Wisdom and Patience

One of the characteristics of a wise man is patience. Such a person understands the value of taking the appropriate time to make a decision. He is never forced into making a decision because of circumstances. You see decisions made in a haste often result in mistakes. Those decisions are generally made based on fear of an unwanted outcome or missed opportunity. However a child of God ought to live by faith and therefore does not operate by fear - Isa 28:16.

In 1 Sam 30:6-8. David was faced with a significant challenge. His men were thinking about stoning him because they had lost their families and all their possessions. David responded by strengthening himself and inquiring from God in order to find out the next steps. He could have responded in a haste in the face of such hostility but he chose to be patient in order receive instruction from God.

Friend you will be faced with choices that will attempt to force you into a hasty decision. You must resist the temptation to decide before. Take the time you need in order to access the divine wisdom of God. As a result you will make better decisions.

Have an exceptional day!

Outstanding Results

The wisdom of God is perfect; it has a 100% success rate - Jam 3:17. In other words you cannot fail if you walk in divine wisdom. If anything that resembles failure is present then it was not the wisdom of God in operation. According to scripture in Matt 11:19, divine wisdom will always produce results. It will be evident to everyone that divine wisdom was in operation.

Friend if you want to live a life characterized by lasting success then you must rely on the wisdom of God and not natural wisdom - Ecc 10:10. The wisdom of God is limitless while natural wisdom is limited. The wisdom of God always seeks good out of every situation. On the other hand the motive of natural wisdom can be questionable.

You have the Greater One, the Holy Spirit, living inside of you as a child of God - 1 John 4:4. He is there to lead, guide and teach you. Acknowledge His presence, and consciously tap into His wisdom in the place of prayer and reading the Word, so that you can excel in every area of life.

Have an exceptional day!

Wisdom and Patience

Human beings are naturally impatient. There is a spirit of impatience that is pervasive in the world. People tend to want to know everything now and to have all the answers immediately. Most times people don't want to spend the time required to acquire the wisdom needed. 

As a child of God you are called to live by faith. A life lived by faith is a life lived in patience. God will reveal things to you line upon line and precept upon precept - Isa 28:10. He will not reveal everything to you all at once because this can damage your walk of faith. You see faith is believing in the unseen based on the Word of God.

God's wisdom is limitless. This wisdom is available to you. He wants to shower this wisdom upon you. However you must be committed to walking with Him and remaining in His presence. You will not be able to download all of the wisdom that you require all at once. However along the path to fulfilling your journey God will reveal you what is necessary for every phase of your life.

Friend make the wisdom of God a priority; it is the principal thing. Remain patient as you walk with God. He will not forsake you. Rather He will reveal His wisdom to you along the way. By His divine wisdom you will rule and reign in life.

Multiplied Wisdom

One of the most important ways to receive Godly wisdom is through Godly counsel. Godly counsel acts as a safety net on your path for fulfilling your destiny - Pro 11:14. In other words you will avoid mistakes and traps set by the enemy as a result of counsel received from others. Wise people realize that they don't know everything and they surround themselves with wise counselors.

Godly counsel can come from friends and mentors. This is why it is important to pay attention and to carefully select those who you allow to speak into your life. You can't just get advice from anyone. Look around you regularly, and evaluate those who are currently giving you advice. Are they suitable for your destiny?

Child of God don't take the source of your counsel lightly. This can be the difference between accelerating towards your goals or stagnating at the same level. Learn to be discerning by the help of the Holy Spirit. Permit the right people to counsel you and your wisdom will be multiplied.

You will make a difference at your place of work

When Jesus Christ defeated the enemy, He secured your victory over sin, sickness and poverty. Anyone who identifies with Jesus' victory becomes a partaker of this victory, and is restored unto the blessing - Gal 3:13-14. The shedding of Jesus' blood at Calvary was a covenant act. This bloodshed represented the new covenant between God and anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. So your victory is secured by covenant. A covenant unlike a contract cannot be broken without death. Since God is not planning to die, He remains committed to the covenant.

