There are certain things that we have to accept...things that God has instilled in us. Rather than have false humility we must embrace the gifts that God has given us....that being said, I am a leader. Not a learned leader...I have always had the knack for leading...but there are principles of leadership that I learned while in the military that apply to every walk of life. I share them today...and live them every day. Here they are...I have generalized them for anyone and everyone...
Know yourself and seek self improvement
Be technically and tactically proficient
Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates
Make sound and timely decisions
Set the example
Know your people and look out for their welfare
Keep your people informed
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished
Train your people as a team
Employ your team in accordance with the team's capabilities
These principles served me well during my 21 year career...hope they are useful to you too...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The same yet changed...
Just because I am growing closer to God, does not mean that I am any less a sinner.
I say this not because of any recent moral failure or "backsliding", but because some things change and some things stay the same.
The devil has not changed his tactics in like...forever. He still walks here on earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. My flesh is still the same too. Like the Apostle Paul, I too wrestle with the fact that I do the very things I know to be wrong and fail to do the things that I know to be right... every single day. These things are the same about me since the day I was conceived, and have remained steadfastly part of my character even after the transforming grace of Christ.
However, my relationship with God has changed and continues to change. It's more intimate now. I feel more like a son than I ever have. Guilt is not a knee jerk reaction as it once was...but it is more like a conviction from the Holy Spirit as it should be. I am more aware of God's voice and even more sensitive when I ignore His voice and do my own thing. I recognize Him as my Daddy and for me to acknowledge the fact that I have a Daddy is huge. (For those of you that KNOW me...well, you understand this statement)
The danger of recognizing change, especially change in ourselves is this...we forget that we are still essentially the same. Not only that, we can find ourselves selfishly believing that we are better than those that have not begun to walk the same life path that we have or who are not as far along the path as we are. We forget that we are still altogether wicked, and that none are righteous, no...not one. We become pious...we become cold...we become all of the things that Jesus does not want us to be...
Some things change, like our relationship with Christ should after we continuously spend time in His presence. Some things remain the same...like the desire of the enemy to set up spiritual land mines for us on a daily basis. The love that God has for us is the same too. He loves us so much that His Son has come and puts markers next to each spiritual bomb along the way. He still loves us and desires to walk alongside us every single moment of every single day...the hard part for us is recognizing the changes and consistencies in our spirits that help or hinder us from being with the One that loves us the most.
I say this not because of any recent moral failure or "backsliding", but because some things change and some things stay the same.
The devil has not changed his tactics in like...forever. He still walks here on earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. My flesh is still the same too. Like the Apostle Paul, I too wrestle with the fact that I do the very things I know to be wrong and fail to do the things that I know to be right... every single day. These things are the same about me since the day I was conceived, and have remained steadfastly part of my character even after the transforming grace of Christ.
However, my relationship with God has changed and continues to change. It's more intimate now. I feel more like a son than I ever have. Guilt is not a knee jerk reaction as it once was...but it is more like a conviction from the Holy Spirit as it should be. I am more aware of God's voice and even more sensitive when I ignore His voice and do my own thing. I recognize Him as my Daddy and for me to acknowledge the fact that I have a Daddy is huge. (For those of you that KNOW me...well, you understand this statement)
The danger of recognizing change, especially change in ourselves is this...we forget that we are still essentially the same. Not only that, we can find ourselves selfishly believing that we are better than those that have not begun to walk the same life path that we have or who are not as far along the path as we are. We forget that we are still altogether wicked, and that none are righteous, no...not one. We become pious...we become cold...we become all of the things that Jesus does not want us to be...
Some things change, like our relationship with Christ should after we continuously spend time in His presence. Some things remain the same...like the desire of the enemy to set up spiritual land mines for us on a daily basis. The love that God has for us is the same too. He loves us so much that His Son has come and puts markers next to each spiritual bomb along the way. He still loves us and desires to walk alongside us every single moment of every single day...the hard part for us is recognizing the changes and consistencies in our spirits that help or hinder us from being with the One that loves us the most.
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