Author: admin

Life has a way of thoroughly testing people. There is a particular test that addresses every aspect of our lives. Certain circumstances will highlight the pride that has crept into our life. Another test will reveal if we have been growing as a leader or becoming stagnant. Still other tests reveal our integrity and honesty. There are tests in life that address our moral purity or our compassion for others. There are tests in life for everything.

While your greatest concern at the moment may be your next performance review, you ought never to treat lightly the divine tests you will inevitably undergo. God does not administer simple or easy exams. He does not focus on superficial issues. God always goes right to the heart. God knows that if our heart is not right, then everything else in our life will be out of line as well.

It could be that the challenging time you are presently undergoing is a divine test. Could God prevent your current trial from happening? Certainly. Could God deliver you at any moment He chose? Absolutely. Then why is He allowing it to continue? It might be that He wants you to learn something new about Him and His provision for your life. Or, it may be that He wants you to learn something new about yourself. God already knows what is in your heart. But you might be surprised at the results of your heavenly examination. What are your present challenges revealing about the condition of your heart?

Some leaders oversee massive organizations. Others administer large assets or talented groups of people. A few mobilize armies or teams of gifted athletes. Yet there is no greater leadership we can provide than when we carefully, and faithfully administer ourselves.

In many ways it is easier to lead others than it is to manage ourselves. It is obvious to us how others ought to behave. We can be much more objective about the shortcomings of our friends and colleagues. Answers for their problems tend to be more black and white in our eyes.

Yet when it comes to addressing our own problems, we tend to waffle. There are extenuating circumstances, we claim. We have always struggled in that area we protest. It does not affect my work, we argue. I’ll deal with it when I have more time, we explain. While we would never allow such delays or excuses in our subordinates, we can tolerate all manner of sin and unhealthy behaviors in our own lives.

It is true. Those who cannot manage themselves properly, have no business leading others. Leadership of others always begins with management of self. Based on how you are conducting yourself, have you earned the right to be entrusted with the leadership of others?

Pride is the most insidious destroyer of leaders. It has felled those of the highest rank. It has humiliated the most brilliant of people. It has ruined the most astonishing careers. Its presence in someone’s life can be subtle, almost indistinguishable, until it has ruined its victim.

Pride afflicts people in every stage of life. But it is particularly dangerous in times of success. Victory tends to lift us up in the eyes of others as well as in our own view. Once we have achieved something, we can view ourselves differently. We can begin to assume we are smarter than those around us, who have not performed as well. We can close our ears to the counsel of others. We may assume that, now that we know the formula to success, it will be ours whenever we want it. Such thinking sets us up for a major fall.

Why do so many notable leaders suffer spectacular downfalls? Do they stop being as smart as they once were? Do they lose their ability to overcome challenges as they did previously? Do they suddenly lose their people skills or problem solving ability? No. They simply fail to handle success properly. They choose to take the credit rather than to give it where it rightfully belongs: to God. Their accomplishments make them prideful rather than humble. They become full of themselves rather than God. It is a sure recipe for disaster.

Have you recently experienced some success? Be careful. Pride is waiting at your door. If you allow it in, it will not rest until it has brought you down.

Whether we like it or not, everyone needs to hear the truth. We live in an age when lies abound. Nothing, it seems, is as it appears. People regularly deceive, misrepresent, and exaggerate. It is, sadly, a fact of life. How refreshing it is, therefore, when you encounter someone who speaks the truth, even about difficult, sensitive subjects.

To speak righteously is to do more than merely to tell the truth. It is to converse in such a way that God’s name is uplifted and His values and ways are honored. People can tell the truth in a painful, confrontational manner that angers and hurts the listeners. But righteous lips speak with godly wisdom. They do not say more than is needed. They do not embellish the truth. They utter things that further the purposes of God.

To speak the language of heaven, one must spend time communing with the King of kings. We must abide in His word, so we can share it with others. We must seek to understand His ways so we know His perspective on our circumstances. Do you want to be invited to speak before kings? Learn the language of the King.

Just as the Lord promised Abram that He would bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him (Genesis 12:3), so God will go before those who faithfully walk with Him today. The world is a difficult place in which to lead. There are many people vying for money and power. Evil has numerous strongholds and wickedness reigns in many of society’s high places. Potential enemies abound.

Yet when God is pleased with someone’s life, God has innumerable ways to demonstrate His favor. One way is the manner in which God deals with those who oppose us. At times, God may deal severely with our enemies on our behalf. In all times God will provide us the wisdom and strength to endure whatever others inflict upon us.

Ultimately, God is one who reconciles (2 Corinthians 5:19). He is able to transform our most bitter enemies into friends. Only God can change peoples’ hearts. Only He can open peoples’ eyes to truth. God can soften a person’s heart. The Holy Spirit can convict people of their wrongful behavior and attitudes.

Is there someone who is currently opposed to you? Believe God for more than merely your protection. Regularly pray, and trust that God can bring peace and reconciliation to that relationship. Do you believe that with God, all things are possible? How you relate to your enemies will provide vivid proof that you do.

