Category: Reflection

Transitions

I was reflecting on this passage this morning and was reminded at how uncomfortable life can be when we lose something precious.

It could be a change of a job, the family life and routines, the loss of a loved one or even some new strategic initiative.

As leaders, we are not immune to, nor are afraid of change. It is constant and expected as we pursue our divine visions that will impact the world and give God the ultimate glory.

The emotional/ human side of change is that it requires some sort of loss for ourselves and for those who choose to walk this journey with us and we must choose to recognize the reality of this wilderness experience. It may be short lived or it may be generational- but they do exist.

By discern where we are on the mourning journey, we can help shepherd the team and ourselves to a place of rejoicing (new beginnings).

Usually, in the wilderness, we can and often grow closer to God and gain clarity on what is truly important and what we need to let go – the baggage or barnacles – so that we can run the race for Christ.

We are not alone as we have the promise of where two or three are gathered, He will be in the midst and a three stranded cord is not easily broken.

Commit to being there for your team as a seed sown – the harvest will come.

Lastly, as leaders, we can focus on just renewing our minds and trusting the process. Christ will give us the manna and grace to travel each day and the Wilderness will come to an end.

Joy must and shall come in the morning.

Be Blessed,

Be a Blessing!

““Hear, O Lord, be gracious and show favor to me; O Lord, be my helper.”

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

Psalms 30:10-12 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/psa.30.10-12.AMP

He is All We Need

Oh Lord, I am grateful for your clear and present Word.

When I was reflecting on this passage this morning my heart became full at the beauty and clarity of God’s word.

The passage starts with “keep and protect me, O God, for in you I have placed my trust and found refuge”.

We are living in a season and time when external events could cause us to live in a constant state of fear but we, as leaders, have an obligation to learn of, believe in and to act on the Word of God to combat these fears. Yes, this is the work.

We also have a responsibility to carefully select the words that we say to remain in line with the Word because what we decree shall be established! In Proverbs 18:21 AMP we are reminded that : “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”

Lastly, trouble can and often is at every hand but we can find comfort in Psalms 34:19 AMP that “Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the LORD rescues him from them all.”

At the end of the day or at the conclusion of the whole matter; He is all we need.

We choose to say and believe: “You, LORD, are all I want! You are my choice, and you keep me safe.” CEV

Be Blessed,

Be a Blessing,

Fear not!

“Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have placed my trust and found refuge.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.”

As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land, They are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry]; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need]; You support my lot.”

Psalms 16:1-5 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/psa.16.1-5.AMP

The Lord Still Reigns

When I was reflecting on this scripture this morning, my heart just started to rejoice when I read that “the Lord reigns”. I then realized that the verb is in the present tense which means…He Still reigns.

As leaders, we are impacted, grieved, amazed, troubled, and maybe astonished by what we see and experience in this life. Many times, things in our society, community, and relationships just don’t make sense to our natural minds.

What is true and real is that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkened, and spiritual wickedness.

What is also true is that we serve a true and living god – THAT STILL REIGNS. He is the same God that created us in his image and his likeness.

As we continue to press in, to know him, to learn of him, to trust him, to lean on and depend on him, to hide under his wings for protection, we can and shall be reassured and stabilized for the leadership battle for this season and this time.

When we look at the outcomes of our time and energy spent drawing closer to God, we will begin to see that when adversity comes, we will faint not because our strength will be strong.

Gods purpose will be revealed and all the people will see His glory and brilliance.

It is my prayer that we will be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might as we put on the whole armor of God.

Be Blessed,

Be a Blessing!

“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands and coastlands be glad.

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him [as at Sinai]; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries on all sides.

His lightnings have illuminated the world; The earth has seen and trembled.

The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory and brilliance.”

Psalms 97:1-6 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/psa.97.1-6.AMP

Restore to me the Joy

When I was reflecting on the scripture, I was draw to these words, “Restore to me the Joy of your salvation”.

At times our journey through life can become difficult.

As leaders, we face and accept the realities and expectations that we have to process our issues while we guide others on how to address theirs – which can be difficult.

