TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Scripture: Titus 1:7-11

Titus 1:7-11 says, “For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.” If we are going to walk into leadership, then there is a list of characteristics that God expects us to gain. We need to be blameless, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not given to drinking too much wine, not violent, not greedy for money, hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. And verse 11 says we must be able to stop mouths that are rebellious and subverting the gospel. Do we know how to pray and stop a mouth? How did God stop the mouths of two people in the early church who were given to dishonest gain and had a money problem? How did God stop the mouths of Ananias and Sapphira? Do we walk in that dimension? The Bible says that if you and I are going to walk into leadership, we need to know how to stop mouths! Do we teach our leaders today how to pray so that they can move God’s Hand to stop mouths? According to Paul who is writing to Titus, if we cannot pray and stop a mouth then we are not prepared for leadership in the Kingdom. Did Paul know how to stop a mouth? He stopped the mouth of a false prophet. He was specifically sent to Jerusalem at the same time Peter was taken in an attempt to kill him, just like James had been. But Paul was there and he knew the covenant of Sure Mercy and knew how to pray it. He knew how to stop mouths. Paul was part of the church that was praying against Herod. And did God stop Herod’s mouth? Paul knew his covenant. He knew how to pray it, knew how to stand on it, knew how to act on it, knew how to pray it and knew how to decree it. Whether the result was blindness or death or bringing a rod, he knew how to do it. He brought a rod over sexual sin and the man repented. Paul knew how to bring a rod. The rod stopped mouths. And according to Paul, if we do not know how to stop mouths by the Holy Spirit, we do not belong in leadership. What does that mean for all of us leaders? It means we had better learn how to stop mouths the Bible-way, the prayer-way, the move-the-Hand-of-God-way, the covenantal-way, the Sure-Mercy-way, the Davidic-way. is Jesus to us the One Who stops mouths? Do we know the Jesus of Titus?