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Handling Sin In The Camp – Part 2

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There is no real question as to why business, as an industry, is seen by much of the general public as less than trustworthy. So many business leaders are more interested in power, wealth, or winning than they are in doing the right thing when crisis hits. As Christian business owners and leaders, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to deal with the sin in the camp, regardless of the potential consequences.

sin in the camp

Sin In The Camp – Part 1

In my last post, we looked at how Joshua performed in a tough situation. If you missed that post, it would be helpful to go back and read it first. In that post, I took you through the first three of six steps for dealing with sin in the camp:

    1. Set Clear Guidelines
    2. Stay Close To God
    3. Trust God’s Provision

Today, I want to cover the last three steps. Hopefully, you can then see the actions Joshua took and how we can apply them to our current business situations. I would love to hear your thoughts on these steps in the discussion area at the end of the post.

Step 4 – Identify Sin In The Camp

Early on the morning after the defeat at Ai, Joshua got up and began the process of determining who among the Israelites had violated the covenant with God by taking the sacred items (Joshua 7:16-23). He followed God’s instruction to the letter and the guilty party, Achan, was selected. He quickly confessed to his crime.

When we face situations like this, we likely will not have specific instructions from God on how to select the guilty. At the same time, it is clear we are to investigate and dig until we find the truth.

Waiting it out or hoping someone will come forward on their own – these are not viable methods. We must be proactive if we expect to find the truth. We must see the urgency and dig in.

Step 5 – Act Immediately

After narrowing the search down to Achan and hearing his confession, Joshua acted. He did not hesitate. He did not waffle. He did not try to rationalize Achan’s actions. He simply acted (Joshua 7:24-25).

While the punishment was severe and extensive (including Achan’s family), I don’t see that to be the point of what we should learn here. In a business environment, we are not going to stone the guilty. At the same time, our commitment to our core values is on display in these moments.

If your core values include integrity, honesty, truth, or other similar ideals, then dealing decisively with violations of these values is not optional. Clearly, you must weigh the violation and determine the appropriate discipline. Just remember that others are watching to see how your scales work. How “core” are your values?

Step 6 – Remember

The crisis was over and the Israelites were likely ready to move on. The Promised Land was ahead of them! However, this is when Joshua’s leadership stands out even more. In Joshua 7:26, we see that the Israelites erected a large pile of rocks over the body of Achan.

This was not simply a grave. This act was in addition to the norm. This was an act of remembrance. In fact, the place was known going forward as the Valley of Trouble. Joshua wanted to make sure that Achan’s actions were remembered and not repeated.

I don’t see us putting up a plaque on the wall to commemorate a dishonest manager and his termination. I do, however, think that we need to follow Joshua’s thought process. We need to figure out the best way for us (and those we lead) to remember how crucial our core values are to our success.

Constant communication about our core values is a must. Talk with new hires about real consequences of infractions. Don’t let the memory of the crisis completely disappear.

Summary

This can be a tough passage to read due to the extreme punishment delivered. Don’t let that keep you from learning from Joshua and his handling of the crisis. If you read on past this passage, you will see the continued success of the Israelites against Ai and other cities.

God honored their faithful elimination of the sin in the camp. He will do the same for us if we will learn and apply the wisdom found here. He is faithful.

What other advice would you offer someone facing sin in the camp?

Which of these 6 steps is toughest for you?

Are you prepared to effectively address sin in the camp?

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God Is Silent – Why?

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There have been many times in my career when I sought God for answers. I needed wisdom for choices I faced. Sometimes, He seemed to answer me in a very clear way. Other times were not as clear and it took much prayer for me to discern the direction He was giving me. And then there are those times when God is silent. I used to hate those times!

God is silent

God Is Silent?

Have you ever experienced times when God is silent in responding to your prayers? Maybe you were facing a huge business decision with enormous consequences and you needed His wisdom more than anything. You could have been mulling a difficult choice between career moves or candidates to hire.

