Once there was a Shepherd Boy who cried “wolf!” He cared more about pranks than about preparation. When the Wolf actually showed up, he was ill-prepared to defend the sheep. Neither could he get anyone else to defend them. He was unreliable, unprepared and untried.
A second Shepherd Boy had a different track record. He had prepared in secret. He had fought the lion and the bear in secret, and he had prevailed in secret. When the time came to fight in public, he was ready. He defeated a giant named Goliath. He defended God’s name, and also gave others the courage to fight.
If you want to become like the shepherd who cried “wolf,” you should prepare for nothing, care for nothing, and dare nothing. For those of you who would rather kill a giant than your own reputation and ministry, you must first fight in secret. You must maintain a hidden life with Christ. You must crawl daily into the unity and community of the Trinity. Only in the presence of the Triune God can you receive “power through His Spirit in the inner man.” (Eph. 2)
You can’t take your people somewhere you have not been.