Category: Uncategorized

Of course it is! The book of 2 Chronicles is full of stories where leadership determined the course of events. As a leader it is important to know how to lead others and where you are going. Leading is not easy and every leader will experience bumps in the journey, but whether or not you are successful as a leader will be determined by the responses you make along the way.

It doesn’t really matter what you are leading: a company, a team, a fellowship, and yes even a family. If you pay attention to the following four principles, you will always come out a winner!

1. Seek to follow the Lord in your patterns of leadership.

If you read the stories of the different Kings in Chronicles you will begin to recognize a pattern. Kings who follow the Lord (God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) they lived long and full lives. Kings who chose to follow the customs of the land, worship other Gods, their own desires lived short lives and were often killed or died of diseases.

Response Following God:  King Solomon, son of King David, lived a long life. Throughout his lifetime he built the House of the Lord, his own elaborate palace and became very rich and wise. In fact, God prospered him so much that his riches and wisdom passed all the kings of the earth at that time. He grew to be so famous that even the queen of Sheba heard about him and came to Israel to see for herself if the rumors she heard were really true. Solomon reigned 40 years. (2 Chron. 9)

Response Not Following God:  Jehoram, king Jehoshaphat’s son, (king Jehoshaphat was king of Judah who followed after God) did not follow in his father’s footsteps, but instead followed the ways of the current kings of Israel (their ungodly customs; their perverse culture). To secure his position as king he killed his brothers. As king he patterned his leadership after the ways of the kings of Israel, causing the people of Judah to follow the customs and culture of Israel’s kings. He even went as far as marrying the daughter of king Ahab (a very evil king) in order to build a partnership with Israel. God warned him of what would happen through a prophet, Elijah, but his response was, I will do it my way. So he died of an incurable disease which he suffered with for two years until his bowels fell out. Just as the prophet told him. He reigned only eight years. (2 Chron. 21)

2.  Beware of Relationships.

Relationships have influence over your life. Those who have influence into your life can positively or negatively affect your decisions. How you respond to their influences will determine outcomes in the situations of your life, business, work, family, etc.

Response with a Positive Influence:  King Joash was only seven years old when he became king. The priest Jehoiada was his advisor, a Godly priest. Joash and Jehoiada worked together to repair the House of the Lord. Jehoiada and Joash had a close relationship and served the Lord together all the days of Jehoiada, the priest’s life. (2 Chron. 24)

Response with a negative influence:  When Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah came to king Joash and befriended him. Encouraging him to follow their custom of worshipping idols and other Gods. Joash listened to them. God sent the son of Jehoiada, the prophet Zechariah to warn Joash. His new friends were so angry they requested Zechariah be stoned. Because of his relationship with his new friends and the influence they had on Joash’s life, he killed Zechariah. The son of Jehoiada, the Godly priest that raised him since he was seven. (2 Chron. 24)

3.  In times of rest prepare for your next assignment.

King David had it in his heart to build the House of God. God however, told him his son Solomon would be the one to build it. When David was old Solomon was still young. David recognized that the work load to build the House of God would be great for Solomon. So in his time of rest, he prepared all the gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, onyx and precious stones that would be needed to build the House of God for his son Solomon. Helping his son to be prepared to carry out the next phase of building the House of God. (1 Chron. 29)

4.  When adversity comes, seek the help of the Lord first and not the advice of others.

Response: Sought after God in Adversity

Take Jehoshaphat for example. His kingdom (Judah) was facing a battle. A great multitude of his enemies were coming to war against his kingdom. What did he do? He set himself to the seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. The entire kingdom sought God for an answer. If you read the story you will see God did answer them, in fact, He answered them with very specific instructions. The leader and all the people were obedient and carried out God’s instructions. The result, their enemies were defeated by God himself, Judah did not even have to fight. They even gathered the spoil from the dead bodies of their enemies. In fact, the spoil was so great that they could not carry it all away. (2 Chronicles, Chapter 20)

Response: Did not seek after God in Adversity

Asa was a King who in the first part of his life followed after the ways of God. In fact, he lead his people in an oath to follow God. In doing so they lived in peace for many years. Then the king of Israel built Ramah, a city that didn’t allow Judah to come in and go out of their city essentially cutting off their food and supplies. Instead of asking God for help, he sent gold and silver to the King of Syria (Ben-hadad). He requested the king of Syria break his alliance with the King of Israel in order to get Israel’s king to stop building Ramah. That seemed to work, but God was angry at Asa for not seeking his will and told him so through a prophet. Asa was so angry at God that he never again sought the advice of God even when he became diseased in his feet. Instead he sought the advice of physicians. It’s a sad thing when our responses bring separations in our life. (2 Chron. 15 and 16)

So what am I really saying here?

I am saying, sometimes we as leaders feel strong and courageous, and sometimes we feel vulnerable or fearful. I am saying, don’t be led by feelings or influences, but be led by God. Make sure you are making decisions that pattern after the ways of the Lord, be aware of the relationships around you and how they may influence your decisions, prepare for what is coming next, and always turn to the Lord in times of adversity. As the leader you will set the direction and live the outcomes. So, the bottom line is …… LEADERSHIP DOES MATTER, BUT YOUR LEADERSHIP RESPONSES MATTER MORE!

