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Leaders – Sober and Awake

Leaders – Sober and Awake

We’ve been looking at the Apostle Peter’s exhortation to leaders in his first epistle. In my last post I talked about the call that all believers have to become a leader.

Now Peter gives us a warning. As you rise to leadership, the enemy puts a bigger target on your back. This is a realization that all Christian leaders need to understand.

In this verse, Peter literally tells us to stay sober and awake. I believe that he’s talking about not being intoxicated by the distractions of the world. Also, we need to be awake to the voice of the Holy Spirit, guiding and directing us.

The Apostle Paul talks about this same thing.

He makes it clear that we’re not like the world. We walk in the light of the Holy Spirit. So, we’re awake and sober, armed for battle. That’s the attitude of a warrior, trained for victory.

Yes, we’re in a battle. We need to know our enemy. Peter describes him to us in the above verse.

He calls the devil our adversary. In the Greek, that’s a compound word that means anti-right. He’s against everything the Lord stands for.

Unfortunately, many think the devil is simply a fairy tale. All I can say is that if you try to do a major work for God, then you’ll find out the truth of the devil’s existence.

This verse tells us that the enemy hunts like a roaring lion. But normally they’re absolutely silent. A roaring lion is one who has gotten too old for that kind of hunting. He may have even lost some of his teeth.
So, the younger lions move out in front of the prey, while the old toothless lion roars, and scares the prey so that they run right into the trap set by the younger ones. This older lion then lets the young ones rip the prey apart. Then he eats the carved-up pieces.
That word devour, in the above verse, literally means to gulp down in one bite. The roaring lion is not looking for a fight. He doesn’t want to go one on one with the prey. All he wants to do is to scare it into a trap.
As leaders, we need to realize the devil is looking for someone with a victim mentality. The last person the devil wants to deal with is a Christian fully armed and standing on God’s Word.
Stay in prayer and in the Word so that you are spiritually self-controlled and alert. Then you will not become the devil’s punching bag.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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The Call to Leadership

The Call to Leadership

As we go through Peter’s first letter to the church, he’s just finished speaking to elders. Now he changes his focus.

Here Peter comes to the heart of the matter. In this verse, the phrase younger people literally means new or fresh. I don’t believe this is about age as much as spiritual maturity.

In actuality, all mature Christians should be leaders. As I said in my last post, we should all have a “forward passion”.

The Bible teaches that we must all submit to one another. All lead in some way and all of us have a leader to follow.

There seems to be an epidemic in the modern church. That is the desire to simply be a follower.

“I will show up on Sunday. Tell me what I need to do. I’ll do my job, then go home.”

That’s not God’s best for His people. Many of the apostles were frustrated by this.

The problem was that these people were slow learners on purpose. We see this today in our society, but especially our churches. These people want to stay followers – but why?

The true problem is the worldliness of God’s people. We realize that a commitment to lead comes at a price. There are things I can’t do in the world, if I commit to lead something in the church. So we don’t live up to our potential.

Everyone would say, given the choice, they’d want their church to grow. However, they’d prefer others to put in the time to accomplish it.

We need to humble ourselves before God and accept His call to leadership. Then we can give our anxiety to Him. Usually, we’re anxious because we’re afraid we’re going to miss out on what the world is offering us.

Follow God’s calling and walk in His freedom!

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 27, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry, The Church

 

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Elders as Shepherds

Elders as Shepherds

I’m continuing through the book of 1 Peter. In my last post, I started talking about elders. It’s not just the office of an elder, but anyone who is mature in the faith.

In speaking to these mature people, Peter tells them to be shepherds of God’s flock under their care. It’s obvious, that in the church, there are leaders and followers. The flock are those who follow.

He tells the mature to serve as overseers. That’s an important concept. To oversee means to watch over a certain aspect of the ministry. But there are some key attitudes that must be a part of their mindsets.

