Given the amazing level of technology available to modern man, leaders should be producing more coorespondence and written revelation. The opportunity to function in this way could hardly be avoided without conscious substitution of other priorities or a failure to recognize this discipline as a priority of leaders. Leaders should be writing.
Here’s my thinking: every day discipline of writing is as important as every day discipline of “quiet time” or “sweet hour of prayer” or “devotional time.” In fact, these other valid disciplines without writing leaves leaders with an incomplete on their spiritual and leadership report cards. Anything that occurs between a leader and God through the spirit, deserves recording, and writing is the recording process that gives that revelation its highest value and greatest impact upon the leader’s life and leadership.
Leader, if you are not writing, consistently as a discipline, developing writing as you would any other weapon or tool on your leadership belt, you are short-circuiting the most important connection and relationship of your spiritual leadership life, and your personal leadership development.
When I say that, I am speaking directly to all the excuses you are offering for not being fully engaged in writing. Go ahead and list them, speak them, groan about them, and then read that statement again. “Leader, if you are not writing, consistently as a discipline, developing writing as you would any other weapon or tool on your leadership belt, you are short-circuiting the most important connection and relationship of your spiritual leadership life, and your personal leadership development.”
Writing is Powerful!
If no one but you were to ever read what you have written, writing remains powerful to you as part of the process of receiving revelation, being led by the Spirit so you can lead through the Spirit. Kingdom leadership provides you and everyone you lead a more intimate and personal contact with the King. God uses you as a leader to receive and release revelation because the process must include more than communication. Leaders are responsible for revelation, and they make the people who receive that revelation responsible for taking the proper action with what they have received.
Writing will, first of all, bring clarity to what you are hearing or seeing, the impressions God is releasing to you. Writing it down with a pen or keyboard will cause you to more clearly receive and initially process the revelation.
As you write, you will discover that you are receiving more than you thought.
Writing will assist you personally in processing the initial revelation by bringing clarity to the words needed to most accurately say what God is saying. Since God delights in speaking to you in the best and most efficient way, the spiritual code and language He uses with you will best be heard and understood (for content) through you recording that communication.
As you write, you will discover that God is using specific, strategic language weighted heavily and intentionally with specific word picture choices.
God isn’t communicating casually or randomly, sharing conversationally doesn’t signal that God is speaking off-hand, take it or leave it information. Even though God may not be speaking about issues that affect nations every time He speaks with you, He is speaking something of eternal weight and kingdom purpose. God is never just “shooting the breeze” or “having a giggle party with His kiddies.” Contrary to some simple-minded efforts upon the part of some people to characterize our relationship with God as “lap time with Daddy,” that sentimentality usually fits people who insist upon remaining immature or people with little leadership understanding.
God is playful. God does delight in His kids. God does spend a great amount of time with us that is not “end of the world” heavy: in other words, God doesn’t speak to us only when He wants to talk about headline issues. God speaks personally, intimately, and on our level, but He isn’t ever speaking without specific intent, purpose, and eternal weight. He is God! So He speaks as God: it is not possible for God to say something that doesn’t alter natural reality is significant ways!
So write it down! Make certain you get the word selection that is consistent with God’s intent. Learn the discipline of word-smithing revelation so that you are developing a world class ability to hear God!
Writing it down will also invest greater value in God’s words, impressions, picture, and secrets. Yes, I said, “Secrets.” God is sharing information with you because He wants you to know His secrets, stuff He isn’t sharing with others. The value you place upon the communication should be equal to the privilege of being God’s confidant and representing God in the earth! If you value God’s words, you will find that He will speak even more to you in terms of sheer volume as well as a new level of kingdom importance.
Do not get stuck at one level of kingdom leadership simply because you fail to make God’s communications with you less of a priority than they merit! God is never haphazard or random, and His words should never “fall to the ground.”
God shared with Isaiah that His words are sent with intent and power to perform. Gabriel shared with Mary that “ever rhema of God arrives with the power to make it happen!” God isn’t going to mail you dynamite if you treat it like confetti! Kingdom leaders cannot lead with an attitude of “take it or leave it” regarding the King’s communications!
The Power of God’s Word
When God wants to do something, God says something. Even then, God releases His powerful words to someone who represents Him and His interests in the earth. That leader is strategically positioned and empowered to both release His words and see that His intentions are carried out. Leaders are empowered to enforce!
Perhaps the discipline of writing has fallen upon hard times because of the present penchant of leaders to be “delivery systems” rather than representatives. God never conducts campaigns of “drone-delivered weapons.” There are no unmanned kingdom expeditions! God is doing what He is doing through people!
There is power in the Word of God! Leaders receive His instructions and carry them out! Leaders receive His words and release them with the power that demonstrates that they are God’s Words! We speak God’s Word with God’s authority!
In this way, the discipline of writing elevates the leader’s function, clarifying God’s intentions so that the communication process releases not only God’s Words but God’s heart.
