How To Unstick Your Lowest Fader: PRIEST
If you’ve ever hated how personality profiles box you in, the Five Faders is for you! It teaches you how to become the healthiest version of your highest Fader and how to raise your other Faders when love requires it.
There are no boxes in the Faders! Each of us has every Fader. But it could be stuck at the bottom.
I want you to have the necessary tools to move your Faders. Sliding Faders that haven’t moved in years can feel unnatural, complex, or uncomfortable. So we’re in a series of how to unstick your lowest Faders.
Today you’ll learn how to free your inner Priest Fader.
The Priest is a Prophet who fosters devotion and depth. They overflow with simple love and pure devotion to Jesus and consistently create spaces where people can meet with God.
Like each Fader, the Priest Fader is crucial to have on your team. We must value this Fader! (Even if you’re a cessationist…LOL)
There are probably some myths you believe about this Fader. Maybe you’ve experienced the unhealthy expression of the Priest, who we call the “critical and isolating Judges & Juries.” You know, the kind that is judgmental or tends to get lost in their prayer closet, forgetting they are supposed to lead people?
But replace that image with a healthy Priest. We call it the Prophet - someone who fosters simple devotion to Jesus and a real depth of worship in the team and congregation. This is our aim.
Next, look inside your heart and notice what’s coming up. “I’m familiar with those fanatics.” “She just sings, lingers, and meanders, not realizing we’ve been left in the dust ten minutes ago.” “I can’t follow his spontaneous expeditions.”
How will you deal with this self-talk? You must confess and replace it. “LORD, I don’t understand how your Spirit works, but I choose to trust You.” “I guess if you were comfortable with wheat and tares growing together until Your appointed time, I can live with a little discomfort with those who see things differently.” “I don’t want to be a professional. Teach me Your ways as a worshiper.” “I’m scared to give up control. Help me to follow Your leading.”
Lastly, here are some practical strategies to grow as a Priest.
When I was first leading worship, I was at a conference where Kent Henry said that what the church most needs is simple devotion to the Son of God.
Simple devotion. Uncomplicated, unreligious, unpretentious, given, surrendered, passionate - this kind of leader is the kind I’ve always wanted to be! But this kind of leader isn’t shaped on the stage but in the unseen.
Seeds of Nearness
Be a farmer. Plant seeds. Seeds of nearness. As Psalm 73:28 reads, “The nearness of my God is my good!”
You can do this when you’re life is going great, and you’re firing on all cylinders. But when life is in the garbage, it’s an even better time to do this. God allows adversity, pain, heartbreak, and crushing to invite us to draw near, to lean close, and listen. It can build intimacy if we turn to Him when it’s hard.
And intimacy is at the heart of the Priest. It’s what oozes out when we’re squeezed. It’s time to plant seeds of nearness.
What’s My Role?
In the New Covenant, we are called a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). Taking our cue from the Original Covenant in Deuteronomy 10:8-9, we can understand our basic job description as priests. “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today.”
Carry the Ark - we facilitate meeting places with God, inviting others to come near to the Presence
Minister to Him - our first call is ministry directly to the LORD
Pronounce blessings - help others worship God, calling them to life and inviting them to see God for who He is
If you want to go deeper, read Zach Neese’s book “How To Worship A King.” It is excellent!
Understand Music Theory
Spontaneous playing will be impossible if you limit your playing to memorization of the chords rather than understanding the patterns. You want the freedom to improvise, to follow the promptings of the Spirit of God. This has musical implications. Every chord has a “feel” to it in context with other chords, and you can learn what they are and where they tend to go in sequence.
Bring in Help
Someone on your team has a higher Priest Fader than you do. Ask them to show you how to listen, prepare, rehearse, think, and play…as a Priest.
Lastly, try one of these “How to get along with me” for Priests:
Always sing if you’re up front, especially if you’re playing an instrument
Open your heart fully every time we lead
Flow with me when we go off script
Learn to play and sing prophetically
You can also find resources on the Priest Fader in past Fertilizers by searching by that topic: [https://www.adlibmusic.com/worship-fertilizer/category/Priest+%28Faders%29]
Next week, we’ll get your Educator Fader unstuck.
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
How To Unstick Your Lowest Fader: SHEPHERD (Nº 368)
