A leadership group that I am apart of is reading a book by Roberts Liardon entitled God’s Generals. It is one book in a series on men and women who led movements and revivals over the past 150 years. This first book examines the lives and ministries of great healing evangelists such as John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Evan Roberts, Charles Parham, John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee Simple McPherson, Kathryn Kuhlman and others. Although we are not quite through with the study yet, there are some common denominators found in the life and ministries of these amazing people that can be instructive to us.

These were men and women that did not have the advantage of mass technology in their worlds. Some were born right after the Civil War and others around the turn of the century. No television, no CD’s, and few if any even found their way to radio. Yet their preaching touched thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions. Most preached and healed and had hundreds and even thousands of well documented miracles of healing in their ministries. Most felt a compelling call from God at a young age and grew up in families that were faithful believers that made prayer and Bible study a center piece of their family. Many of their parents were involved in Bible study groups and prayer groups and let their children participate at a young age. Some received a call from God later in life after they were married and running businesses. Most were not well educated by the world’s standards but had faith and once they surrendered to the Lord, were totally sold out to their calling. A number of them were strong willed. So was the Apostle Paul. Several were almost eccentric in nature. I’ve noticed that God often uses extreme people in extreme ways. Many came from working class families who were always just one step ahead of poverty. Hours of prayer were always at the heart of their ministries. God did amazing things through each of these individuals but sadly and disappointingly, many finished poorly and some very poorly.

Without being critical of any of these individuals, I want to share a few things that seemed to contribute to those who did not finish well after having world-changing ministries at one time. We too should guard ourselves as we serve the Lord. One thing that came up over and over was the fact that many of these evangelists were so consumed by their ministries that they did not take care of their health. They were sleep-deprived months on end. They did not exercise or learn to deal with the stress of ministry to thousands. They did not rest, did not take time off, and did not manage the demands that so many put on them. There is a real trap in feeling indispensible – as if all those making demands on you cannot live without you. Eventually they experienced emotional and spiritual burnout which often manifested in psychological issues which tended to discredit their ministries.

It may sound spiritual to “keep answering the 24/7 call of ministry” but Jesus often went off by himself, left the crowds when they were clamoring for more, and found time to sleep even in the midst of storms. Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry and his schedule never seemed to be out of control because God set his agenda rather than men or the demands of ministry. We must rest, exercise, take mental health days, and maintain some margins in our lives for the unexpected moments that God arranges that are not already scheduled on our calendars. God created us to need those things like food and water and to ignore them for weeks, months, and years invites disaster.

Secondly, most of these individuals felt that God had called only them to their ministry. They rarely equipped others to minister as they did or asked the Lord to impart their gift or their mantle to another. They prepared no one to take their mantle as Elijah prepared Elisha. When they died, when their health failed, or when they stumbled there was no one to continue the revival or the healing ministries. It simply began and ended with them. They equipped no disciples as Jesus had done to continue the work he began. The next generation was unable to build on the foundations laid by these great revivalists. The next generation was often left to start from scratch. As we lead and develop ministries, we must train and empower others to lead in better ways that we have ever led. We must pray for their giftings and anointing to be greater than our own. And we must be willing to turn the reigns over to them when they are ready.

Another of the things that is clear in the life of these men and women who finished poorly was that when they began, they saw themselves as inadequate servants of Christ totally dependent on Jesus and the Holy Spirit for their ministries. As time passed, they came to draw their sense of significance from the ministries they led, the reviews they received, and the miracles that men attributed to them. They began to take the glory that was God’s and stuff it in their own pockets. They became jealous, arrogant, possessive, and angry at anyone who questioned them. Suddenly they were above correction and criticism. Since God often speaks to us through other people, they began to miss the correcting voice of God and ended up in the ditch. They forgot that God exalts the humble but humbles the proud.

Related to that, it is remarkable how few of these great men and women had close friends who could speak into their lives and tell them the truth…especially as their ministries prospered. Most likely the hectic schedules and travel tore them away from whatever relationships they had once enjoyed so that those relationships grew cold. Many had families that they essentially abandoned for the “great works” God had given them. Since they had no long-term friends to watch their lives objectively and warn them if they were wandering from a godly path, they wandered. Sometimes their theology drifted way off course. Sometimes their attitudes and perspectives became skewed. Although they were surrounded by thousands they still lived in isolation from friends who loved them enough to tell them the truth before they were so far away that they could no longer hear anyone.

Everyone of us needs people in our lives who know us and who have permission to speak to us about concerns they have for us. Jesus surrounded himself with twelve and within that group he had three, Peter, James and John, that he held even closer. Of course, he didn’t need correction but even he needed companionship and encouragement. Even Jesus needed those close to him to pray for him and stand with him in times of persecution. We need that as well. When we isolate ourselves because we are too busy or because we don’t want people to tell us what we don’t want to hear, trouble is on the way.