There was an old cevenant prior to the new covenant. Jacob was a partaker of this covenant. it is recorded that Jacob's boss recognized that his business fluorished becuase Jacob was a partaker of the old covenant - Gen 30:27. As powerful as the old covenant was it doesn't compare to the new covenant. The new covenant is superior to the old covenant because it was secured by the blood of Jesus and not the blood of animals. If Jacob's presence was enough to influence the success of his master's business, how much more is your presence able to influence the success of your employer's business.

God has placed you at that place of work for such a time as this. You are called to be a light unto this generation - Mt 5:14-16. Light here refers to someone who provides clarity, direction, and influence. This is your heritage. So as you go to your place of work remember that you are called to make a difference. Just as Jacob made a difference, you are called to make even more of a difference at your place of work. Arise and shine, it is your time - Isa 60:1.

You must respect time

Time is a precious commodity. Those who respect time accomplish goals and complete tasks when they are scheduled. These people are not prone to procrastination.

God created time. He created the earth in which we live to function according to times and seasons. Therefore you are expected to respect time. Respecting time does not mean that you become a slave to time. Rather you get things done at the right time and you show up at appointments on time.

In order to excel in life you must avoid procrastination and treat time as precious. Your respect for time will make the difference and determine how much you are able to accomplish while you are on the earth.

Wisdom For Success in the Workplace

When Jesus lived on the earth, he walked in outstanding results. In fact He was known for His results. The Bible says that His fame spread abroad and that news of Him travelled. He was simply a marvel in His generation. The world had not seen anyone like Him. Yet when Jesus left He made an interesting pronouncement. In Jn 14:12 Jesus said "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father".
You see it is God's desire that we walk in outstanding results wherever we are located including where we work. In Jn 14:12, works is from the Greek word ergon which speaks of works, deeds, acts but also refers to business, employment, that which any one is occupied, and any thing accomplished by hand, art or industry. It refers to miracles, signs, wonders and healings.
It is clear that Jesus was not just referring to greater works at church meetings, afterall, He went about doing good in the midst of the people and was not confined to a building. Some of the many miracles that occurred in Jesus' ministry included multiplying food and turning water into wine. He solved material problems supernaturally. This same power is available for you and I in our place of work.
One of the keys to Jesus' outstanding results was wisdom. He spent so much time in the presence of God that He was able to download specific instructions from God for every situation that He faced (Jam 5:19-20). The manifestation of the wisdom of God in His life was evident to others (Luk 2:52). It is clear that the wisdom of God will cause you to produce solutions that others have not been able to produce; it will cause you to perform at a higher level. This will draw the attention of others.
Another man who walked in divine wisdom was Joseph. Joseph brought the influence of God to bear upon the assignments that Potiphar gave him. As a result he produced superior results (Gen 39:1-4) and began running Potiphar's house. In prison Joseph observed what was going on, and then he was inspired by God to offer solutions. Eventually he began running the prison (Gen 39:20-23). By the wisdom of God Joseph knew to package himself for his defining moment. By divine wisdom he shaved before He showed up in the presence of Pharaoh (Gen 41:14). By divine wisdom Joseph was promoted. When he became Prime Minister he succeeded by divine wisdom.
The Holy Spirit is the source of divine wisdom. According to Dan 5:13-14 the king recognized Daniel as a man of wisdom. He went on to acknowledge that the Spirit of God was in Daniel. In Isa 11:2, the Holy Spirit is described as the spirit of wisdom. Furthermore according to Job 32:8, the Holy Spirit provides divine inspiration. The Holy Sirit will clarify things for you in your place of work or business. I declare that issues that others find confusing will be clear to you.
So how do you position yourself to walk in divine wisdom?
1. Release your faith for wisdom. Ask for wisdom (Mt 7:7-8).
Build your faith for it based on the Word of God. Solomon knew that wisdom is the most important thing (Pro 4:7). He asked for wisdom when God gave him a blank check (2 Ch 1:7-12). As a result he became a reference point in his generation.
2. Place your trust in God.
You must trust absolutely in the wisdom of God and not rely on your natural, sensual wisdom (Pro 3:5-6). Natural wisdom is limited but divine wisdom has no limits (Pro 14:12).
3. Inform yourself.
Daniel was committed to developing and informing himself. He read and studied. (Dan 9:2). As a result of his personal development he was ready to assume the roles that God caused him to be promoted into. You see if you have not developed yourself and your gifts then you will be unable to fully capitalize on the wisdom of God.
In 2013 make a commitment to do whatever it takes to access the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God will be the difference maker in your career and/or your business. As you walk in divine wisdom, you will enjoy outstanding results.

