A New Breed Of Leadership - Nathan Shaw

God is raising up a new breed of leadership. These leaders will open up spiritual gateways that will completely change the shape of the future. Two of the most significant gateways in Israel were the cities of Hebron and Jerusalem. David ruled from Hebron for seven years and then took the stronghold of Jerusalem. Once both gateways were opened God's glory flooded the nation. Jerusalem became established as the joy of the whole earth (Psalm 48:2). Today many gates are waiting for their Davids. The Davids of today include both men and women. They can be found in many diverse situations and circumstances.

Some Davids are totally unknown.
Before anyone knew about David he was a humble shepherd boy with a passionate heart of worship.

Some Davids are doing exploits.
First David killed a lion and a bear to protect his father's sheep. Then he killed Goliath, the Philistine giant that was intimidating the whole nation. It didn't matter whether it was an issue of protecting his father's sheep or protecting the nation, David put his trust in God and went to bat.

Some Davids are ministering to tormented kings.
Eventually it became known that David was skilled with the lyre. More than skilled he was anointed. When he played the lyre the demonized King Saul had solace from the tormenting spirit assigned to him.

Some Davids are dodging spears.
King Saul recognized the anointing on David. It was a threat to him. Even although David was faithfully ministering to Saul, Saul's heart became murderous against David. David had to learn the noble art of spear dodging. When a spear is thrown at most people the temptation is to become an expert spear thrower. That's why the art of spear dodging is a noble art.

Some Davids are leading armies.
Saul didn't succeed at running David through with a spear. He reverted to more subtle means. He put him in charge of a contingent of men in the army, secretly hoping David would be killed in battle. David successfully led his men in battle and won the trust of the nation. This provoked Saul's jealousy even more.

Some Davids are in Adullam.
If David wanted to remain alive he had to flee. His initial residence was the cave of Adullam in the wilderness of Judea. But He was a sojourner in the Judean wilderness for many years - hunted, out of sight, forgotten and reproached.

Some Davids are with the Philistines.
The prophet Gad warned David that he was to stay in Judea rather than defect to the surrounding nations (1 Samuel 22:5). Eventually it got too much for David. He compromised and defected to the Philistines. For eighteen months David lived in compromise. As hard as it is to believe, some Davids are living in compromise. And yet still gateways wait for them.

Some Davids are in Hebron.
The Philistines defeated Israel and killed Saul. The tribe of Judah made David their king. David ruled from Hebron. But even Hebron wasn't David's ultimate destiny. The gateway of Jerusalem was waiting for David to possess it.

Davids are different than other leaders. They are motivated differently and they behave differently. Don't be fooled - many of today’s leaders are also Davids.

The Charismatic move of the seventies and eighties was a very important and significant spiritual movement. We must honor the spiritual fathers and mothers from this movement. They helped us advance toward the fullness of God's purposes. However, we are on the brink of something much more powerful than the Charismatic move. It has often been said that the greatest opposition to a move of the Spirit is the previous move. Charismatic era thinking still dominates much of the church. This thinking includes mindsets that oppose and resist the kingdom order that David represents. Ultimately Charismatic era thinking will fade away and a new standard will arise.

Davids have a relational standard. This is clearly evident from David's heart cry in Psalm 27:4: One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Charismatic era thinking, on the other hand, is vision driven and puts charisma above relationship.

We are not called to serve a person's vision. We are called to serve a heavenly mandate. The difference is this: vision originates from inside a person's heart. Mandate comes from outside of us. The Jerusalem church didn't serve Peter and John's vision, they served a heavenly mandate. Peter and John served the same mandate the people served. Mandate is the living, commanded word of God. Churches have mandates. Individuals have mandates. Mandate is the secret to walking in authority. The authority is in the mandate. Davids operate from relationship and mandate. Charismatics operate from charisma and vision. Davids ask, “What is happening in the Spirit realm and how should we respond to that?” Charismatics are focused on what we can do for God.

The Charismatic move will have a last great stand. There will be fanfare but there will be fruit. There will also be dissatisfaction as it becomes obvious that old models don't measure up to God's ultimate purposes for our times. A new kingdom authority will arise. Revival mentality will give way to kingdom reality. I love revival and am passionate about it. However, there is a revival mentality that is a wishful hope that God will do something rather than a confident faith which accesses His kingdom right now. Those who have a revival mentality become victims to the sovereignty of God. God is in charge of times and seasons but we are not victims. The kingdom is advancing through people of faith right now.

Just like the difference between King Saul's reign and King David's reign, that which is ahead of us is radically different from that which is behind us. For a season the contrast between Saul and David was dramatic. Saul led the nation of Israel. He had thousands of fighting men in his army. David lived as a sojourner in the wilderness. He had only a few hundred men. Davids may not always be recognized, but those who recognize kingdom standard are drawn to them. Despite how things may look in the natural you can be assured of this: Davids are coming into position. Gateways will be opened. God's kingdom will be established and His glory will flood the nations.

© 2015 Nathan Shaw.

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