INTRODUCTION Why? Why is life filled with challenges and hardships? Why do people make decisions that cause heartache and pain? Can we learn the lessons of leadership without the pain of experience? These are the questions that led to this book. Your life and leadership, too, can be strengthened as they are being sifted. The lessons of this book are the product of my journey as a leader––my experiences, insights, mistakes, observations, and systems that God has used to strengthen me as I have been sifted. Why do I use the word “sifted”? Because this word best describes the process that God has used to shape my life and leadership. Why “sifted leadership”? Because everything rises and falls on leadership! You might be saying to yourself, “I am no leader.” Yes, you are! Leading yourself is leadership. In fact, that is your most important leadership assignment! If nothing else, journey with me to lead yourself better. So, let’s go! This will be a quick read so I know you can do it! As you read, remember: it is not how you start; it is how you finish. Finish strong!
You Have My Attention Jesus’ conversation with Peter on the night of His betrayal has captured my attention. The account in Luke 22:31-32 did not stand out much the first dozen or so times I read it. One morning, something jumped off the page in a way I couldn’t ignore. The conversation went like this: INTRODUCTION | 1
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” ––Luke 22:31-32 (NLT) This conversation had always seemed to me to be a one-time interaction between Jesus and Peter. Its implications for leadership had never registered with me. Frankly, this conversation did not seem to have much to do with me. That is, until I noticed the phrase, “each one of you.” Certainly, Jesus was talking to the disciples when He said, “each one of you.” But could He have been talking to us as well? I think so. The original language of the New Testament is Greek. The Greek word translated “each one of you” is plural. Just like the disciples would all be sifted, everyone who follows Jesus will also be sifted. Yes, that means you, too. Now, what is “sifting”? In Jesus’ day, sifting was the process of removing wheat from chaff. Both the wheat and the chaff would be placed in a sieve and then shaken vigorously. As both were shaken together, the chaff would fall through the sieve while the wheat remained. Sifting has a more modern application in baking bread. Flour is sifted to remove lumps or other impurities that might make the bread less than it should be. Sifting also adds volume to the flour by allowing more air to be added. The result is a more “fluffy” product. Sifting adds time to the process of baking bread but it critical to producing the best product.
What gives? Let’s point out the elephant in the room. There is a part of this passage that is troubling. Satan has asked permission to sift me and Jesus gave it! Not that
I am bitter, really, Jesus? Tell Satan, “No! You can’t mess with my boy!” Life is hard enough without the prince of darkness “sifting” me. This seems unfair. Why would Jesus allow this? Before we can address that, some misconceptions about Satan’s power and his relationship to the authority of Jesus have to be cleared up. Notice that Satan has to ask permission to sift me. That means his power is limited by the love of Jesus. 2 | SIFTED LEADERSHIP
I can be deceived into thinking that Satan has more power than he does. I have to remember that God is in full control. Satan also had to ask permission of God to torment Job. God granted Satan this permission and Job went through hell. Satan’s power is always checked by God’s plan. After Job had been sifted by Satan, God blessed him even more. The sifting of Satan can never trump the blessing of God! When God allows Satan to do his vile thing in my life, God has promised that He will never leave me nor forsake me. Sifting removes impurities like pride, sin, and selfishness. Sifting “fluffy” from my character, making me more dependent on God through Jesus. Sifting isn’t pleasant. But God allowing me to be sifted is good because it makes me more effective for His kingdom.