Your decision might have been as simple as choosing office locations or the wording on your resume. Whatever the case, we have all likely experienced times when we felt we really needed to hear from God, but He did not respond. This is especially tough for those who have received clear answers from Him at other times!

Have You Wondered Why?

Have you ever wondered WHY God is silent? Have you experienced periods of self-doubt when you wondered if He even cared about you? Have you questioned whether He was interested in your struggle anymore? Have you fought these thoughts until you could no longer fight, giving up in the process?

Well, I have been here and lived to tell about it. If you are like me, you answered yes to at least one of the questions above. If that is the case, I have some good news for you…God loves you! He IS interested in you! He loves you more than you can imagine! He wants you to stop fighting and relax.

He Has His Reasons

God is not sitting on His throne laughing at your struggle. He is not too busy to help. He has not forgotten you or your struggle. Instead, there are other, legitimate reasons that might explain why God is silent in response to some of your prayers. Knowing these possible reasons has made it so much easier for me to handle it when God is silent.

However, the following five reasons are not exclusive. There are likely more reasons God is silent, but these should cover the majority of your situations. I do not promise that your specific situation falls into one of these categories, but I encourage you to pray through them to see if it does.

1. The Timing Is Not Yet Right

There are many times in the Bible when one of God’s people was facing circumstances that drove them to prayer. In some of these cases, God is silent for a time. It might be years later before He answers and gives them direction in their specific situation.

In these cases, His answer was simply delayed because circumstances were not yet ready for His perfect timing. It is not our place to question His timing. We are only to trust Him in this. If we are faithful to wait, He will answer when the time is right.

2. He Has Already Given You The Answer

There are two different ways that this reason can apply. First, if you are asking Him to help you with a question that He has already answered in His Word, then you should not be surprised at His silence.

Too often, we want to skip reading the directions and jump immediately to the help line! We should read and study His Word to the extent that we are not constantly asking for help He has already provided.

Other times, we actually go back to God for answers that He has already shown us on previous occasions. Maybe we have forgotten these answers or maybe we are hoping for a different answer! Whatever the case, He might remain silent until we realize His answer will not change.

3. He Is Pushing You To Mature

This is one that I really struggled with. There was a time in my walk when I felt God was giving me step-by-step directions for the path I was to take. I followed in faith and expected those clear directions to continue.

When I faced new choices, I expected more step-by-step directions. When they did not come, I got very frustrated. Then I read how Paul described those Christians that were still feeding on milk when they should be maturing to eat solid food (Hebrews 5:12-13).

It could be that God is silent in your current situation because He is helping you to develop your decision-making muscles. He is trying to help you along in the maturing process.

Don’t fight it! Consider all He has shown you along the way and make the best choice you can. He is faithful to walk with you through the process and give you strength as needed.

4. Sin Is In The Way

This reason is difficult as well. It is hard because we are so often blind to our own sin. Unfortunately, God is not. He has provided a way for us to get rid of it (through forgiveness based on Christ’s blood and our repentance).

However, if we are blind to the sin or enamored with it to the point of clinging to it, then we are not going to be heard in our prayer. If God is silent with you, pray instead that He would reveal to you any sin that is between you and Him. Then repent of this and move forward in relationship with Him!

5. He Doesn’t Care

Before you jump, hear me out! Clearly, this reason is not what it seems at first. Sure, God cares about you and the decision you are facing! What I mean instead is that maybe He is giving YOU the choice.

God has given us free will and an unbelievable life to experience. In some cases, I believe He simply wants you and me to decide for ourselves which way we would rather go. Either choice is fine with Him!

If both choices line up with Scripture and pass THIS TEST from my previous post, then you might just be free to take either path with God’s blessing! Don’t let the freedom scare you – embrace it!

Have you experienced His silence?

How did you react? What were your thoughts?

Do any of these reasons for His silence help to ease your mind?

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What Do You Do For A Living?