First of all, it must be voluntary. They’re not being made to do it. There’s no coercion involved.

Also, the keyword in this Scripture is serving. You can never be thinking, “What’s in it for me? What are you willing to pay me for this?” Just like Jesus, you’re not there to be served, but to serve.

Not only is this the case, but there must be an eagerness to serve. That word means to be forward passioned. You don’t have to be told to serve; you’re looking for opportunities to serve.

Peter continues along these lines.

He tells us not to lord it over those entrusted to us. The implication is that we’re not there to carve out a little kingdom for ourselves. Church people have one Lord, and it’s not me.

I realize that this is a problem in many churches of our generation. In a lot of cases, it’s about which committee has the most power. There are constant political struggles.

Instead, we should strive to be an example to those under our care. Paul understood this as well

Those who follow the pattern of service correctly, soon become the pattern to follow. If we live out this truth, there’s a great reward waiting for us.

This is one of those crowns that we will be able to lay down at the Lord’s feet.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 24, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry

 

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Elders – A Walk of Maturity

Elders – A Walk of Maturity

As you know, I just took two weeks off from posting. Now I’m back in 1 Peter and we’re starting chapter 5.

Peter’s letter up until this point has been about spiritual growth. Now he’ll talk about the end result of that growth.

As I said when we first started looking at this letter, Peter is actually writing to Christian leadership. It is to leadership that the Lord wants all believers to be headed.

In context, Peter has just talked about going through suffering and trials. That’s where our growth is tested.

James tells us the same thing.

This is the goal of our faith. To be mature and complete, not lacking anything. That’s not the description of a new-born believer. It should be the life of an elder in the church.

This is who Peter is writing to. This is a special note to elders – an invitation to those who are mature in the Lord.

Peter describes himself as a co-elder and witness of the suffering of Christ. But more than that, he’s also a partner in the glory to be revealed in the future. This begs the question; what is an elder?

The Bible talks about elders who preach, teach, pray, and lead. In the modern church, it’s a title of leadership. These are people who are recognized for their maturity and experience.

The Apostle Paul showed his spiritual son, Titus, what to look for in an elder. Titus was to establish elders in all the churches under his oversight.

These are the things a mature believer cannot be accused of. But there are also some positive characteristics that should be evident.

An elder must be mature enough to encourage other believers and refute those who oppose the truth. In my next post, I’ll continue this line of teaching.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 20, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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What is Spiritual Power? (Repost)

What is Spiritual Power? (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

At one point I started praying about walking in the power of God. Why does the church seem so powerless? How do you walk in God’s power? All of these and more were going around inside of me as the Holy Spirit started to work on me.

At one point the Lord spoke to my heart and I realized that because of my background in Electrical Engineering, I already had an understanding of the natural concepts of power. This revelation started a whole new string of questions in me.

Is spiritual power the same as electrical power? Are the laws that govern them the same? Are there parallels between spiritual and natural power? I began from that point and dove into the Word of God.

I realized right from the beginning that most people, ministers included, have no idea what true power is. We have no concept of the nature and function of power.

Paul’s words to us are very clear. When it comes to power in the kingdom of God, we had better do more than just talk. The problem is that most of what we call power in the kingdom today is just that – talk. The first step toward walking in the power of God is to understand what true power is all about.

Let’s start by looking at things from a natural perspective. When we talk about “power” it’s usually in the context of electrical power. We use phrases like power lines, power plant, and power outages. We think of electricity as being a form of power. How can this help us to understand what power is?

Very simply put, the definition of power is the same whether you’re talking about electricity coming into your house, or the power of God to heal the sick. The International Edition of the Webster Comprehensive Dictionary defines it in the following way:

“Power is the ability to act. It is the property of a thing that is manifested in effort or action, by virtue of which that thing produces change.”

Let me boil it down for you. True power is the ability to produce change. Change is the key word in that sentence.

