Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Initiative
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Attitude #2 Initiative
The greatest value you can possess is a good attitude.
The attitude of initiative is one the most important attributes of true leaders that distinguishes them from perpetual followers. Leaders don’t wait for the future to come; they create it. They don’t wait for others to do what they know they should or could do. This is the distinction of leaders.
The inspiration of leadership is vision. A vision is a picture of what you want to accomplish. Yet the attitude of initiative makes the difference between a plan and an actual result. In other words, vision is a desire, while initiative gets it accomplished.
Let’s look at some descriptions of initiative:
• Initiative is a catalyst.
• Initiative is taking action.
• Initiative springs from self-motivation.
• Initiators are self-starters who don’t need outside urging to do something.
• Initiators make specific decisions to begin things.
The Creator is our primary example of the leadership attitude of initiative. The account of creation in the first book by Moses starts with, “In the beginning Yah created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of Yah was hovering over the waters. And Yah said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
VISION IS A DESIRE; INITIATIVE GETS IT ACCOMPLISHED.
Before Yah spoke, the earth was formless, empty, and dark. It would have remained that way if he hadn’t initiated the process of creation. He saw the potential of the earth and transformed it into something that had form, was teeming with created beings, and was filled with light. The most important lesson here is hidden in the words, “In the beginning Yah created.” Here we see that the spirit of leadership initiates activity and activates change. This is the spirit of a leader. Leaders don’t just dream; they awaken and act on their dreams.
THE PRINCIPLES OF INITIATIVE
1. Initiative is the key to accomplishment.
There are numerous examples of inventors, composers, and others who initiated works out of their imaginations that otherwise would have remained mere potential. As you develop the attitudes of leadership, consider what ideas and desires you want to bring to reality and how taking initiative would be the catalyst for their manifestation.
2. Initiative is the power of momentum.
Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary describes inertia as an “indisposition to motion, exertion, or change.” Inertia is a fact of life. Things don’t get started, progress, or get back on track once they’ve stalled unless someone takes action to set them on the right course again.
At a baseball game, a base coach urges on the runners to round the bases and make it to home before they are thrown out. He helps them to keep their momentum. Similarly, the attitude of initiative enables you to be your own coach so that you maintain momentum in pursuit of your life’s purpose.
3. Initiative is the manifestation of decision.
Nothing can be accomplished unless a decision has been made concerning it. In our everyday lives, we don’t buy a house, choose a dress, or select one form of insurance over another unless we specifically decide to take one thing and put aside all other options. This principle holds true as we exercise our gift of leadership. Effective leadership involves a number of decisions and choices, which can lead many people to resist and forsake procrastination. Initiative enables us to make choices that help us to move forward in our goals.
4. Initiative is the key to pleasing leadership.
Both leaders and followers appreciate the attitude of initiative in their fellow workers. When a leader is indecisive or a follower continually has to be told what to do, it is not only draining on those affected, but it is also inefficient. Leadership growth comes as a result of enthusiastically embracing and moving forward in our purposes.
INITIATIVE ENABLES US TO MOVE FORWARD IN OUR GOALS.
5. Initiative is the manifestation of the spirit of confidence and faith.
We often hesitate to take initiative because we are afraid of responsibility or the consequences of our actions. The writer of Hebrews said, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” When we exhibit the attitude of initiative, it shows that we are operating in faith and the confidence that Yah will see us through as we pursue the purposes that he has for us.
6. Initiative is the spirit of creativity.
Inventors have the habit of doing multiple experiments. They keep trying until something works. Initiative often works in a similar way. A willingness to keep starting and trying things as we pursue our purposes sparks the spirit of creativity and yields good results for those who delight in trying “one more thing.”
7. Initiative is the key to obedience.
When we know that we’re supposed to do something, that is when we should begin to do it. Holding back until we feel like it or the circumstances are better is not conducive to the practice of doing what we need to do at the time that we need to do it in order to accomplish our goals.
UTILIZING THE POWER OF INITIATIVE
How is the attitude of initiative affected by your beliefs about yourself, your purpose, and your Yah? Leaders utilize the power of initiative because they—
• believe in the integrity and faithfulness of their Creator.
• believe in their causes.
• believe in the rightness of their dreams.
• believe in their competence.
• are not afraid to fail.
To become the leader that you were born to be, you must cultivate the spirit of initiative. Don’t wait for others to do what you know you could and should do. Be a leader— initiate.
The Divine destiny connection, the chain that links us together.
Friday, June 30, 2023
Thursday, June 29, 2023
PURPOSE AND PASSION
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Purpose And Passion
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER TEN
Attitude#1 Purpose and Passion
Man possesses the capacity to lead but has lost the will to lead.