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If you do much traveling or meet new people frequently (outside of work), then you likely hear this question on a regular basis. “What do you do for a living?” You have heard it asked. You have asked it yourself. Whether we like it or not, people associate us with our occupation. We do the same thing.

living

Common Question

So, what is wrong with this? I am sure there are psychological reasons that we should not necessarily do this. I would even agree that associating people with what they do for a living could cause us to jump to conclusions about them, their preferences, their lifestyle, etc.

You don’t think people often get the wrong idea about me when they find out I am in the car business?!? Of course they do!

Regardless of what you think about this question, we would all agree that it will continue to be asked into the foreseeable future. We are not likely to get this question eliminated from the habits of millions of people today.

Opportunity?

So, how can we use this question to our benefit?

Have you ever thought about how you could turn this question into a perfect opportunity to tell the inquisitor something special about you and what you do? If you know people are going to ask you, “What do you do for a living?” then why not plan ahead to take advantage of it?

Here is what I am thinking…I think this is the perfect opportunity to break the ice about our faith without being offensive or pushy. I think we should take this chance to share what it is we do, but from the spiritual side of things.

Example Response

Let me give you an example and see how you would respond. When someone asks me this question, my prepared answer is this:

I work for a very unusual company. It is a car dealership group that is a Christian company. We are trying to learn, and to show, how Jesus would run a business if He were the boss.

Lead In To More Conversation

Hopefully, I have said this in such a way that they are not uncomfortable with my answer. Likely, I have had a moment or two for them to get an idea of my sincerity before I toss this out there.

Assuming this, what kind of response do you think I will get? Where do you see the conversation going from here? Is it possible that I have offended them or more likely that I have intrigued them? Will they probably follow up with more questions?

Salt And Light

I guess my whole point here is that we are called to be salt and light in the world. I am a huge proponent of doing this by taking your Christian faith to your work or business. At the same time, there are opportunities outside of work that we can use to our advantage.

Our whole goal is to point people toward God. If we can take a few moments and do that with someone that is curious about our work, then why not do that?

Simple Response, Deep Conversation

In many cases, this kind of response will open the door to a spiritual conversation where you can witness to them without using a bullhorn! You may be surprised at how God can use a simple response like this to initiate a deep conversation very quickly.

While possible, this response is probably not going to offend the other person and cause them to react negatively. Granted, where I live (Southern U.S. – Bible belt!), this response is less likely to offend. It is more probable that the person asking the question is also a believer or associates themselves with the Christian faith. Great!

That just means I now have an opportunity to talk to them about why they should be taking THEIR faith to the workplace! Either way, I have a chance to have a spiritual conversation with someone that God can touch through it.

Unexpected Blessing

A final, sometimes unexpected benefit, is that YOU may be the one more blessed by the resulting conversation. So often, I have thought I was going to minister to someone else, only to find them ministering to me! I love it when that happens!

Try this idea for yourself. First, take the time to prepare a response that fits what you do. Wordsmith it, but make sure it is comfortable for you. You don’t want to appear like you are giving a robotic answer! Pray first, and God will give you the words you need!

Now go and look for opportunities to use it!

How could you explain how you make a living this way?

Do you feel uncomfortable with this? If so, why?

Have you tried this before? What were the results?

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9 Simple Hacks For Better Leadership Perspective, Part 2

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As Christian business owners and leaders, we need to have a clear perspective on what is going on around us. If we do not know where we are personally strong or weak, then we will not be able to effectively lead our team or company. The question is how to best gain that perspective!

perspective

Improved Perspective

In my last post, I went through the first four simple “hacks” that will help you gain the perspective you need on your own leadership style, strengths, and weaknesses. Today I want to go through the last five. My prayer is that you are inspired to implement at least a few of these hacks so you can continue to improve as the leader God called you to be.

As I did in my last post, I will warn you! When anyone tells you something is simple, don’t assume it is easy! There is a big difference! I have these 9 “simple” (not easy) hacks for anyone that is committed to seeing themselves more clearly for the purpose of being a better leader. Gaining perspective in these ways is not complicated, but neither is it easy. You are warned!