It seems clear to us that the way we think determines what we do. For instance, if we think the world owes us a living, we will tend to act lazily and to complain when others do not do what we want them to. But here Scripture exhorts us to dedicate our works to the Lord, and our thoughts will be established. This seems to us to be counter intuitive.

This can mean at least two different things. First, it may mean that if we dedicate all we do to the Lord, He will be pleased to bless our efforts. This of course involves more than a token acknowledgment of God’s lordship right before you negotiate an important deal or when you promise to give God the glory immediately before you make a large investment. God is not a good luck charm that brings blessing to our efforts if we promise to give Him the glory for them!

But this truth may also apply to the way we establish our thoughts. It is often through our actions. It is one thing to acknowledge in our heads that it is important to spend time with God each morning. It is quite another to actually do it.  Most of us would admit the importance of holy living, fewer make a regular practice of it. Our thoughts do not always match our behavior. But when we discipline ourselves to do the right things, it affects our thoughts. We might have many different ideas floating through our minds, but those that come to pass are the ones we have committed ourselves to act upon. That is why it is one thing for you to tell me what you think; it is quite another for me to observe what you do. Do you want your thoughts to become a reality? Then regularly, faithfully, consistently, do the right things.

Some things are more important than always being right or agreed with. No one savors being chastised. It can be embarrassing. It  might threaten our sense of self-esteem. It could shake our confidence. That is why we often steel ourselves from such unpleasant experiences.

When people challenge what we are doing, we tend to immediately justify our actions. We counterattack and search for shortcomings in others. We look for every excuse at our disposal to justify our actions and discredit our critics. But of course, in the process, we become none the wiser.

At times life itself assigns us rebukes. Life operates on the principle that we will reap what we sow. It is true that we generally learn far more from our failures and setbacks than though our success and triumphs. So God allows us to experience failure. Pain becomes our tutor. Suffering can teach us important lessons we would never gain while sitting in a classroom.

Those who learn their lessons from life will emerge as wise. They will have a perspective on life not accorded to those who simply chose to blame others for their hardships. Such people will have learned to successfully navigate the ups and downs of life. They will have truly become wise.

We all have some good ideas. Or so we think! An idea may strike you as something you or your organization could do. At first glance, it appears brilliant! It may be just the answer you have been looking for! A solution to all your problems!

That is where wise counselors are crucial. We all have blind spots. We tend to see the possibilities more than the difficulties. Others become absorbed with the problems and miss the potential. Our challenge is that we only see things from our limited vantage point. But every situation has more than one perspective. To get a full understanding of our circumstance, we must view it from various angles.

The key is enlisting good counselors. Some see things from our perspective and so have limited value to us. They don’t tell us anything we don’t already know! Others have a completely different perspective. These people may annoy us sometimes because they do not readily agree with us, and what we see. But they will provide us a different perspective, which is crucial. If all of your counselors immediately agree with you, you might want to enlist additional advisors! Be certain you have viewed your situation from several perspectives before you move forward in an important direction. Some things are worth getting right the first time!

More is not always better! More money often brings with it more taxes, complications, and requests from others. Having a larger home can mean greater upkeep and expenses. The world is constantly encouraging us to desire and seek after more. Regardless of what it is, more is always considered to be better. As a result, we can be tempted to compromise our values or to distort the truth or to sacrifice what is important so we can achieve an added measure of worldly success.

The reality is that there are some things that are far more important and satisfying than merely accumulating more of what the world considers to be valuable. One thing that is better, the more you have, and that is the fear of the Lord. The more you fear God, the more likely you will be to take His word seriously and do what He says. The more we heed God’s word, the more we will experience His blessing. The greater His blessing, the more abundant will be our life.

The problem with our world is that it diminishes our fear of God. It tries to portray God as a good friend who loves us just the way we are, or a doting grandfatherly figure who is grateful we gave him a few minutes of our time before we run off to our next appointment. The world says all fear is bad and unhealthy. But the reality is that when our relationship with God is as it should be, it matters not whether we have much or little of the world’s goods. God is always enough. With Him, we have all we need.

Some people waste their prayers. God is not our servant. He does not hover over us waiting to grant our next request. Neither does he accept any old prayer or offering we deign to give Him. At times we can wrongly assume that God must be pleased that we offer Him any prayer or sacrifice at all, considering our full and demanding schedules. We may hurriedly throw up a prayer on the way to our first meeting of the day, satisfying ourselves that at least we said our daily prayers once again.

The reality is that the effectiveness of our prayers is directly connected to the condition of our heart. We could offer the world’s greatest fortune to God as a sacrifice but He would be unimpressed if our heart was filled with pride or unforgiveness. Likewise, when there is sin in our heart, the only acceptable prayer we can offer is one of confession and repentance.

Conversely, when our hearts are pure before God, He delights in our communion with Him. He is pleased to hear and respond to our requests. How amazing for God to take pleasure in hearing what is on our heart! How could we not earnestly desire personal holiness so we could have God’s attentive ear when we pray? If your prayer times have seemed lifeless and void of God’s pleasure, have you searched your heart to see if it is presently pleasing to God?