Every man has two lives. The inner life and the outer life. The outer, external or public life is the one seen by men. This is the life seen when one wants to show off or give a false impression. This life does not have the capacity to impact or bring about transformation in the life of another
The inner life, on the other hand is what a man truly is. This is the life empowered by the Holy Spirit that influences another positively and brings about transformation and Christlikeness in others.
God rejected Eliab, not because of his outer life, but because of the deficiency in his inner life (ISam.16.7)
If the inner life of a believer is important, the inner life of God’s ministers and spiritual leaders is critical.
It is a known fact that before God speaks to a people, He will speak to and prepare their leaders. These leaders in return prepare their people.
The move of God in any generation always starts with His leaders. Whether it is in a home, a church or a denomination, He first builds His leaders and they in turn transfer the grace unto the people following them.
It is true that the level of spirituality of the church congregation cannot be higher than their leaders. The servant cannot be greater than the master (Luke.6.40).
In other to prepare men for the coming revival, we must first prepare and give attention to the inner life of those who preach and teach God’s Word. Once these spiritual leaders are transformed, the people who follow them will be transformed.
If God has mercy upon us and touches the inner lives of His ministers, turns them into firebrands who hate sin with a passion, are concerned about the lost and fills them completely with the Holy Spirit, they in turn can only transfer this grace to the people that follow them
The truth is that every man will only produce after his own kind. The scripture that says whatsoever a man sows; that shall he also reap finds application in the case of David. David was a mighty man and a giant slayer. He naturally produced mighty men who also slayed giants (2Sam.23)
This is the way of the Lord. For our God to bring forth righteousness and praise in the earth, it has to be by a seed begetting another seed. (Is.61.11). This is the reason why Jesus came as a seed, was sown so that He could produce others that can become the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’
A man cannot give what he does not have. When preachers preach or teach what is not their lifestyle or inner lives, there cannot be transformation or lasting impact in the lives of the people taught.
This is one of the reasons why there is very little growth in the Body of Christ.
May the Lord help our lives. Amen.
Your brother,
Pastor Femi Popoola