Not Easy Or Fool-Proof

I will also remind you that none of these “hacks” are fool-proof. None give the entire picture. None can be relied on by themselves. We need a minimum of two or three of these views if we want any semblance of the truth! Take a look at each and determine which will work best for you.

Keep in mind, you may not like what you hear from some of them. In some cases, you will need to face feedback that is difficult to hear. In other cases, you may need to exclude feedback that may be contaminated with less-than-pure motives. You have to be the judge of which is which…or you could get some help with that as well!

#5 – 360 degree survey

A 360 degree survey is one completed by those who answer to you, those who you answer to, and those on your same level. If you are at the top of your org chart, then you can go outside of your organization to those you feel have enough information to answer in a helpful way.

Setting this one up is the key. Those who answer to you (or think they might one day) are not inclined to give you criticism if they fear retribution or damage to the relationship. They MUST be in a safe position with you before you will get any honest feedback from them.

#6 – 3rd Party Assessments

These assessments (personality, strengths, emotional iq, etc.) are worth their weight in gold! They can give you insights into what makes you tick and why you behave the way you do. Prepare to be wowed as you are trained in how to read and interpret these assessments.

Tip: don’t do them all at once. Take one at a time and learn about that one. Implement the changes recommended over time before you move on to the next one. If you ignore this advice, prepare to be overwhelmed.

#7 – Your Spouse

You had to know I would include your spouse! For many, this one can be the toughest. Unfortunately, the reason for this is the dangerous lack of transparency most people experience with their spouse.

If you can handle it, ask your spouse for his or her honest opinion about a struggle you are having with someone at work. See if they can tell you what it is about you that might be contributing to the problem. There is gold in this source of perspective as well, but there may need to be some serious time spent in prep work first!

#8 – Your Children

Obviously, this source of perspective has its limitations. Depending on the age of your children, it may not yet be possible for them to offer you leadership perspective. At the same time, you may be surprised at what they can offer.

Build a relationship with them that gives them the freedom to be honest with you. The way they see things may shock you with its wisdom. Give it a shot! What do you have to lose?

#9 – Bible Study & Intimate Prayer Time

I saved this one for last because it may be the most difficult to execute. If you are great at studying the Bible and diving right into intense prayer about what you have read, then you are already experiencing the perspective gained here. If not, this is a practice you will have to work at over a period of time.

While it may not come quickly, when you do get the hang of it, you will be blown away at the effectiveness of this method. God is faithful and will teach you as much as you are willing yo learn about yourself. You are the only limiting factor in this method!

What else do you do to gain perspective?

Which of these have you used? Share your experience!

Which of these would be the toughest for you?

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Are You In The People Business?

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I don’t know about you, but I am in the people business. In fact, I will bet that you are, too. I personally think that with very few exceptions, we are all in the people business. By that, I mean that our success rises and falls according to the quality of people we have working with us.

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What Do You Do With The Interruption?

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Business is busy. That may seem obvious, but for anyone in a leadership position in business, it can be a big problem. We are always working on something. Some projects require very little focus from us. Others require our complete attention. That is usually when the interruption comes, right?

interruption

Forms Of Interruption

For me, this “interruption” could come in the form of a customer asking a simple question. It could be an employee that needs clarification on a process. Maybe it is phone call from a vendor that needs my authorization on an expenditure.

Interruptions can come in many shapes and sizes. When we are intently focused on getting something important done, how do we handle the interruption? I am not really asking about your manners or patience with the cause of the interruption.

The Bigger Question

The question I am asking is much bigger than that. We all know that we should be gracious and approachable when interrupted. That’s not my point.

The real question is more about your mindset regarding the interruption. In fact, I am actually asking about the bigger interruptions in your plans. To be more clear, let’s look at an example from Scripture.

Paul’s Interruption

Paul is on a mission. He has been called by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Anyone who has read any of his letters in the New Testament would agree that he was focused on this mission. Nothing deterred him from accomplishing the mission.

Then we read in Philippians 1 that Paul has been put in jail. Imagine that you are in his sandals and you have this mission in front of you. This is a big “project” with huge ramifications for those you seek to teach about this gospel. Then you find yourself in jail…for no real good reason! How could this happen?