It takes power to transform water at room temperature into hot water for a cup of tea. It takes power to get a one-ton car to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It takes power to transform a body from sickness to health. It takes power to change a liar into a saint. It takes power to replace guilt with innocence.

If we understand this correctly, then the verse above should bring new understanding. It’s the assignment of the Kingdom of God to produce change. It’s not about how well you can speak about it. Change is the priority.

© 2025 Nicolas Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 17, 2025 in Ministry, Power of God, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Unseen Battle (Repost)

The Unseen Battle (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

Paul often writes about the spiritual battle we’re in. I think that the church gets in trouble when it loses sight of this. If we don’t understand the battle, then we’ll never walk in victory.

The Scripture is clear. The battle takes place in the unseen world. My fight isn’t against people or even the issues that I can see with my eyes.

It would be so much easier if I could see my enemy. The fact is that there’s no group you can point to and say, “They’re the enemy.” People and organizations are not the enemy.

We want to blame someone. “It’s their fault.” That’s not the attitude we should have. It’s clear from Scripture that the enemy is unseen. There’s a whole spiritual world that’s just out of reach to our five senses. It cannot be felt or touched, yet it’s just as real.

The people around me are the casualties – prisoners of war held captive in unseen detention centers. Sometimes they don’t even want to be set free because the deception feels so good at the moment. My job is not to try and convince them to join with me.

The role of the church is to fight the unseen enemy. Tear down the invisible walls. Then turn the light on in the prison cells so that the captives can see the truth of their situation. Only then will they run to Christ the Savior.

But this seems to be the hardest thing to get believers to understand. Our struggle is not in the physical world, but the spiritual. It’s not us vs. the world. I’m not trying to get them to change sides. That will never bring about the desired results.

I want the same mindset that Jesus had when He walked the earth.

We need to know that there’s a spiritual world, and that’s where our battle is being fought right now. But how many of us really understand what that means? While many believers can quote 2 Corinthians 2:4the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world – we don’t get the whole picture.

We don’t use physical weapons, but does that mean that the war itself is any different than a natural war? The enemy’s kingdom is very organized. The verse I started with talks about many levels of authority in their ranks. It’s time that the church gets organized for battle as well.

We also need to realize that this unseen world is organized. Actually, it’s more organized than the church. The enemy knows that the battle for souls goes on 24/7. We like to take breaks and holidays from the struggle. We think that because we did something special for God today, we can take the next few days off – “let our hair down” for a while. I believe that’s why the church in America seems to be so ineffective for the most part.

Do you realize that Satan has never personally attacked you? He has probably never even planned anything to come against you. We only face the lower levels of the dark forces; the rulers and authorities.

That’s why when you step up in ministry there’s a shift to a more intense battle. You find yourself moving up the ranks and facing tougher opponents in the spirit.

It’s time for God’s people to take this unseen battle seriously. We need to begin living our faith the way God intended us to. We need to lift up the Word of God as an offensive weapon against the darkness of this age. It’s time for the light of Christ to shine through us to set the captives free.

Be a part of God’s victorious church. Arm yourself for the unseen battle through prayer and the Word. It’s time to strike fear into the heart of the true enemy – the unseen kingdom of darkness.

We need a revival.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 15, 2025 in Ministry, Spiritual Warfare

 

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God’s Seed in You (Repost)

God’s Seed in You (Repost)

Over the next couple of weeks or so I’ll be unable to post. During this time, I’ve felt that I should repost some of my most read articles that I feel are important. Some of you have been following me long enough to have read them already. If so, my prayer is that they will again be a blessing to you.

In many of my posts, I talk about the relationship between the Word of God and the Scripture. The Bible is the written Word of God. But we also need to hear a Word from the Holy Spirit. This is where the power of God intersects with our lives.

I want to write about how the Word of God relates to us. The Bible teaches that we must correctly handle the Word of Truth. In order to do that I must be studying the Scripture – the written record of God’s Word – so that I can handle the Word I receive from God today.

