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JESUS WAS NOT A PEACEKEEPER
Kris Vallotton
August 2, 2019
Even though Jesus is the Prince of Peace, He was not by any means a peacekeeper. Rather, He was a peacemaker.
You may be wondering what the difference is… Peacekeepers are governed by the desire to please people and make sure that everyone around them is always happy. The challenge is that the practice of peacekeeping is not effective because it is like putting duct-tape on a broken pipe, which is only a symptomatic cure.
As we can learn from Christ, peacemakers, on the other hand, are not afraid to offend people. Jesus knew that He was on a mission and He did what His Father told Him to do, which sometimes meant upsetting the crowd.
He lived out the truth that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). I want to propose to you that the fear of man is the beginning of a person’s downfall. If you want to be a good leader, whether in your ministry, your family or your business, you must learn how to lead people without being afraid of them or allowing them to dictate your actions.
LEADERS FEAR GOD NOT MEN
Check out this teaching from one of my Facebook Live videos for more on breaking free from the fear of man:
In summary:
- Great leaders are peacemakers, not peacekeepers.
- Jesus refused to keep the peace by making everything and everyone equal. He had boundaries.
- Being a good leader means not always having to explain yourself because leaders can’t always share every piece of information on sensitive subjects.
- If you fear people, you’re not leading them but rather they are leading you.
- Realize that if you’re going to be a great leader, there will be times when your followers will misunderstand you.
WHO DICTATES YOUR LIFE?
When you don’t set limits with people they will dictate your destiny, and your life will become a menagerie of meeting other people’s expectations while forgetting your divine call!
God has given you a race to run, a fight to finish, and a path to follow. If you are in a position of leadership then He has given you a vision to steward, a people to serve and an assignment to apprehend. Do not allow the fear of man to distract you from this mission!
We must all master the art of being deeply compassionate without letting the desires of others dictate our destinies or dominate our daily priorities.
Let me be clear: I’m not talking about being self-centered or self-absorbed. Neither am I saying that the needs of others shouldn’t influence your activities. They should! In fact, I don’t care how busy you are; you should never be too busy to touch the desperate needs of the people in your inner circle. Loving my family and those who serve me is part of my journey in the Spirit. I am not untouchable, rigid, or heartless; but I have decided that I will not fear people, nor will I be enslaved to them.
Let’s be the kind of leaders who prioritize pleasing God over appeasing man. Let’s lead others into trusting Jesus in every situation. This is one of the most difficult facets of being a leader but it comes with the call and is every influential person’s responsibility. I want to remind you that you and I are called to serve God by serving people. But we are not called to serve people instead of serving God (Acts 5:29). How can you be a leader who fears God over man? Let me know in the comments!
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