How Would You See It?

Would you see THIS as an interruption? Would you get frustrated at the injustice and start trying to figure out how to escape? Would you lose focus on the overall goal and become preoccupied with your circumstances?

What did Paul do? Well, he uses the time wisely and continues to accomplish the mission God gave him. He does this in several ways.

Paul’s Response

First, he uses the time to write four letters to various churches (and one individual). In these letters, Paul encourages, chastises, and teaches about the gospel. He made very effective use of his time in prison to continue his mission to spread the gospel!

Second, he took advantage of the fact that he was imprisoned by Gentiles! He likely saw a number of different guards each day as they fed him and guarded him. He used this time to witness to these guards and explain to them the cause of Christ!

Paul even recognized that others were preaching more boldly about Jesus as a result of his imprisonment. While some had pure motives and others did not, Paul welcomed any accurate preaching of the gospel as helping to accomplish his mission.

What About Us?

Paul tells us to follow his example (1 Corinthians 11:1). If we do this, how can we handle the interruptions that come our way? Not only the little daily interruptions, but even more so the big ones?

When we have big plans for ministry through our business and something interrupts these plans, how can we react in a way that imitates Paul? Can we reasonably expect to stop and pray that God would reveal that part of His plan to us?

If He chooses not to reveal His plans, can we patiently look around at our circumstances and determine how to continue our mission despite the interruption? Is our eternal perspective so ingrained in our mind that we could adapt to the circumstances and maximize the opportunities they presented?

How Close Are We?

Are we so close in our relationship with God that this behavior is possible?

If not, what are we going to do to change?

I encourage you to stop and pray about this. As business owners and leaders, we are normally trained to overcome the circumstances of any interruption and move on with the mission. We are problem solvers and have wiring that keeps us moving.

Instead, sometimes we need to recognize that God may want us to sit still and look for His will IN the interruption. If we will draw closer to Him, it is more likely we will be able to do this when the time comes.

How good are you with handling an interruption?

Do you see interruptions as potentially coming from God?

What do you need to do differently?

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Does Imminent Bankruptcy Change Your Investment Plan?

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Imagine for a minute that you know me as a 100% reliable and trustworthy source. Imagine also that I have just told you that I have undeniable evidence that the U.S. Government is going to file bankruptcy in Federal Court next Monday morning. What would be your reaction?

Bankruptcy

Ripple Effects of Bankruptcy?

I am not a guru when it comes to these types of issues, but I am fairly sure I could make some educated guesses about some of the ripple effects of an event like this. I assume you could do the same. In light of that, how does your current investment portfolio look? What would be your new financial plan?

Would you buy more shares of stock or sell what you have? Would you invest in the U.S. Dollar or move toward gold and silver? Would you make plans to spend as much as you could before the date of the event or would you try to invest in those areas (food, barter materials, etc.) that would contribute to your long term survival and well being?

Would any of these actions change if I told you the date of the bankruptcy filing was actually 6 months from now versus next week? What about one year from now or longer? How would your urgency change?

Truth Is Worse!

Obviously, I do NOT have advance notice of a bankruptcy filing like this. Unfortunately, the knowledge I have is far worse than this. In fact, I am fairly confident that you have this same knowledge that I have.

Folks, the truth is that this entire world that we inhabit is bankrupt. The filing has already been made and we are simply living out the discharge process. What is the only major difference in this news and my fictional bankruptcy filing?

Timing.

We read in 2 Peter 3 that this world is already scheduled to be destroyed. Everything in it will be destroyed and our works laid bare. Bankruptcy has been filed, but the discharge process is taking time. Peter tells us here that the Lord is patient, but the events are coming nonetheless.

Lost Value

Let me translate to be clear. Everything you “own” right now will be destroyed. It will have a value of $0. Any investments you have in land, buildings, stocks, etc. will be brought to a total value of zero. This is a total and complete bankruptcy with full liquidation of assets.

