Discerning Authority, Culture, and True Transformation
There are two levels of authority every leader must learn to discern: preparation and absolutes.
They are not opposites. They are stages.
And wisdom is knowing which one you’re operating in and when to shift.
Preparation is where learning happens.
Absolutes are where responsibility speaks.
Much of the damage we see in leadership today doesn’t come from lack of passion it comes from confusing preparation with absolutes.
Preparation Reveals What’s Really Being Built
Preparation is sacred. It allows space to learn timing, test systems, and examine motives. It is the season where God deals with how you think, not just what you do.
When I served as an assistant pastor, that season helped me see something clearly.
Many leaders were still living in preparation but presenting themselves as absolute.
What I observed was not transformation of the mind, but co-dependency masked as success.
Many inflated their world with consumer debt, creating the illusion of growth rather than the reality of freedom.
They borrowed to look anointed.
They spent to appear expanded.
They leveraged people to sustain systems they themselves had not mastered.
Then pressure was placed on the congregation to pay off debt the leadership created, and all of it was covered with religion, emotional manipulation, and a false sense of spirituality.
Scripture warns us:
“The consumer borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)
Debt doesn’t just affect finances it affects authority, mindset, clarity, and courage.
Why Some Believers Can Become Vulnerable
Believers can become vulnerable when they don’t have their own relationship with God and don’t understand the purpose of leadership.
When people rely on borrowed revelation instead of personal conviction, they become susceptible to guilt-driven obedience rather than faith-led growth.
The Bible says:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
Transformation is internal before it is visible.
Religion without renewal creates compliance.
Renewal without religion creates freedom.
Leadership Integrity Requires Self-Respect
As a leader, you respect yourself when you understand this truth:
You cannot take people where you haven’t treaded.
That’s why it is safe and wise to remain in preparation until you are ready to step into absolutes.
Preparation allows you to:
• meditate
• pray
• define systems
• examine motives
• receive counsel
Scripture confirms this posture:
“In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
Preparation is where systems are shaped without pressure.
Absolutes Are Activated by Conviction
Absolutes come when belief replaces speculation.
Absolutes mean:
• clarity is required
• decisions are final
• culture must be protected
Jesus said:
“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no.” (Matthew 5:37)
That’s absolute authority.
At COC, there are areas we are still testing and preparing watching God transform culture through love, faith, kindness, and revelation.
But there are also non-negotiables.
Our Cultural Absolutes
We operate in absolute authority on this:
• We are not bringing consumer debt into our culture
• We are not bringing strife, division, control, religion, or poverty thinking into our culture
These are not tolerated.
They are restricted.
Not to control people but to protect freedom.
Why?
Because debt creates dependency.
Strife fractures unity.
Control destroys trust.
Religion replaces relationship.
Poverty thinking limits dominion.
None of these produce Kingdom fruit.
What We Give Permission For
Where restriction exists, permission must also exist.
We give permission to live in:
• peace
• joy
• Kingdom dominion
• healthy relational posture
• value-adding relationships
Our culture is built on:
• revelation
• love
• faith
• kindness
• asset-building
• scaling with integrity
• Kingdom relationships rooted in reciprocation and mutual authority
In healthy Kingdom relationships:
• everyone benefits
• everyone knows who they serve
• authority flows both ways
• value is exchanged, not extracted
Jesus said:
“Abide in Me, and you will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)
Fruit is the evidence of freedom not pressure.
Why the Secret Place Matters
This is why the secret place and the privacy of your inner world are so important.
The secret place gives you time to process before you progress.
It’s where motives are examined before decisions are announced.
It’s where absolutes are formed before they are enforced.
It’s where God reveals what should remain preparation and what is ready to become absolute.
Jesus modeled this when He often withdrew to pray before major moments.
Because what you make public should already be settled in private.
The secret place protects you from premature authority and public confusion.
What is made absolute in your life should first be processed in the presence of God
so when it’s revealed, it carries peace, clarity, and fruit.
The Difference That Maturity Makes
Preparation builds capacity.
Absolutes protect momentum.
Preparation allows you to define systems.
Absolutes allow you to initiate systems
because you believe they are possible and beneficial to others, not just yourself.
Same leader.
Different authority.
Different season.
And when God moves you from preparation into absolutes,
He is not rushing you
He is trusting you.
A Simple Prayer
Father, teach us to guard the secret place and honor the process before the reveal. Give us discernment to know when we are preparing and when we must decide. Free us from false success and borrowed conviction, and help us build cultures rooted in truth, freedom, and mutual benefit for Your Kingdom. Amen.