The Bible uses many terms in relation to the Word of God. It uses language such as spread, increased, grew, reached and multiplied. In the above verse, we’re told how. The verse says in this way. If you read through this nineteenth chapter of the Book of Acts you’ll get a taste for the effects of the Word.

We see the gifts of tongues and prophecy being manifested. There was boldness in preaching. Handkerchiefs and aprons that touched Paul were taken to the sick and they were healed. Demonic spirits were confronted and expelled. There was widespread repentance such that a group of new believers burned the equivalent of $5,000,000 worth of satanic sorcery books.

That’s the way the Word of God is described as growing. Literally, the above verse says that the Word became a force to be reckoned with. The Word of God is alive and it grows. That’s the aspect that I discussed in a series of posts. For that original series, click here.

We’ve been saved by the living Word of God. That Word is a seed that’s growing inside of us. It will never decay or diminish. It’s there forever.

Somewhere along the line, somebody spoke God’s Word to you. It doesn’t matter whether they used the Bible or not – you heard a Word from God that changed your life.

It might have been a Bible verse, a word of prophecy, or a statement of divine truth. Either way, it grew inside of you, and eventually, you received Jesus Christ and were saved.

That’s how the Word of God starts its work in you. The fact that you’ve established Christ as your Lord and Savior is proof that the Word has taken residence in you. Now, what we do with that seed is up to us.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 13, 2025 in Word of God

 

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Truth – Protecting Your Seed (Repost)

Truth – Protecting Your Seed (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

In the spiritual battles that we face, we need to know how to prepare. To do this, the Lord has given us access to His personal set of armor.

The first piece of armor that we’re given is the Belt of Truth. We’re told that it needs to be buckled around our waist. Literally, the belt is buckled around our loins.

In Scripture, our loins speak about our seed. Not to be too graphic, but that’s where our reproductive organs reside. Our seed needs to be protected.

We’re told throughout the Bible that we need to be bearing fruit. That’s not going to happen without a good supply of seed.

First, I want to deal with some misconceptions concerning our seed. Some think that a few bad seeds mixed in don’t matter. That’s not true. Weeds grow and spread without any help at all.

Another wrong thought is that anything that we plant will grow. That’s not true either. Galatians 6:7-9 explains that you reap what you sow IF you don’t give up. It also matters where you sow your seed. They need to be planted in good soil.

With that understanding, we can talk about the seed that we want to see grow in our lives. How do we protect our precious, spiritual seed?

Peter understood this concept. In this verse, the phrase, prepare your minds for action literally reads, gird the loins of your mind. Spiritually speaking, your loins, the storehouse of your seed, is your mind.

The reason for this is because your mind should be where you’re placing the truth. Every time you memorize Scripture, you’re placing good seeds in your storehouse.

The real question then becomes; how well do you protect your seed? It’s really easy to complain when nothing seems to be growing. We need to keep our seed from being nullified.

Jesus communicated this in His prayer to the Father. He wanted the disciples, and us, to bear much fruit.

We’re talking about the truth of God’s Word, not man’s word. The only way to protect your seed is to walk in the truth of God.

When we walk in doubt, fear, presumption, hearsay, or our own habits, we nullify God’s Word in us. We need to operate in the truth – “This is what the Lord says.” Our goal should be, “I’m doing this because God said…”

We get into trouble because many times we plant a lot of unprotected seed. We need to learn the lesson from airport security. “Has your suitcase been away from your control?”

Please understand that this is not just a prayer you make in the morning. You can’t just confess the Belt of Truth when you get up and then feed your seed to the spiritual pigeons the rest of the day.

We have to protect our seed if we want to see them grow. That means allowing the truth of God’s Word to saturate all that we do.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Weak vs Strong Faith (Repost)

Weak vs Strong Faith (Repost)

I’m taking a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’m reposting some of my most popular articles.

