That time we talked about Star Wars in church...

The church doesn't always do the job at captivating an audience, especially compared to the cinematic stylings of George Lucas. But there is an awesome correlation between Star Wars and Christianity. There is the fallen angel that goes on to represent evil in Darth Vader. The force representing the Holy Spirit that the Jedi use for good. There are the prophets that prepare the way for the chosen one during the times of darkness. Then there's chosen one himself... who was born into a desolate world full of conflict. Was tested and ultimately defeats the evil one in a climactic battle.

We love these movies, don't we? But there is a problem. The hordes of people that go to see these films, Christians and non-Christians alike, are all but completely oblivious to the battle that rages around them and it is far more enthralling than anything we can watch on the big screen.

When we don't recognize failure, we fail as Christians. And we fail as a church when we fail to show the battle to people around us. I want to list the ways that leaders fail so that we do not repeat those failures.

1) Leaders fail because they don't believe that God can accomplish His plans through them.

•     Because they don't believe, most leaders are reluctant leaders.

2) Leaders fail because they don't see themselves as warriors

3) Leaders fail when they don't acknowledge that Satan exists.

4) Because he exists, we are at war. Leaders fail when they don't see the war around them.

5) Leaders fail when they fail to act.

We judge all the barriers in front of us by their size. We're just like Luke Skywalker. We're saying it's too big. Jesus says to have a childlike faith. When we're children, we don't see the size. We only see what's possible. Do we acknowledge Satan, or do we pretend he doesn't exist. Do we push ourselves and our church family to act? Or do we sit in idle during a war? Remember, Satan wants you to act like he doesn't exist...

For more on failures and leadership, click here. If you have been touched by this message or what God is doing for you, we'd love to hear from you. Tells us here!