To Follow or Not to Follow
Esther 4:12-17
Leadership Lesson – Official Board Meeting
June 12, 2001
Key Lessons from the Decision of Esther
I. Failure to Follow God Makes You No Different than Anyone Else
A. This will cause you to lose out on God’s blessing
1. God wants to bless your life and the life of this church
2. God can only bring us the blessings we allow Him to give us
B. There is indeed a time to separate from the crowds and stand out
1. If we are to be a truly great church, then we must separate ourselves from the others
2. Our goal ought to be to make our church stand out for God
a.) Love a little more than other churches do
b.) Pray a little longer than the other churches do
c.) Work a little harder than the other churches do
d.) Believe a little stronger than other churches do
II. Failure to Follow God will cause Him to Find Someone Else to Do His Work
A. God will get His work completed
1. Make no mistake that if God has a job to do it will get done
2. If we do not do what God wants us to do, He’ll use someone else to do the work that needs to be done
B. Another area where God’s blessing is lost
a.) Think about it this way: For every person that God wants us to reach that we do not make the attempt; the following could happen
A soul could be eternally separated from God
An entire family might go unreached for the Kingdom
A valuable resource that was meant to be ours is lost
b.) We have an important role to play in the Kingdom of God
III. Failure to Follow God might Cause You An Even Greater Loss
A. There are times when we are called to take risks for God
1. There is no such thing as a life without risk.
2. It is always safer to take risks in God’s will than it is to take risks outside of God’s will
B. We will always risk more by not following God where He leads
1. When God is with us and working on our behalf; miracles take place
2. The simple fact remains that we risk failure much more often and much more devastating when we refuse to follow God
IV. Failure to Follow God Could Cause You to Miss Your Purpose
A. God has made every person for a purpose
1. Psalm 139
2. God has a great work for every one of His people and a fantastic plan for your life, if you will follow Him
B. God works out the right timing in life
1. God brings the right people together
2. God puts them all in the right place
3. God instills in them the right purpose