So…what is your plan? How does your current portfolio look? Do you feel good about its diversity? Are you wisely invested in those areas that will last after this bankruptcy?

Vague Timing?

Back to the issue of timing. In my fictional bankruptcy, I gave you a hard date, a timeline that you could see and one that would allow you to make necessary adjustments. The world bankruptcy explained by the Bible does not do this. No one knows when the final discharge will happen.

And that, my friends, is why many of us are asleep at the wheel. We think we have time. We are living with the illusion that we can deal with these eternal investment issues at some point in the future. Unfortunately, we simply do not know. Therefore, many sleep.

Portfolio Shift?

I am sorry, but I just don’t think that is what we are supposed to be doing. As for me, I am certain that I have entirely too much left invested in this world and not nearly enough laid up in heaven. I am working on that, but I have a long way to go.

What about you? What if this “world bankruptcy” were to be discharged today…how would your portfolio fare? If you are like me, that is a scary proposition. While I know without a doubt that my soul would survive the fire, I am concerned that I have too much stuff that would not.

Future Investment

I have told you before that my job description, and life’s goal, is to add silhouettes. To the extent that I can accomplish this goal, my investment in this effort will survive the fire. My struggle is to invest more and more time, energy, and resources into this effort and less into the material rewards of this world.

I must continue working to shift my portfolio away from the temporal and toward the eternal. I am convinced that we are called to live IN this world. I am just as convinced that we are not to make it our home. We should be renters here, not owners.

I encourage you to take some time and think through this idea of world bankruptcy. Think about where you are currently investing your time, treasure, and talents. Consider Paul’s warning (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) to us and begin doing work that will survive the fire. I think this would be a great investment for you!

What does your portfolio look like today?

What action do you need to take to correct it?

What is your level of urgency? What should it be?

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7 Reasons Your Goals Are Short Sighted

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I do not argue that the timing of talking in March about setting goals is a little off. Anyone that sets annual goals likely did so in December. By now, they have either made great progress toward them or have given up on them altogether. Hopefully you are in the first group. Either way, very few have actually set eternal goals and that is what I want to discuss!

goals

In my last post, I talked about eternal goals and what they are. I also gave you a list of the most likely reasons why most people have never set them. I told you we would try to respond to those reasons, using some examples from my own 2015 goals in the process.

Let’s just take one reason at a time from the list and respond to it:

Reason #1 – I have never thought about it.

Okay, so this is probably the number one reason most people have never set eternal goals. It is a legitimate reason in that I don’t think I have ever heard of a book, webinar, or other learning tool that mentions setting eternal goals.

At the same time, since you have read my post you can no longer use this reason! Therefore, I will not spend a lot of time on this one.

Reason #2 – I don’t know how to set eternal goals.

Even if you have thought about setting eternal goals before, it is likely that your next thought was that you had no idea where to start. The funny thing is that you actually do know how to set them, but you don’t even realize it.

Setting an eternal goal is not really that different from setting a normal (shorter-term) goal. In fact, they often look exactly like normal goals, but there is an underlying eternal purpose to the goal.

For example, one of my 2015 goals is to triple the number of people subscribing to this blog. While this looks like a normal goal, the main point of this goal is not actually increasing subscribers. The point is that the more subscribers there are, the greater the opportunities for impact!

In setting this goal, here are the steps I took:

  • I determined my purpose: I want to help Christian business owners leverage their business for eternal return.
  • I decided how to achieve that purpose: I want to reach more business owners with continuously improving content.
  • I chose the most effective and simplest way to measure my path to that impact: I decided that increasing my subscriber count is the best measurement for my goal of eternal impact.
  • I established a stretch goal for this measurement: This part is the same as for a normal goal.
  • I put it in writing and enlisted accountability partners: I have shared my goals with my wife and a small group of peers that are pushing me hard!

Reason #3 – Eternal goals are too tough to measure.

As I showed you in my example above, I realize I cannot actually measure the eternal impact I am having with my blog. I can only tell you stories and point to actual events that we would all agree reflect eternal impact. The problem is physically measuring this impact.

