Sometimes we talk too much. Sometimes we help too much. Sometimes we become well-intentioned dragons. Marshall Shelley writes about his book Well-Intentioned Dragons,

Every church has them–sincere, well-meaning Christians who leave ulcers, strained relationships, and hard feelings in their wake. They’ don’t intend to be difficult; they’ don’t consciously plot destruction or breed discontent among the members. But they often do undermine the ministry of the church and make pastors question their calling.

But, the people are not the only ones who unintentionally derail God’s plans and make havoc. Leaders, pastors, and well-meaning disciple-makers get ahead of God, too. We have to have the answer. We are excited to help. We are driven to console. In an odd twist of immaturity, we diminish the power, wisdom, and exactness of the Holy Spirit as we take over his job.

Have you ever had a bad habit? Did you beat it? Have you ever gotten out of a terrible relationship? Have you ever started eating better? If you have, then you know that incredible feeling of making positive changes. But, it is not so much about being free, having better friends, or losing weight. That incredible feeling comes from taking charge, making a decision for your good, and, feeling better about yourself.

You may not realize it, but every time you make one of those great choices, you are repenting. I know. It sounds a little bit odd, but I want to think about repentance differently for a minute. The Cambridge Dictionary defines “repent” and “repentance” this way,

Modeling as a profession was first established in 1853 by Charles Frederick Worth, the “father of haute couture,” when he asked his wife, Marie Vernet Worth, to model the clothes he designed.¹ The profession has evolved quite a bit from its humble beginnings, but the definition remains the same:

A model is a person with a role to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows), or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or posing for photography.²

Models help us see the product in action. They show us how those clothes would look in real life on a real person. Well, we say, “Real” but most of us do not look anything like those beautiful models. Much of modeling is getting us to hope or believe that maybe we can look that great.

I looked across the room at Sally and saw the oddest look on her face. It was a room full of disciples (guys and gals), but I had to ask. God was queuing me to ask, “Sally, what’s up?”

“I’m Jezebel,” she said.
The room got quiet. I said nothing. The air was thick. Right there in front of everyone, Sally said,
“I am that controlling woman leading my husband astray. I am that woman taking his strength and manipulating.”
It stayed quiet, and I let the moment sink in.
“Well now you know what you need to do, right?”
“Repent?” she offered.
“Yep. Okay, next highlight. Who has the next highlight?”

Sally’s face remained pensive. We went on to cover the next “aha” moment from the group’s bible reading. I shared the moment with my wife (an incredible disciple-maker!), and we committed ourselves to prayer that God would finish breaking up the ground and that Sally would lean in and adjust to God’s truths.