The Method to the Madness The ultimate purpose of sifting is for us to become more like Jesus. Paul expressed it this way: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” ––Romans 8:28 (NLT) This passage is often quoted as a reminder of God’s activity in our lives. It is comforting and reminds us to trust God through difficult circumstances. However, in order to gain a proper understanding of this passage verse 29 has to be considered: “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be first born among many brothers and sisters.”––Romans 8:29 (NLT) It’s important to note that Jesus was not sifted. He was perfect and therefore needed no sifting to remove impurities from His life. However, Jesus was tested. INTRODUCTION | 3
Satan tested Jesus in the wilderness, in the garden, and on the cross. Jesus even faced trials in His incarnation that further gives Him authority to identify with us as both God and man. God uses Satan’s sifting to make me like Jesus. This all sounds so spiritual and sweet, but life often is brutal. Like you, I have endured a lot of heartache. I have been disappointed, betrayed, broken-hearted, bankrupt . . . the list can go on and on. You may have endured far worse. We have a misconception when it comes to Jesus. We think He comes to take away our troubles, but He often does not. Instead, He regularly enters into our troubles and gives us His presence. Victor Frankel survived the Nazi Holocaust. Frankel relayed his belief that Jesus stood with those who suffered. This “standing” of Jesus with the suffering is never passive. It is redemptive. Jesus does not idly stand by watching us go through hardships and heartaches as if our suffering were elements of a story to keep His interest. He is present in suffering and provides us with power to endure and hope to overcome. Jim Ivey, my father-in-law, died of cancer in 1995. In our last conversation, Jim told me, “I would go through cancer again to know Jesus like I know Him now.” He died two months later. His sifting was a pathway to knowing Christ better. Jim Ivey endured and now lives with Jesus!
A Supportive Savior Jesus gives Satan permission to sift us to make us more like Himself. But He doesn’t then leave us to fend for ourselves. In the same passage in which Jesus said that Peter would be sifted by Satan, Jesus also assured Peter of His prayers. Specifically, Jesus prayed, “that your faith may not fail.” Now, Jesus “lives forever to intercede with God” on behalf of His followers (Heb. 7:25, NLT). Just as Jesus prayed for Peter, He is praying for you! Jesus wants His followers to be fully His, faithful to Him, and fruitful in the task He has for them. While sifting is brutal, Jesus’ pleading stays the hand of
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Satan. As a result, Satan can’t do all he intends to do. His deepest desire is to destroy me for eternity. He can’t do that! He wants to discourage me completely. Again, he cannot. Jesus stands with us and only allows so much. The amount of sifting allowed is often more than I can bear, but Jesus bears it all for me. I can trust Him as He allows me to be sifted. Jesus granting permission for His followers to be sifted can still be unsettling. But there is also peace in knowing that nothing in life happens without the loving, watching care of Jesus. Jesus loves us. He loves us enough to allow adversity to forge our character. We can trust this savior who is watching over us. Sifting comes with the Savior.
It’s Not Just For You Jesus allows us to be sifted to make us more like Himself. As we are sifted, we are strengthened through the support of our savior. But neither of these things means that we will always get it right the first time. We often give Satan more credit for our sifting than he deserves. The truth is that we help Satan sift us by choosing sin and making poor decisions. As John Wayne said, “Life is hard. It is harder when you’re stupid.” Jesus knows that we won’t always get what He is trying to teach us the first time. In His conversation with Peter, Jesus didn’t say, “if you need to repent.” He said, “when you repent!” Peter was going to be sifted. His faith was going to be tested and even stretched. He would fail. But Peter would also come back. So will you. So will I. In the sifting of our souls, Jesus promised that there would be a returning. No one can snatch Jesus’ sheep out of His hand ( Jn. 10:28)! We will always belong to Jesus even when we fail. God takes the mess of sifting and turns it into a message of grace. That message becomes a ministry to others who are being sifted. After assuring Peter that he would fail and that he would need to repent and return, Jesus told Peter to “strengthen your brothers.” As we are sifted,
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we have an obligation to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Because God never wastes anything in our lives. He wants to use all our trials and troubles to teach others. He wants to use our lessons and mistakes to bless others. When Peter returned to Jesus, he wasn’t the same. He was bold. He was fearless. He strengthened his brothers.
Great Bread I don’t want to waste my sifting. Because of this, I want to share lessons I have learned and the mistakes I have made. I want to share the victories and failures I have experienced as a leader to strengthen you. This book is not for perfect leaders but sifted leaders––from one sifted leader to another. I invite you on this adventure of sifting with me. As a companion to the book, videos are available that will help you dig deeper into the topics raised. It is my hope that these videos will inspire you to think and begin a conversation with a few trusted friends. The videos can be used as a launch point to build deeper connections with people who will help you as you become more like Jesus through your sifting. Think of two or three individuals around you and ask them to join you in the adventure of sifted leadership. Why do this? Because Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat. Let’s not waste a good sifting. Sifted wheat makes great bread.
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