A little over two years ago IHOP started something that is now common-place in our community. Prayer Room Teams. They used to be optional, and now they’re a standard part of being on staff. If you’re on staff you’re on a prayer room team or else you’re on a worship team. That’s how it is.

There was a team of us that began the first prayer room teams. I led one that met every Monday through Friday from NOON until 4:00. Then I switched to a morning prayer room team that met from 8:00AM until NOON. Now I don’t lead a specific team but instead give leadership to all the fantastic prayer room teams that meet in the mornings.

When I first began leading that afternoon team two years ago my primary value was doing the prayer room. If you’re not at IHOP then that might sound like an odd vision to have. In fact, it might not even make sense as a sentence. Let me explain.

First the definition: To “do” the prayer room means two things. a) You have to show up. Come when you said you would come. And, b) try to pray while you’re here.

Second the reality: Obviously you can’t do the prayer room 100% all the time. It’s normal to get distracted, or dissengaged, or bored. But that is different than the value of your heart to do the prayer room. If doing the prayer room is a value of my heart then I will fight against the distractions and press through the boredom. If doing the prayer room is NOT a value, then I’ll invite the distractions — assuming I even show up at all.

So as a prayer room team leader, my main goal was to get my team members to buy into the value of doing the prayer room. Make sense? Good.

The reason this was a key element to my prayer room team was because it was a key value in my own heart. I wanted to do the prayer room. And now, after two-plus years I am looking at the group I am leading they are all men and women that want to do the prayer room. Incredible.

Now to the poin (which, surprisingly is also the title of this post): Like Begets Like. Every time.

Spirit gives birth to spirit. Every time.

Flesh gives birth to flesh. Every time.

You can’t get around it. You can’t trick it, fake it, dodge it, pretend about it, or imitate it.

Just look at the skaters in your local high school. They look the same, dress the same, talk the same and have the same haircut. Birds of a feather flock together. And the same truth goes for leadership. Like begets like, and if the leaders will lead then the people will follow.

What’s hard about the Christian life is that not too many are going for it. It’s a lot easier do something different when there are lots of other people doing it too. But as men and women that really want to go hard for God, we don’t have the option of waiting for the support of our peers.

If we want to see a culture of revival then we have to lead the charge. Which means we’re forerunners. Yup. You’re a forerunner.

It took two years before I realized that the values I was carrying had become a reality in those I was leading. But the good news is that spirit gives birth to sprit every time. You can’t get around it. Thank God.