Here’s Paul’s illustration of how we should walk in faith.

This is one of those amazing verses in the Scripture. To fully grasp it, we need to understand what the meaning of hope is in the Bible.

When we use the word, hope, it usually means that we’re wishing for something good to happen. “I hope I win the lottery.”

That’s not what this word means in the context of Scripture. It actually means to look forward to with expectation. “I place my hope in the fact that the sun will come up tomorrow.”

With this knowledge, we can see how Abraham operated. He was in a situation where, logically, there was nothing to expect. Yet, by placing his faith in God’s Word, he fully expected to have a multitude of offspring.

This is the tough part. I’ve talked about not walking in denial in the past. That’s the key to this kind of faith.

The verse literally says that Abraham fully observed the facts of his situation. He was almost 100 years old and considered himself already dead. He understood that under no circumstances could his wife, Sarah, have any children.

What amazes me is that even though he had all of these facts before him, he didn’t weaken his faith. But that brings up an interesting question. He already had an heir picked out that was not in his family. How can you say that he didn’t weaken his faith?

As a matter of fact, he had already picked out an heir for his estate. He chose one of his most trusted servants (Genesis 15:2-3).

We need to understand exactly what is meant by weak faith. There’s a clear verse about it.

What is weak faith? It means that you don’t trust God to complete His work in you. You feel that you have to establish rules to follow so that you won’t accidentally sin. Weak faith has the idea that if I follow these rules, then I’ll please God and receive His blessing.

Abraham picked out an heir without weakening his faith. That tells me that I do what I need to do as if nothing special will happen. But, at the same time, I fully expect the Lord to intervene on my behalf.

I can see my doctor, take my pills, and pay my bills. At the same time I trust God for my health and provision.

Some people think that they’re operating in faith by never seeing a doctor. It’s actually a sign of weak faith because they can’t trust God to manage what the doctor might tell them.

Weak faith has to set rules and boundaries so that we can deny any problems. Strong faith can look straight at the problems and trust God for the solution.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2025 in Faith, Spiritual Walk

 

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Calling and Anointing (Repost)

Calling and Anointing (Repost)

I need to take a couple of weeks off from writing, so I’ll be reposting some of my most popular articles. Today I want to take a post where I got into some details about calling and anointing. If I can find the key to the anointing, then the rest will fall into place.

It’s interesting to note that anointing is only mentioned 13 times in the New Testament. Of those, it’s only referred to as a spiritual anointing for us 6 times.

There’s a reason for so little mention in the N.T. It comes from an ancient practice in the Old Testament. If we can understand that usage, then we’ll have a good foundation for understanding the anointing in us.

Anointing was a ceremony of pouring oil on something or somebody. It was used for a lot of things. Personally, I don’t care about how to anoint cooking pots. What relates to us is the usage with prophets, priests, and kings. I want to know how anointing brings power.

God told Samuel to go and anoint a new king over Israel. He gave Samuel a Word – “Go to Bethlehem.” He told Samuel that He would show him what to do when he got there.

Once in Bethlehem, Samuel went to the house of Jesse as instructed.

According to the Word of the Lord he was given, Samuel invited – called them – to come to the sacrifice. In actuality, he was calling them to come to the anointing of the new king of Israel.

It should be clear from this passage that anointing involves calling. The two go hand in hand. To reject your calling is to reject the anointing God has for you.

God has called you to do a great work for Him. The anointing is what enables you to walk in the power to fulfill that calling. The anointing is not a license to do whatever you want with God’s power. It equips you to fulfill God’s plan in your life.

That’s what the approval of God is all about. We have the spiritual weapons at our disposal. God wants to see them used against the enemy’s kingdom. We’re the ones who need to be prepared for the spiritual battle.

You may be called to bring about God’s plan, but have you submitted to how God wants to accomplish this?

I dealt with these issues when I originally posted this. To see that series, click here.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 6, 2025 in Anointing, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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