Finally, as these men and women grew amazing ministries they often began to expand their vision for what they were doing or their ministry associates began to expand the vision. The ministry became a business. Some decided to build utopian cities where only believers would live and Christ would reign. Some saw themselves as the mayor or governor of that city and soon they were planning roads, marking out subdivisions, drafting budgets and raising money rather than preaching the gospel as they had been called to do. God was in their preaching but not in their city building. The planned cities failed and so did the ministries that were neglected because of the distraction of a vision God did not give. We need to stay on track and within our gifts as we fulfill God’s call on our lives. The distraction of good things that are not the thing God has called us to do often keeps us from being truly effective in anything.

These are just some thoughts I have had as I have been reading about God’s Generals. Maybe they can be useful thoughts and markers for you as well.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. (Dan.1:8-15)

Many believers are forced to work or live in environments that are hostile to their faith. It may be a corporation that supports liberal causes, a university classroom with a professor who flaunts his atheism, or a government that declares sin to be a civil right and biblical values to be hate speech and bigotry. How do we navigate such environments? Many believers have decided that a little compromise is the way to survive and even have influence in those environments. The idea is that you must be part of the system to influence the system or you must be “accepted” by the culture to have any impact on the culture. Many have determined to be silent about their values while trying to keep from totally compromising those same values. As our culture become more and more anti-Christ, the question of how to live as a believer and still influence our environment becomes more and more relevant.

Daniel is a perfect example of a believer in that situation. In the first chapter of Daniel we are told that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and the city eventually surrendered. Babylon used a deportation strategy in conquering other nations. The strategy was to take their best and brightest young people, who would eventually become leaders in that nation, to Babylon where they would be absorbed by the culture. In doing so, they got the services of these talented young men and robbed the defeated nation of future leaders who might foment rebellion. Daniel was one of those young men.

Within a short time, Daniel faced a dilemma which called on him to compromise his faith in the seemingly unimportant area of Jewish dietary restrictions. Daniel and other young men from Judah were placed in the charge of Ashpenaz, a chief court official, who was told to serve them the best foods from the king’s kitchen and train them for three years to see who would rise to the top. Having been ripped up from their homeland, these “top students” had landed on their feet. They were placed on an upward career path that promised much in a foreign land. All they had to do was to learn the language, adapt to the culture, and fit in while maintaining the well known Jewish role of over-achiever. In those potential positions of power, they might even wield some influence for their God among the pagans.

Daniel, however, chose the path of uncompromising faith. He respectfully asked Ashpenaz to allow him to eat according to his faith so that he would not be defiled by a Babylonian diet. There was considerable risk in the request. First of all, the request might be seen as an insult in which Daniel would be touting the superiority of his faith and culture over the faith and culture of Babylon who had, by the way, just soundly defeated the Jews. Secondly, the request might smack of ingratitude. Daniel had been given an unbelievable opportunity considering his situation. He could have just as easily been executed or enslaved in years of hard labor. If he didn’t like the program, there were plenty of others who would jump at the chance to take his place. Thirdly, his request placed his overseer in the difficult situation of violating the king’s orders. Making waves was not the way to ingratiate himself to his supervisor and was certainly not the way to the top.

However, Daniel asked to be allowed to serve the king while maintaining the tenants of his own faith. He was respectful and sensitive to the position in which he was placing his supervisor. He made a request and not a demand and suggested a trial period to evaluate the values he was espousing for the organization. He made no demands that others must do as did and no arrogance was found in him. The result was that God gave him favor in the sight of his supervisor and after a trial period, his supervisor found Daniel’s diet to be very beneficial to the program. In fact, his dietary restrictions were adopted into the program.

Daniel served pagan kings for decades while being uncompromising in his faith. He served without bitterness, without deceit, and with unsurpassed integrity. His ability to hear God in the interpretation of dreams saved himself, his friends, and a number of Babylonian career politicians who served as “wise men” or consultants to the king. His witness for his faith and his influence on unbelievers around him came from the excellence and integrity he brought to every job that was assigned to him. The quality of his character and his work ethic caused him to stand out as a light in the darkness. As he advanced, others were jealous and at times tried to have him removed from office and even executed, but his integrity had been such that no grounds for indictment could be found.

Eventually, even Nebuchadnezzar was forced to declare that Daniel’s God was superior to all of his gods. Years later, under King Darius, Daniel was delivered from an unjust sentence to be eaten by lions for praying to his God. After a night with the lions, Daniel walked out unscathed. As a result Darius declared, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed…” (Dan.6:26). Undoubtedly, Daniel answered questions about his God when asked but let his life and his uncompromising faith became his daily testimony.

To live and serve in a hostile culture requires faith that God is with us in every situation, in every corporation, and every classroom. At times, we must believe that he will give us favor so that we can live for him without compromise and, at other times, we must believe that he will provide protection when Satan stirs up the culture against us. The key however, is our uncompromising faith, our character, and the excellence we bring to whatever we do. It is found in loving and serving even our enemies and respectfully living out our faith while accepting the risk of doing so. God shows up in big ways for the faithful not for the compromising.

Ultimately, we must desire the promotions of God over the promotions of men. We cannot serve two masters – the culture and gods of the world or the culture and the God of Heaven. If you find yourself in a hostile place today, spend some time with Daniel and his friends for wisdom and encouragement. Be blessed, humble, and uncompromising today in your service and your character. It is that lifestyle that allows others to see Jesus and that causes men to ask about Him.