The attitude of purpose is the first attribute that separates followers from leaders. True leadership cannot be born or exist without a sense of purpose. Purpose is the discovery of a reason for your existence and is defined as the original intent for the creation of a thing. Every human being was created for a specific purpose, and when that purpose is discovered, then a leader is born.
Purpose creates a leader because it provides an assignment for life and signals a sense of significance. You must discover your purpose and the specific contribution you were destined to make to your generation. Your leadership is hidden in your purpose, and your purpose is the key to your passion. No matter what position you may hold in life or in an organization, you must relate it to your sense of purpose and approach it with passion.
The attitude of passion is the second most indispensable attribute of leadership and serves as the driving force of motivation that sustains the focus of the leader.
Without passion, one lacks energy, and boredom infects one’s mind and life. To become the leader that you were created to be, you must find a purpose for your life that produces a passion for living.
Every great man or woman became great because he or she possessed the spirit of passion. Yet I believe that this attitude is missing in 99 percent of the people of the world. This is why many are followers rather than leaders. Passion is rare in human experience.
PURPOSE IS THE FIRST ATTRIBUTE THAT SEPARATES FOLLOWERS FROM LEADERS.
Why is passion so important? In the Psalms, we read, “May he [Yah] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Your plans will be successful if you truly desire to accomplish them. The word desire denotes not a casual interest in life, but a deep, possessed drive for a desired end—a passion for a purpose. If you don’t have a passion for something, you won’t receive it. It’s only when we have a passion for what we want to do that things start happening to enable us to fulfill it.
Every true leader is passionate. Consider the following questions: How badly do you want something? Are you just existing, or are you pursuing a reason for living? Leaders don’t just do, but they feel what they’re doing. Their passion continually motivates and inspires them. The average person just has a job. He puts in his time and goes home at 5:00. His work is a role he plays, not a contribution he makes to the world. Yet true leaders don’t have jobs; they have lifetime assignments.
A COMPELLING DESTINATION FOR YOUR LIFE
Leadership is not the accomplishment of a list of goals because goals are temporary. True leadership is manifested when you discover a destination for your life that is so compelling that you will have completed your purpose for living once you accomplish it.
Passion is a key to leadership because your desire is meant to be your destiny. David, the great Israelite king, wrote in one of his psalms, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Our purposes and passions are the perpetual ideas, dreams, thoughts, and visions that fill our hearts or subconscious minds.
PASSION IS KEY TO LEADERSHIP BECAUSE YOUR DESIRE IS MEANT TO BE YOUR DESTINY.
When we delight in our relationship with our Creator, he will give us the desires that preoccupy our subconscious minds every day. This is because he has “hidden” his will inside each of us. If you want to discover Yah’s will for your life, then look at what you desire to accomplish—the hopes and dreams that never seem to leave you. The Creator places his desires in our hearts or subconscious minds and then promises to fulfill them. Your passion is supposed to come from that hidden treasure of desire that he has put within you. You know that you have tapped into your leadership potential when you are actively involved in the things you want to do so much that you can’t stop thinking about them.
Sometimes, it’s not easy for us to recognize the source of our life’s passion because our desires are often bigger than our pocketbooks, the level of our educations, our natural abilities, our cultures, or our race, and we figure that someone else is meant to accomplish them. Yet one of the signs of a true passion is that it is much bigger than we are. Let’s look more closely at the nature of passion.
WHAT IS PASSION?
Passion may be defined as:
1. A DEEP DESIRE
Passion is stamina that says, “I’m going to go after this, no matter what happens. If I have to wait ten years, I’m going to get it.” If you want to go all the way to your dream, you can’t sit back and expect everything to be easy. True leaders possess a deep desire that produces the passion to proceed with their dreams.
2. A CRAVING
Passionate people are “possessed” people. In other words, you can’t be successful as a leader unless you have a real inner need to accomplish something in particular.
3. AN OBLIGATION
When you are passionate about something, you feel compelled to do it. Leadership is born when one discovers a divine obligation to his community, world, and generation.
4. A DEEP COMMITMENT
Many people are “interested” in doing certain things, but they aren’t really committed to accomplishing them. Some people say that they will get a better job, lose weight, or change their lives in other ways—some day. The world is filled with people who are merely interested, but not passionate. Commitment is the guy who jumps out of an airplane, trusting that the parachute will open. It’s not talk, but action. Passion makes you jump in, no matter what. Leaders are committed, not just interested. They are willing to put their whole selves into accomplishing their purposes. True leadership is not finding something to live for, but something to die for.