If we are going to move past this problem, we must accept that measurement for these goals will not be perfect. Once we are willing to agree to this, the task becomes easier.

The next step is to focus on activities that will LEAD to the impact you desire. For me, increasing my subscriber count is not the perfect measurement. At the same time, the activities that are necessary for me to achieve this increase in subscriber count will certainly lead me to greater impact.

Remaining Reasons Next Time

I have run out of room for this post, but I will pick up where I left off next time. I hope you are seeing that eternal goals are not that difficult. In fact, I really hope you take a look at your current goals and see where you might be able to modify them for your own eternal impact! If you have not set goals for 2015, now is the time to start!

Which of these reasons have caused you not to set eternal goals?

Can you see some ways to modify your current goals for eternal impact?

What needs to be your next action?

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Obedience Can Be Bad For You!

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When my children were not yet adolescents, I struggled to teach them about our fourth quality of godly leaders. Before you think I am some super-dad that started them that young on this kind of teaching, think again. I wish I was that good! Sure, I was trying to teach them about radical, immediate obedience, but not necessarily in the context of godly leadership.

obedience

Obedience Needed

Picture our family, my wife and I and our three kids (all under 10 years old), trying to cross the road to head into church on a Sunday morning. My son notices a friend across the street and breaks into a run to go talk with them. At the same time, a truck is 30 feet away and heading quickly toward him. Got the picture?

Now, as a responsible and protective dad, I yell out for my son to stop running.

Kinds Of Obedience

What happens if he obeys, but not immediately? Maybe he takes another couple of steps toward his friend. Now walking, he turns his head back toward me to see if I am serious. What happens to him?

What if he obeys by stopping, but he waits and stops in the middle of the street. He then turns to question me about why he should have to stop. What happens then?

I think you get the idea. If my son does anything other than radically and immediately obeying my command, then his life is endangered. This very same idea applies to our discussion on godly leadership.

Underlying Truths

See, there are truths underlying my instructions to my son. One truth is that blindly running out into a street can put him in the path of an oncoming vehicle. Another truth is that there are cars on the road with drivers that are not alert or expecting kids to run into the street. There is also a truth that says a 10 year old is not like to survive a collision with a moving truck.

These are not arguable truths. They are absolute. They are also truths that I understand as a parent, but truths that my son may not fully comprehend at 10 years old. As a result, he and I must have an understanding that he will radically and immediately obey me when I yell to him.

He must understand that partial obedience is not acceptable. Delayed obedience does not work either. He cannot choose to be selective and obey only when my instructions match up with his desires. No, a radical and immediate obedience is the only way I can truly protect him in this situation. These other kinds of obedience are bad for him!

Radical, Immediate Obedience

In his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up Video Series, Dr. Crawford Loritts detailed his four qualities of godly leaders. I have covered the first three of these qualities in previous posts. Today, in case you have not been paying attention, I want to continue discussing the fourth quality – radical, immediate obedience.

I think you understand the application of this kind of obedience in the context of my family above. It applies the same way in our efforts to be godly leaders, only on a bigger scale.

The parallel is that God knows truths that we simply do not yet grasp. He understands things about our world and our own minds that we don’t comprehend. Based on these truths, he lays out guidelines and boundaries for us as godly leaders. He expects radical, immediate obedience to these guidelines.

Obedience For Leaders

God does not ask for this type obedience because He is ruthless. He asks for this obedience because that is what is best for us. He loves us and wants us to live life to the fullest. Partial, delayed, or selective obedience will limit (or even destroy) this opportunity for us. But the picture is actually even worse than that!

The picture is worse because you and I are leading others!

Go back to the image of my son running into the street. It would be horrible to see him hit by the truck. It would be worse if my twin daughters, two years younger than him, were following his lead. Disaster!

The same is true of us and our leadership. We can lead others into life or disaster (even death), depending on how we respond to God’s truths. Which are you going to choose?

