God is Committed to You

By virtue of your identification with Christ you have been restored unto right standing with God - Rom 5:17-18. You have been made righteous in Christ. As a result you have every right to approach and communicate with God without any sense of guilt or unworthiness - Heb 4:16.

You are a member of the body of Christ and a child of God. Just like an earthly child can boldly approach his/her parents you can do the same to your Heavenly Father. You can approach God with confidence daily and at any time of the day.

God is willing and able to release His power to bring about your favor and success (grace) but you must first approach Him with your requests. Don't let anyone deceive you about your right to stand boldly before God. He is a loving Father and you are His Child. God is committed to you - Jer 29:11.

Be Faithful With the Resources that God has Given You

God hates waste. All of the gifts and resources that He has given you are meant for a purpose. They are not meant to be wasted.

The disciples of Jesus illustrated this. After all the men and women were done eating they still ensured that all the remnants were collected; twelve baskets full. They made sure that it was not wasted.

God expects you to be a good steward of resources and to be diligent about how those resources are used. He wants to ensure that you can be trusted with what you have in this season before He entrusts more into your care.

So in order to qualify for divine promotion you must handle what you have now effectively and ensure that there is no waste.

Document Your Vision

Hab 2:2.

You must have a vision for your life. Your vision must be aligned with your purpose. Your vision gives a direction to your life and endeavors.

This vision must also be well documented so that there is clarity about it. Many people have missed out on accomplishing what they set out to do because they forgot or were missing details of their vision. The documentation of your vision enables you to go back to it over and over again. Therefore it is easier to measure progress.

Invest in a pen and a notepad or keep your smartphone/laptop nearby. This will ensure that you are ready to document details of your vision as they are revealed to you. Then you can run with the vision.

God is Faithful

God is faithful to do what He said He would do. The Bible says that He is not man that He should lie, if He said it, He is faithful to do it - Num 23:19 & Isa 55:11. Our hope or expectation is based on faith in God and His Word. At the same time hope acts as a catalyst for faith.

According to Heb 10:23 we must remain committed to our profession of hope and not waver. If our hope is based on a revelation of God's Word or a spoken Word from God then there is no need to doubt or waver. However if our hope is based on mental assent then that hope will eventually give way to doubt.

Whatever you are believing God for in this season must be anchored on God's Word. Then you can be rest assured that He who promised is faithful to deliver. Begin to rejoice and praise God now because you have received it - Heb 11:1 & 2 Cor 5:7.


Scripture References:

Num 23:19 NKJV
"“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"

Isa 55:11 NKJV
"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Heb 10:23 NKJV
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

Heb 11:1 NKJV
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

2 Cor 5:7 NKJV
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Time to Rest

Mk 6:46.

Jesus sent his disciples and went to pray. He needed to spend some time in retreat to recharge, refire and refill.

It is important for you and I to take time out of our schedules to rest in God's presence. There are many things that God intends to do in our lives but because we are so busy sometimes we miss out on hearing from Him or getting that refill of His anointing and power needed for the assignment ahead.

So take time and refill in order to be refired and recharged for the tasks ahead.

Agents of the Harvest

Isa 59:16.

God is always searching for someone to use. He gave us dominion on the earth. And in order for Him to carry out His will in earth He needs faithful laborers. However God will never force His will on men.

There is a great end time harvest to be reaped. Make yourself available in the place of prayer and partake in the harvest becoming a reality.

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.