2022-04-28
1 John 5:14 NLT
A leader wrote these words: “My dad was a busy man… to get him at work you had to go through a switchboard unless you knew his private number. He gave it to a few business partners, but all of his kids had it… We knew, no matter how busy he was, we could call anytime on his direct line. I’ve the same thing… my kids know my number… they can call me anytime for anything. And you know what? No voices sound sweeter to me than my kids’ voices. When one of them says, ‘Hi, Dad,’ it doesn’t matter what I’m juggling… they’re an absolute priority… Now multiply that out exponentially – and listen to me. Nothing sounds sweeter to God than your voice saying, ‘Hello, Father.’ There’s nothing going on in the cosmos that would keep Him from directing His full attention to your conversation or your request.”
That means when God is your Father, you can call home anytime. He is never more than a prayer away! Jesus said: “Ask, and God will give to you… If your children ask for bread, which of you would give them a stone? Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake? Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7, 9-11 NCV). You can talk to God without begging and groveling, “confident that he hears… whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And… he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:14-15 NLT).
So, whatever is robbing you of your confidence in prayer, deal with it today.
Soul food: Dan 8-10; Matt 3:1-17; Ps 144:1-8; Pro 10:19-21
2022-04-27
Proverbs 11:3 NIV
Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mt 19:19 NIV). But in order to love yourself, you must first be able to respect yourself. And self-respect is based on personal integrity.
Author Ted Engstrom tells the following story in his book called Integrity: “For Coach Cleveland Stroud and the Bulldogs of Rockdale County High School [Conyers, Georgia], it was their championship season: twenty-one wins and five losses on the way to the Georgia Boys Basketball Tournament last March, then a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the state finals. But now the new glass trophy case outside the high school gymnasium is bare. Earlier this month the Georgia High School Association deprived Rockdale County of the championship after school officials said that a player who was scholastically ineligible had played forty-five seconds in the first of the school’s five postseason games. ‘We didn’t know he was ineligible at the time; we didn’t know it until a few weeks ago,’ Coach Stroud said. ‘Some people have said we should have just kept quiet about it, that it was just forty-five seconds and the player wasn’t an impact player. But you’ve got to do what’s honest and right and what the rules say. I told my team that people forget the scores of basketball games; they don’t ever forget what you’re made of.'”
Every honest or dishonest word and action either adds to or takes away from your character. That’s what the Bible means when it says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” So today, strive for integrity in all your dealings.
Soul food: Dan 5-7; Matt 2:13-23; Ps 7:10-17; Pro 10:17-18
2022-04-26
Psalm 15:5 NIV
In the Bible we read, “For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn, there’ll come a day when life tumbles in and they break, but by then it’ll be too late to help them” (Proverbs 29:1 MSG). King Solomon was reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived. He wrote these words, but sadly he didn’t live by them, so he “crashed and burned.” And if it could happen to Solomon, none of us is immune!
Character has become a crucial issue today because so many political, business, and religious leaders have fallen so publicly. As a leader, you don’t operate in a vacuum. You influence many others, and when you fall, they feel the repercussions. When a big oak tree falls, it takes the little trees with it.
So how can you guard against falling? By not favouring gifts over character. Today we have an unhealthy tendency to celebrate and reward someone’s gift and overlook their character; both must be developed. Character is the sum total of your daily habits.
In Psalm 15, David gives us eight traits to look for in a leader worthy of respect: (1) They have integrity. (2) They don’t take part in gossip. (3) They don’t harm others. (4) They speak up against wrong. (5) They honor those who walk in the truth. (6) They keep their promise, even at personal cost. (7) They’re not greedy to profit at the expense of others. (8) They’re strong and stable. David concludes his psalm by saying those who do these things “will never be shaken.”
That’s how you keep from falling!
