?
   

2. I am physically, spiritually, and emotionally ready for “battle.”
   
   As much as in your control, do you take care of your physical health? Sleep, diet, exercise. All of these play a role in our ability to withstand the schemes of the enemy.
   
   Are you pursuing Jesus? Listening to His voice? Are you living and walking in faith or have you built your life in such a way as to control all of it?
   
   Do you have relationships in which you can honestly process your life? Can you receive care, encouragement, and challenge from others? Do you allow yourself to feel your emotions, or are you a volcano about to erupt at the next tremor of your life?
   

3. I demonstrate healthy rhythms of rest and, as a result, I can be present to others, balance grace and truth, and engage in healthy conflict.
   
   Are you able to be present in conversations? Or does your mind wander to the next task, meeting, etc? Are you able to not please others but give grace and truth equally and in appropriate measure?
   
   Are you able to have healthy conflict with others? Do you forgive? Seek forgiveness? Seek reconciliation?

If these statements and their descriptions are true of you, you may be ready to charge ahead on the front lines.

Here are three more questions to ask yourself:

1. What does my rhythm of life say about my priorities?

2. Does Jesus have my attention?

3. Do I feel like I have time for people?

If you answer yes to all three of those questions, wonderful!

If you weren’t resonating with some of the statements or answering the questions with a resounding “yes!”, it by no means disqualifies you from the fight!

It might just be a wake up call to consider the subtle schemes of the one who wants to wreak havoc in your life.

So, what about you? Are you ready for the frontlines?

🎄 106 Days Til Christmas

🎁That’s it! How is planning going?🎁 

MORE IMPORTANTLY!

How are you doing? One of the best ways we can prepare ourselves for the busyness of the Christmas season is to make sure we are as healthy as we can be as we head into it!

So, how are you, really? Now’s a great time to take (or retake) our Likewise Worship Health Check! Take it for free and connect with our team 🙌

🙏 Tozer on Spiritual Safety

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