When we are at that emotional/ spiritual crossroad, I would encourage us to think on these things as:

⁃ We don’t have to carry the load as the scripture says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

⁃ We have provision for the thorn in our flesh as the scripture says, “But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.

⁃ We can come before the throne of grace and be restored with the Joy of His salvation.

It is my prayer that no matter the challenge, the difficulty or the sin that we will decide today to trust only in and pursue God. He will restore us, if we simply ask.

Be blessed,

Be a Blessing!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Psalm 51:10-12 AMPC

https://bible.com/bible/8/psa.51.10-12.AMPC

Barriers to Abundance

The difference between Good and Great lies in obedience

I was reflecting on this reading today and my heart was heavy in that as leaders, though we start the day with the intent of emulating Christ, we may often question by the end of the day whether that is even possible. It is not, in our own strength but with Christ- it is possible.

As I was reading in this chapter, I was encouraged by how God demonstrates his faithfulness to Israel but at the end of the day, the disobedience of the leaders caused the journey to be prolonged and the promise to be fulfilled by someone else.

As leaders and as followers of leaders, growth or opportunities to grow for tomorrow often come at the decisions of others based on their observation of our behaviors today.

Disobedience, lack of execution, lack of attention to detail, or lack of emotional discipline can be behaviors that may derail our future from being Great to a comfortable and rewarding life of just “Good”.

I believe as leaders we desire to be Great but often faint on the daily execution to believe, to exhibit the characters of and to just obey Christ. His word instructs, guides and yes- corrects, those who he love and are called. We need to and must press in to peel away the layers of our old nature that may be a barrier or a hindrance at achieving the “Great” level.

Renewing our mind and soul daily yields dividends along with the redemptive power of forgiveness. I encourage us a leaders to be vulnerable with Christ and he has and will be faithful to take our insufficiency and to make us whole (nothin missing and nothing broken).

Be blessed,

Be a Blessing!

“But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.”

Nehemiah 9:16-17 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/neh.9.16-17.KJV

Faithfulness Brings Favor

I was reflecting on this passage this morning and was reminded about the importance of being faithful, remaining steadfast in our work, and pursuing quality in our decisions.

As leaders, we:

⁃ Have to settle certain decisions in advance of adversity so that when the challenges come, we can make decisions faster and exude confidence and resolve for others to see. Ruth made the decision to follow Naomi.

⁃ Must choose daily to pursue Gods path for our lives and to allow him to order our steps. Ruth decided to also follow Naomi’s god.

⁃ Need to be faithful and diligent about serving those around us daily. People are observing and are extending favor / opportunities/ promotion toward us. Ruth’s effort and diligence was observed by others and supported.

⁃ Should remain humble , coachable and to prayerfully wait, watch and to see what the Lord is doing on our behalf. Ruth listened to advice and coaching from Naomi.

It is my sincere prayer that we will be faithful in our leadership and faint not.

Be blessed,

Be a blessing!

“And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”

Ruth 1:15-18 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/rut.1.15-18.KJV

Cometh thou to me?

Problems yearn for solutions, not titles.

I was just reflecting on this passage in the literal sense where Jesus was showing us the path forward through the baptism and he also exhibited the leadership principle of never asking people to do something that we are not willing to do first.

The second principle that was revealed was that there are problems and needs that we have as leaders for which the solutions are already inside of our house, our team, our community, our church, our marriage, or our families – we just have to ask. We have all sufficiency in all things.

The best leaders not only seek out and ask for solutions/ help but we also must validate, empower and reinforce that those to whom we ask have the solution.

We must be prepared for disbelief, resistance and maybe overwhelm on their part due to the weight of the situation; however, as the leader, we need to encourage them and leave the demand on the table to just rest, marinate and stir up their creativity. They WILL rise up to the occasion AND deliver.

What’s awesome is that all the world will be blessed by their ideas and efforts for generations to come because Gods devine purpose will be fulfilled.

It is my prayer that we as leaders we will be humble enough to ask for help and vulnerable enough to wait for solutions as greatness will be manifested and God will get all the glory.

Be blessed,

Be a blessing!

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.

But John protested strenuously, having in mind to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?