Stay Committed to Your Assignment

Apostle Paul was declaring in 2 Ti 4:7 that he has completed the assignment that God called him unto. He remained faithful to the call upon his life and finished his race. Paul also referred to fighting the good fight. This was a reference to all the temptations that he faced to quit, be distracted or to run another race entirely.

You see you will always face potential distractions on the path to fulfilling your God-given purpose. These distractions will attempt to derail you. In order to be able to declare success as Paul did, you must be committed to our purpose irrespective of the situation and the environment.

Fill yourself up with the Word to strengthen your spirit man, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. As you do these you will be able to resist every attempt to distract you off your course. Then at the end of it all you will say, "I have completed my assignment on earth".

Set Yourself Up For Success

It is going to take more than you to fulfill your purpose. God will cause you to come in contact with people who can help guide you onto the right path. But you must first recognize and acknowledge the importance of wise counsel.

According to Pro 15:22, many people will fail in the fulfillment of purpose until they are surrounded by wise counselors. You may have already discovered your purpose or you may already be walking on the path to fulfilling that purpose. Howeve there are many challenges along the way that will require skillful navigation in order to overcome.

This is where wise counselors can aid. They are able to see what you are not able to see and don't have the biases and emotional attachments that you may have. By leveraging the wisdom of counselors you are able to amplify your efforts and avoid their errors. This enables you to walk a more secure path towards fulfilling your purpose.

Ensure that you have the right mentors. Go to them regularly and share what God has laid on your heart. Pay attention to their words of counsel doing. In so doing you are setting up yourself for success in fulfilling your purpose.

Keys to Success (1)

Keys to Success (1) - Abide in God's Word
Jos 1:8.

When Joshua assumed leadership of the people of Israel from Moses, the instruction to Him was clear. The key to his success would lie in his abiding in the Word of God. God instructed Joshua to abide in His Word by meditating on His word all the time. In so doing Joshua would remain conscious about God's Word and God's promises.

The scripture in Jos 1:8 goes on to say that by abiding in God's Word, Joshua would make his own way prosperous and will enjoy good success. Herein lies the missing link for many children of God.

We have spent too much time waiting on God to do something when His word is clear about what He expects us to do. You make your own way prosperous and you determine your own success by whether you abide in God's Word continuously.

The concept of prosperity doesn't just refer to finances. It speaks of success, goodness, wholeness, etc. in every aspect of life. It is a reference to having nothing missing or broken.

God has packaged His Word for our deliverance, elevation, prosperity and success. The Bible says that the Word of God is spirit and life; it is full of power. In the beginning God spoke this planet into existence.

The power in His words were evident during creation. This same power backs up His written word. In order to release this power for exploits, we must remain in the Word until we come to a point of revelation. Then and only then can we on the Word, and walk in the manifestations of the Word.

Lasting Success

Allow God to lead you into lasting success. Pro 16:1-3.

Pro 16:1-3 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established.

There is a limit to how much planning you can do. Everyone can identify with this. Recall when you tried planning for an event or for an upcoming situation. Did you try to make a list of all the different outcomes or situations? Were you able to identify every single scenario? If you have never done this, you can try this scenario now. You will find out that there is a limit to your reasoning ability. This is because you cannot possibly know everything.

Even when you bring together a large group of people for this exercise the group is still limited in its ability to know everything. In fact there is a critical number of people. Beyond this number, the effectiveness of the group begins to diminish rapidly. God is the only person who can be everywhere at the same time. He is the only person who knows everything. This is why He is the only person who can identify all the relevant scenarios for any given situation.