 

God has been directing me into a place I will call “Standing still”. There are many passages in the Bible where God reminds us to be quiet, to stand, to be still, why?  Because when we do this, we take ourselves out of the way and God can move for us.  He can place us in the position we are called to be in, he can speak to and for us; He can use us!

Often our time seems to be consumed with the demands of life, personal entertainment, work, friendships, etc. He longs for communication with us.  We are created to be the sons and daughters of God, but many times we don’t even acknowledge Him because we have become so busy we claim we do not have the time.  But the Lord would have us choose a better way.

It is important to note that busyness prohibits us to really listen. When we become so busy we cannot hear anything but our own agenda we lose sight of God’s purpose for the day, the week, even our lifetime.  Prayer is essential to our relationship with God; to pray unceasingly.  This does not mean you become sanctimonious and arrogant walking through life with your eyes closed in posture; but to have open communication in your heart and mind to speak to God, and hear Him speaking to you.  He longs to communicate with you, he longs to hear you.  Yes, He is all seeing, and all knowing, He knows your thoughts before you do, but it is the action of communication with Him that pleases Him, and changes you into the person you are meant to be.  In true humility, setting aside our selfish desires, our motives; becoming a servant in truth we find peace and contentment.  The secrets of our heart are exposed in His light; and He will fulfill the desires of our heart if we submit to His will.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Psalms 46:1

When life becomes overwhelming with hurt, disappointment and trials, it would really be a benefit to us if we could remember that there is a place we can run to that will protect us, nourish us, give us strength and courage, and that is right into the safety of God’s arms!

“Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its water roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.  God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.  Psalms 46:2-5

Fear disarms us of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God. But how do we stop fear; that paralyzing terror of what is known, or even unknown? How do we drown out the noise of our own imaginations screaming to be heard?  How do we make the voices of others proclaiming catastrophe, and speaking failure into our lives to cease?   God wants us to KNOW that no matter what is going on around us, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in, no matter where we are He is in control.  He is in to the midst of us. HE LIVES, he dwells, IN us.  If we can really get a hold of that reality; that God LIVES in us, what could really come against us and succeed?

“The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”  Psalms 46:6-7

It really doesn’t matter how fierce an enemy, how strong and seemingly insurmountable a circumstance is, or that chaos is surrounding you like a storm. When God speaks to you and into your life those things must fall away from you, we must refuse to carry them with us; if we will have faith and we seek Him as our refuge we can do ALL things!

When God speaks everything else seems to melt away in comparison.  Only we must hear Him in order for us to receive the benefit of His voice in our life!  How? By taking a deep breath, calming our spirit, and sitting still so that He can speak.  Think about it.  Can you really talk effectively to someone who is jumping up and down, spewing off all their thoughts, fears, concerns, and not really listening to what you have to say?  It’s the same with the Father; we have to LISTEN in order to hear.  He speaks to us many ways; through His written word, He speaks to our hearts, our minds, through others.  But we must be willing to LISTEN.

 “Come; behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth:  The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.”  Psalms 46:8-11

God wants to work wonders and miracles in our lives. This is a call to look back in history how God has destroyed cities, kingdoms, nations, for the sake of His own.  He can bring peace where peace seems like just a wild dream.  He can destroy the weapons of enemies; and simply cut off their resource to harm you.  Only he wants us to BE STILL, to calm our hearts and minds, to listen to His voice, and realize that HE is God, and He has a plan and purpose for our lives!  Plans to prosper you, and never harm you.  He is your hope and refuge.

Sometimes we feel alone, and that God has abandoned us; our lives seem filled with chaos, desolation, and hopelessness. Our thoughts are centered on what is surrounding us, the atmosphere around us, and the actions of others who oppose us. We often cannot see the hand of God who holds us.

The thermometer of our faith has fallen very low; the pulse of our hope is faint, and our heartbeat of motivation irregular. We have become ill with worry, and the screaming of circumstances in our lives has deafened our ears to hear the voice of God.

Lord help us to rely on You; to recognize that You are always present with us, and that you will never leave us forsaken. Increase our faith and our knowledge that even in our turmoil You are holding us close, that Your love is surrounding us and that in our weaknesses You show Yourself strong!

Open our eyes to see that our God is a miracle working God, nothing is impossible for You to accomplish! Open our hearts Lord to hear Your voice clearly, and give us a heart of obedience.  Lord give us boldness to look at our “mountain’ (a symbol of difficulty in our life) and command it to move, with faith and surety that if we believe it MUST move.

Heal us from our worries, and let gladness replace our sorrows. Let faith arise in us, help us to recognize that You hold us in Your hand, and in You is safety and peace.

My goal is to learn to stand during chaos, and be still, to be silent and let God move in my behalf. The voice of defeat is a loss of faith, the sound of murmuring and complaining cuts off the blessings God has in store for us.  I will bless the Lord at all times, and magnify His holy name.   I will trust and believe that the word of my God is exalted in my life.  Amen

Each week an inspiration is posted to enhance your fellowship with other believers and your walk with Jesus Christ. Be sure to visit us each week as God continues to reveal His hidden treasures from His Word.

(c) copyright 2017-2020 – Finding Treasure (individual contributors)

Note:  The comments have been disabled due to the influx of SPAM.  We are continuing to post, so please keep reading!  If you have a comment you would like us to see, please email it to: hello@velvetleafglobal.com.