Truths Worth Dying For

I will close with a quote from Dr. Loritts regarding this truth:

If you are called to lead, there is a sacred assignment that God has given you. And there is truth that you need to steward. And that truth is not arbitrary. I’s not a bunch of opinions and traditions. These are truths that are worth dying for. […] And that’s what we need to be called back to.
Dr. Crawford Loritts

Do you recognize that God knows truths beyond your understanding?

Is your obedience typically radical and immediate?

Where do you need to alter your obedience from being partial, delayed, or selective?

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4 Little Known Qualities Of Godly Leaders

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Anywhere you look these days, you can find a book (or a dozen) on leadership. Everyone feels they know what it takes to be a leader. I am not going to pretend that I have some secret sauce or silver bullet on what it takes to be a great leader. If you are looking for that, keep looking. It may be even tougher to find the same for godly leaders. I personally do not think you will ever find it.

godly leaders

Courtesy of Flickr/Simoes

Qualities Of Godly Leaders

At the same time, I believe it can be very helpful for us to find many true and healthy perspectives on the characteristics and qualities of godly leaders. I believe the more we can learn about what great and godly leaders look like, the better we can hope to mimic them.

It is for this reason that I take notes anytime I hear a description of godly leaders, either as individuals or as a group. I then take what I learn and pass it on through this blog. Today, I would like to share what I learned about great, godly leaders from Dr. Crawford Loritts, a pastor in Atlanta, GA.

Loritts talked about four qualities or characteristics of great, godly leaders during his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up video series. Even these are not commonly found in leadership books, I believe we all need to seek these qualities. If we do, I believe God can better use us to point others to Him. I will tackle the first of these qualities today.

Quality #1 – Brokenness

The first little known quality of great, godly leaders as described by Dr. Loritts is brokenness. There are not many leadership books that mention brokenness as a quality of a great leader. In fact, I think very few of us would come up with this quality at first glance.

At the same time, after considering what Dr. Loritts had to say, I would have to agree with him! Before I go further into what he said about brokenness, let’s talk about what the opposite would mean.

Opposite View?

When I think of someone who is NOT broken, the characteristics I come up with are whole, strong, confident…they have it all together. These characteristics may actually be the ones you would find in a leadership book. This actually sounds more like a leader than one that is broken, right?

So let’s take a look at what Dr. Loritts said. First, he said that one who is broken has come to the realization that life is not about him, but is instead about God.

Think about that.

Broken Leader

A broken leader is one that is fully aware that alone, he is not whole or strong. Alone, this leader is not confident. Nor does he have it all together. This leader has come to the place where he acknowledges that he alone cannot be a leader after God’s own heart. He realizes that leadership is about much more than him!

As a result, Dr. Loritts continues, this leader has a healthy reliance on God. He knows that he cannot accomplish God’s plan on his own. He is not capable on his own and therefore relies on God for everything.

Cracked Leaders?

Some of us have partially come to this point. Call us cracked (but not yet broken)! We rely on God for the tough stuff. We rely on Him when we don’t know what to do. We rely on him when we face a situation that confuses or scares us.

But the rest of the time, we do our own thing. We are NOT yet broken.

Fully Broken

The great, godly leader has seen missed opportunities and failed endeavors when he tried it on his own in the past. These cause him to break down and cry. He has even mourned over good results that could have been miraculous if he had relied on God and not himself.

This leader is fully broken because his experience has shown him the futility of leading on his own. He knows there are possibilities that he cannot even imagine IF he will rely on God. He is broken because he is no longer willing to settle for less than miraculous results. He is wholly and fully committed to relying on God.

What About You And Me?

How much of this describes you and your leadership?

If you are like me, this is convicting. I know I understand this because it resonated with me. At the same time, I am completely guilty of trying to do it on my own too often. My prayer is that we will stop seeing ourselves as needing to be so strong. Instead, may we heed God’s words to Paul in 2 Corinthians.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you considered brokenness as a godly leader quality?

Do you see yourself as possessing the quality of brokenness?

What do you think are Dr. Loritts’ other three qualities of godly leaders?

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