The NLT translation of Pro 16:1 states: We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. If you are seeking the right answer or the right outcome you must learn to commit your plans, tasks and projects into the hands of God. You must allow God to lead you into the right solutions.

Today make a decision to turn over everything that you are responsible and accountable for into the hands of God and watch Him turn everything that you do into a success. ...another excerpt from my latest book.

What is Leadership?

A lot of people confuse leadership with titles. A title does not confer leadership on anyone. Many of the greatest leaders who have ever lived started leading others before they ever got a title. The greatest leader of all, Jesus did not have a formal title. He did not introduce Himself as Pastor, Reverend, Prophet, etc. You can be a leader at any level in any organization. The true measure of leadership is the ability to influence. 

Leadership is akin to the navigation system in many cars that surveys the land and considers various options before deciding on a route. The navigation system seeks to influence the driver it does not dominate the driver and force him in a particular direction. The best navigation systems also consider potential obstacles and sources of delay (e.g. traffic), and they navigate around these. They are constantly calculating the best route. Even when the driver strays off the pre-determined route they do not halt the car suddenly rather they re-calculate the route and proceed to get the driver back on track. This is one of the best illustrations of leadership. ...an excerpt from my latest book.

The Shepherd's Model of Leadership

One of the most fascinating models of leadership that I have come across is the shepherd's model. When you think of examples of leadership, the shepherd rarely comes out at the top of the list. However there is much that we can learn as leaders from the leadership model of the shepherd.

 When I think of a shepherd the following attributes come to mind: loving, patient, sacrificial, skillful, wise, caring, courageous, guide, strategic thinker, diligent and faithful. These are all attributes that a truly great leader should possess. The dictionary defines the word shepherd as "A person who protects, guides or watches over another person or a group of people". Synonyms of the word shepherd include: coach, counsel, lead, mentor, pilot, guide, and tutor. It is clear that when you dig into the true meaning of the word shepherd you will see several desirable traits of truly great leadership.

One of the greatest examples of a shepherd-leader was King David. The Bible tells us that David was a shepherd before he became king over Israel. David trained to become king by first becoming a shepherd. It was in those days tending sheep that David developed the heart to become a truly great leader. Even though David had the capacity to lead, as we all do, he had to develop his gifts before he could deploy them.

The biblical account of David's life in 1 Sam 17:34-37 describes some of the training that David underwent as a shepherd.

1 Sam 17:34-37 NKJV
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a zlion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  
35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  
36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”  
37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

David's account of some of his experiences as a shepherd illustrates some of the leadership attributes that he had to develop and display in the execution of his role. As a shepherd David had to be a guide and a pilot in order to lead the sheep away from danger and to green pastures where the sheep could feed and be nourished (v34). It took love and courage for him to risk his life in order to protect his sheep (v35). It took strategic thinking for him, to devise tactics for defeating the bear and the lion (v35). David then acted as a coach and mentor to the rest of the army by illustrating to them the link between his successes as a shepherd and the impending defeat of the Philistine - Goliath (v37).

Psa 78:70-72 is another account of David's time as a shepherd.

Psa 78:70-72 NIV
70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;  
71 from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.  
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. 

It is interesting to note that in Psa 78:71 the word shepherd was used to describe David's kingship over Israel. The scripture in Psa 78:72 leads us to believe that David developed great skill as a shepherd; David's leadership of the nation of Israel was described as skillful. He had to have developed these skills in his previous role as a shepherd. God allowed David to serve in the role of a shepherd over sheep in preparation for his role as shepherd over Israel. God guided David to develop the skills and display the attributes needed to eventually become king.

 David was one of the greatest leaders that ever lived. He oversaw the expansion of Israel and the defeat of numerous enemies. However his apprenticeship began as a shepherd. In your journey to becoming a truly great leader you can look unto David's leadership development as a shepherd, as an example of what it will take to develop into a truly great leader. Also note that God's guidance and David's relationship with God (1 Sam 17:37, Acts 13:22) were instrumental in David's emergence as a truly great king. David ultimately accomplished everything that he was created to do (Acts 13:36). Likewise, you can become the great leader that God created you to be.

I look forward to reading your comments and questions.