Soul food: Dan 3-4; Matt 2:1-12; Ps 7:1-9; Pro 10:16
2022-04-25
1 Samuel 18:9 NLT
One of the truest tests of leadership is how you respond to somebody else’s success. Do you rejoice, or secretly resent them? Do you feel like their blessing somehow came at your expense? King Saul sent David out to fight Goliath. When he succeeded and the Israelites began to sing David’s praises, Saul couldn’t handle it. “From that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”
Leaders who lack confidence are a danger to themselves, their followers, and the groups they lead. That’s because leadership doesn’t camouflage your flaws; it puts them on display. Whatever negative baggage you’re carrying grows heavier when you attempt to lead others. Insecure leaders generally have four common traits:
(1) They don’t provide security for others. To be a good leader, you must make your followers feel good about themselves. Honor them. Reward them. Promote them.
(2) They take more than they give. Insecure leaders are on a continual search for validation, acknowledgment, and love. And because of that, their focus is on obtaining personal security, not instilling it in others.
(3) They continually limit their best people. Insecure leaders don’t see their best people as coworkers; they see them as potential competitors who might rise up through the ranks and threaten their position. Such leaders generally find ways to take the credit for work that was done by others.
(4) They continually limit their organization. When followers are undermined and go unrecognized, they become disheartened and eventually stop performing to their potential. When that occurs, the whole organization suffers.
Today, examine your leadership style and see if any of these shoes fit you.
Soul food: Dan 1-2; Matt 1:18-25; Ps 127; Pro 10:15
2022-04-24
Romans 6:16 NLT
Consider some of the people who are enslaved today through no fault of their own – children sold into the 5ex trade and immigrants sold into forced labor. That’s not the kind of slavery Paul is talking about when he writes, “You become the slave of whatever you choose to obey.”
When it comes to sin, the Bible draws a line in the sand and tells us not to cross it. Why? Because when you cross it once, it’s easier to cross it again. Whether your “drug of choice” is alcohol, illegal or over-the-counter-drugs, pornography, gambling, or overeating, you start out believing you’re the master and end up realizing you’re the slave. One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is, “I can quit whenever I want to.”
The Prodigal Son was forgiven and restored, but he still lost his inheritance. Spiritually, you can lose your confidence before God. Personally, you can lose your sense of self-worth. Publicly, you can lose respect and influence with others.
And if you’re not careful, even “good” things can hurt you. A strong work ethic can lead to neglecting your family and losing your marriage. Vegging out in front of the TV can stunt your spiritual growth. Even too much caution and thoughtfulness – good qualities – can prevent you from stepping out in faith and fulfilling your God-given potential.
When God says no, He is not being a killjoy and trying to make your life difficult; He is protecting you! If something has the potential to enslave you, don’t do it. And if you’re already hooked, turn to God and He will set you free.
Soul food: Gen 6:9-8:4; Matt 24:37-51
2022-04-23
Ephesians 5:31 NLT
When our children are young, we’re so busy providing them with things like love, protection, discipline, training, and authority that it feels like these responsibilities will go on forever. But they don’t. When our children reach their late teens and early twenties, we must open the door for them to the world outside.
If you’re going through this right now and feeling anxious, try to realize that you’re in one of the most challenging and difficult parts of parenting. Your tendency to hold tightly to the reins of control in order to keep your children from making mistakes is natural. But your children are more likely to make good choices if they aren’t compelled to rebel in order to achieve their freedom. The simple truth is that responsibility and maturity flourish best in an atmosphere of freedom. “As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother.'”
The secret of success is in granting your child autonomy at the right time, in the right amount, and with the right attitude. Your goal should be to allow independence little by little through the years, as your children are able to manage new responsibility. The final release, then, should represent a small step in the direction of freedom instead of a tumble into anarchy.
In the final analysis, we all learn by trial and error. You did, and try as you may to avoid it, your children will, too. “So what should I do?” you ask. Pray for them daily, release them into God’s care, and let them know that you will always love them and be there for them.
Soul food: 1 Cor 15-16; Matt 1:1-17; Ps 103:13-22; Pro 10:14