But Jesus replied to him, Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]. Then he permitted Him.”

Matthew 3:13-15 AMPC

https://bible.com/bible/8/mat.3.13-15.AMPC

Permission to be Powerful

I was reflecting on this passage this morning and the question in my mind was “Why don’t we give ourselves permission to be powerful ?”

As leaders in our homes, communities, churches, and business, we believe that we have received direction and a mandate from God, but we don’t act.

If we really stop and observe,we can see the hand of God displayed in our lives. Abundance and favor surround us; yet, we do not give ourselves permission to be powerful.

Perhaps one reason is that we may only be given the “next step” vs being shown the entire journey. We likely have a vision of the end game but there is still a significant amount of ambiguity about the journey.

Perhaps the reason is that we simply do not fully “trust God”. Maybe said in a different way, maybe our fears are bigger than our faith in what God can do “for us”.

There may be others- I don’t know.

I just wanted to send a note of encouragement for us and to be reminded that the Lord’s answer still is: “I will certainly be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as [if they were only] one man.”

Selah

We are guaranteed success, if we continue to let the Lord be with us, guide us, carry us, and protect us.

He wants to see His Kingdom come and His will be done so that He gets all the glory!

Be Blessed,

Be a Blessing!

“The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”

But Gideon said to Him, “Please Lord, how am I to rescue Israel? Behold, my family is the least [significant] in Manasseh, and I am the youngest (smallest) in my father’s house.”

The Lord answered him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as [if they were only] one man.”

Gideon replied to Him, “If I have found any favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speaks with me.”

Judges 6:14-17 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/jdg.6.14-17.AMP

Let these qualities define you

Mercy, kindness and truth.

I was reflecting on this passage this morning as I was reading. I just kept coming back to the phrase “let these qualities define you”.

What was interesting is that there is an assumption or mandate behind these words which is – EVERYDAY, ALL DAY!

As leaders in our homes, churches, business, communities and countries, we are held to a higher standard of excellence.

We are not perfect as there has only beeen one who was perfect-Christ, but we must choose to strive daily to be like Christ.

Mercy, kindness and truth.

Everyday- All Day!

Living these qualities all the time seems like a daunting task in our own strength as leaders.

Most of us fail this test on a daily basis yet we have the opportunity to make things right through forgiveness.

Living these virtues is a weighty responsibility but it truly challenges us to check our hearts, our motives, our actions and the impact on others as God has made each of us so different with different response mechanisms and different degrees of sensitivity.

Asking ourselves, “How close was I to the mark today?”, with every interaction, we will be well positioned to amplify and glorify Christ the King in us and to find favor.

Mercy, kindness and truth.

Every day, All day.

My prayer is that we as leaders have an awareness of and make a commitment to pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Jesus.

Be blessed.

Be a blessing!

“Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.”

Proverbs 3:3-4 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/pro.3.3-4.AMP

A More Excellent Way

I was reflecting this morning and searching for biblical answers to questions as well as looking for truths that can serve as a counter measures or filters for the many thoughts that come into my mind.

As leaders, we are blessed to be creative/ innovative beings and to have many thoughts that bombard our minds.

The challenge comes with creating “systems” to capture, validate, connect and shape these thoughts into a vision, strategy, action plan , guidance and or precautionary warnings.

Thoughts are creative but they also must be filtered through the lens of the Word of truth to determine if they qualify for further actions.

Once the thought passes the truth test, then there is the question of whether it is the seed of something great or possibly a component of another or previous thought – “the garnishment”.

Next comes the question of timing. Is this a jewel that must be held and protected for future use or is this a “right now” solution or answer?

Everything we see in the natural started with a thought and therefore, I want to encourage us as leaders to ensure that we have a system for improving the quality of our thoughts, capturing them and shaping them for release at the right time.

Why?

For maximum impact on the earth and as our way of honoring God so that he receives all the glory.

It is my prayer that this helps you grow in your leadership.

Be blessed!

Be a Blessing!

“Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! [Ps. 37:4.]

Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is coming soon].

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].”

Philippians 4:4-8 AMPC

https://bible.com/bible/8/php.4.4-8.AMPC