I was reflecting on this passage and just kept reading it over and over.
I believe that we, as leaders, are set up with devine appointments where people are placed into our lives so that we can prepare them for life’s journey.
Sometimes, by simply being a sounding board or sharing our experiences, we are able to open up others eyes so that they might see a path forward, receive encouragement and hope again as they experience pain and challenges.
It is my prayer that we are open to seeing and recognizing these devine appointments and are able to ease the pain of others.
Be blessed!
Be a Blessing!
“Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the Lord rescues him from them all.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
This morning I started my reading when a verse dropped into my heart- in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
A couple of cross references later, I landed on this set of passages and just could not let them go.
Here is a great warrior David processing the question many of us may ask. In short the question comes down to – Why me?
Out of billions of people and souls that exist in this vast universe and God chose him and his house to execute a Divine purpose.
As leaders, we may never have battles as great as David but we see a glimpse of his thought process and his adoration.
Why me?
The answer for each of us may just simply be:
⁃ Because I AM the sovereign god and I chose you.
⁃ Because I saw you before the beginning of time and I see the end as I am all knowing and all present.
⁃ Because he sees his magnificent work and says- it is good.
⁃ Because he says that we are beautifully and wonderfully made.
⁃ Because he is not a God that makes mistakes.
⁃ Because he loves us and trusts us with his precious vision.
If we just surrender and say:
As for me and my house, we choose to serve you.
And
Nevertheless, according to your word, we will execute the order.
Be blessed
Be a blessing!
“However, the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me before all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah he chose the house of my father; and among the sons of my father
He was pleased to make me king over all Israel; And of all my sons, for the Lord has given me many sons, He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
And He said to me, Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he loyally and continuously obeys My commandments and My ordinances, as he does today.”
When I was reflecting on this passage, I was reminded of the goodness of God. He has said that we have a responsibility to pursue and become pure and upright through the righteousness of Christ.
When we do this as leaders, we have assurances that this action on our part arouses a reaction from God to the point where our dwelling is prosperous again.
It further reinforces where in Deuteronomy that if we harken diligently unto the voice of the Lord and to do his commandments that there will be a blessing on us.
This is the leadership daily groundwork that we must do.
What was even more encouraging for me was that when we as leaders fall or maybe even stumble, there are consequences which may cause our divine vision to be aborted or delayed; however, the latter portion of the passage discusses how through God, that our latter end shall be greater.
What a promise.
What a responsibility
It is all up to us a leaders.
By sowing the seeds of faith in God and trusting in his word, we will see 100 fold harvests in health, healing, territory, relationships, customers, engaged employees, peaceful marriages, spiritual growth.
Our roots will be so planted by the rivers of living water that we will not be impacted by the adversaries of life.
We can and will be renewed and reestablished.
“Then, if you are pure and upright, surely He will bestir Himself for you and make your righteous dwelling prosperous again.
And though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.”
The road to revelation even for the inner circle takes time.
The road to revelation even for the inner circle takes time.
When I was reading this passage, I was simply amazed at the reactions of those that were closest to Jesus but the more I pondered the situation it really provided a principle that is worth noting.
We see people who spent significant amounts of time with Jesus simply amazed and perplexed when the vision he talked about over the years truly materialized.
A few remembered, were excited, and tried to share the good news with the inner circle; but to my amazement, the inner circle did not believe what they heard.
This is not a new phenomenon but an example and reminder that as leaders, we often wonder whether our vision or message is resonating with the masses; however, in reality, it may not even be fully appreciated or internalized by those that are closest to us.
We can cast the vision, we can execute the vision, we can engage our inner circle, we can have them by our sides when we have critical meetings but at the end of the day, those closest to us will get a revelation at different times- if ever.
Wow.
Our jobs as leaders is to be consistent in performing the tasks and doing the necessary work while praying for those inside our inner circle that our vision moves from head knowledge to capturing their hearts. This is a process and a journey.
Stay committed to your divine vision.
Stay the course in executing your plan.
Communicate the vision and plan early and often.
Love the people where they are and realize that they are each walking down their personal revelation journey.
“And they remembered His words. And having returned from the tomb, they reported all these things [taken together] to the eleven apostles and to all the rest.
Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who reported these things to the apostles.
But these reports seemed to the men an idle tale (madness, feigned things, nonsense), and they did not believe the women.”
When I was reading this passage, my heart just became full as it truly demonstrates a glimpse of a tender moment in just how personal and personable Jesus was in that he even allowed one disciple close to him to lean on his chest just as a child.
There are many moments in life when the world did not make sense, there was a yearning to just be comforted and we needed something precious that could not be met or resolved by simple proximity or through words.
Maybe we were seeking understanding from someone in the natural that loved and cared deeply for us and we could just lean in and rest against their chest – and the world was good again.
These are tender moments that never expire.
As leaders, we have moments where we need answers to serious issues that our Circle of influence either cannot answer or from whom we have not sought counsel because of the sensitivity of the matter – maybe the need we have may impact a decision concerning them.
We don’t have to work through the issue alone. We always have the bosom of Jesus readily available. It is there for those who seek him and the fullness of his relationship.
This is not a place or a privilege reserved for those that seek an idle or casual relationship.
This access comes to those who have a reciprocal relationship developed over time- a relationship forged through the joys of being with him and likely through adversities.
Precious moments may be few or they may be oftern but they are impactful and meaningful exchanges.
It is my prayer that you will receive tender moments.
It is also my prayer that you will give tender moments when there just are no words.
Be blessed.
Be a blessing!
“But Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following–the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?”
These are the times as leaders that we need to be open to receiving support so that our faith fails not.
When I read this passage this morning I was moved by the thought of the pain that was being experienced by Jesus.
I was amazed at how the strongest person to ever walk the earth just struggled with agony to the point he needed strength and support to achieve his devine purpose.
There are and will be times as leaders that we are placed in a devinely appointed assignment to fix.
The personal consequences will never be at the same level as those Jesus faced but rest assured- our outcomes will be consequential.
Our situation may seem impossible and one we have been battling to understand, to discern a plan and path forward, and to execute that plan against unheard of resistance.
We may even be weary in our faith and all we have left is the promise from God.
These are the times as leaders that we need to be open to receiving support so that our faith fails not.
Accepting help is not a sign of weakness but I believe that this example was provided as revelation and reassurance that even the strongest among us need help and support.
Be blessed!
Be encouraged!
“Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done. And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him in spirit. And being in an agony [of mind], He prayed [all the] more earnestly and intently, and His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground.”
Extraordinary miracles will be performed that all will see and cannot deny
When I was reading this passage, the thought that crossed my mind was how the people marveled at and were perplexed by how these common men could achieve uncommon results.
This is EXPONENTIAL IMPACT where the results (fruits) are so overwhelming, undeniable and far above what we (as leaders) could ever think or to ask.
Just imagine when, not if, this day comes for us as leaders, we will have to be prepared for moments like these to be able to give an account and to give glory and honor to Jesus because of his mighty works and for empowering and equipping us for our devine purpose.
It shall come to pass as I remember reading that if we harken diligently to the voice of the Lord our God and to observe and do his commandments, we will be set on high.
We will be blessed in the city and in the field and everything we do shall prosper.
Be encouraged today.
Be bold.
And to God be the glory for the things that he has done.
“Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. And since they saw the man who had been cured standing there beside them, they could not contradict the fact or say anything in opposition. But having ordered [the prisoners] to go aside out of the council [chamber], they conferred (debated) among themselves, Saying, What are we to do with these men? For that an extraordinary miracle has been performed by (through) them is plain to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”
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