5. A DEEP RESOLUTION
We make New Year’s resolutions every year and quickly forget them. How determined are you? Do you act on what you’ve committed yourself to do? Are you are willing to pay the price to obtain your desire? True leaders are resolved in their decisions to pursue their goals and purposes.
6. A DEEP MOTIVATION
Passion is the juice for living. For many people, life is a drudgery. They have no motivation in regard to their jobs, spouses, education, or personal development. Someone once said that the thing about life is that it is so daily. Passion helps us to rise above our daily routines.
If you’re not motivated, then you will become a weight or burden to others. You will pull on their energy. Passion is a source of motivation. When you have passion, you don’t need the right conditions to move forward because passion is internally generated and is not affected by external conditions. True leaders do not need outside stimuli in order to take action. They are self-motivated.
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF PASSION?
A Sense of Purpose
Where does passion come from? First, it comes from a sense of purpose. You are pursuing something that gives your life meaning. If you become distracted or opposition stands in your way, your destiny still pulls you in the direction of your desire because you can’t imagine not fulfilling it.
A Sense of Destiny
Passion comes from something outside this world and is connected to it. As long as you’re living for something on earth, your passion won’t last. It has to be connected to something that is bigger than your own existence. If you get your passion from something on earth, then when it stops, you will stop. Yet if you capture a sense of destiny that existed before you and will continue to exist after you, if you feel you’re involved in something that is larger than yourself, then you’re on your way to leadership. Passion is born when you connect to both the past and the future.
A Deep Conviction
Some people have no conviction about what they’re doing, but a leader is a person of strong conviction.
Passion is a deep certainty that you need to do something. Your convictions have to do with your beliefs. If you believe that you have discovered what you’re supposed to do, this creates passion. It makes you stand against and overcome opposition, resistance, criticism, and all other obstacles.
A LEADER IS A PERSON OF STRONG CONVICTION.
A Revelation of the Future
Passion is ignited from a revelation of where you want to go with your life. The Creator’s vision for you is so vivid that you can see it in your mind’s eye, and this picture creates a passion to arrive there. Most people will criticize your passion because they don’t see what you see. A leader usually moves toward things that can’t yet be seen but will be manifested in the future.
An Understanding of Providence
When you understand that the Creator’s providential hand is on your life, then you know that you are not just an experiment but part of a larger program, orchestrated by Yah, and that you have a role to play. This causes your passion to come alive. You’re not living just for yourself anymore but for all those in the past and future to whom you’re tied through a common purpose. Again, a true leader always thinks in terms of both yesterday and tomorrow—he builds on the past, and he builds for the future.
A Deep Resolution
A person with passion is determined to accomplish what he was born to do. This is not for his own sake alone, but also for the sake of others who will be blessed through the fulfillment of his purpose.
LEADERSHIP AND PASSION
Leadership is born when purpose is discovered and destiny is understood. Passion is the driving force of leadership and energizes leadership motivation. Yah likes people who are passionate. In Revelation, we read of his distaste for those who are lukewarm: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” People who are satisfied with a lesser existence will never go where they need to be.
In contrast, a person with passion takes chances. He is not afraid to fail because of his sense of destiny. He knows that failure is an incident but that destiny is permanent. Leaders know that purpose is much bigger than one incident or several incidents. Instead, they keep on moving toward the fulfillment of their purposes, no matter what.
QUALITIES OF PASSION
Leaders are those who have discovered something more important than life itself, and therefore—
• their passion produces resilience.
• their passion overcomes resistance and pain.
• their passion is a source of determination.
• their passion is an incubator of courage.
• their passion is stronger than opposition and even death.
The first-century writer Paul is a great example of a leader who was passionate. In his second letter to Corinth, we find a unique passage that shows the passion he had for his vision. Some people had challenged Paul’s right to be an apostle. They said that he was not really called by Yah and that he was not worthy of the respect he was getting. They themselves were false apostles, yet they attacked Paul’s credibility and spiritual qualifications and drew people away from the truth. Paul responded by addressing the Corinthian believers who were being led astray by these false apostles. He wrote that, even if what he was about to say sounded ridiculous and foolish, he would say it anyway so that they would return to the true gospel.
LEADERS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE DISCOVERED SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIFE ITSELF.
Are [these other men] Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Hamachiach? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the ministries.
Why did Paul give a list of problems and tribulations as part of the proof that he was a genuine apostle? He was saying, in effect, “If the vision and assignment I received wasn’t real, do you think I’d go through all those hardships?”
Paul paid a price for his purpose, but his passion enabled him to do it. You are passionate and you are real if you stay steady under pressure. You know your vision is from Yah when you are still at it once the storm clears.
Leadership is born when one discovers his purpose for being and commits to pursue it at all costs. If you find that you are bored, then you have not yet discovered your purpose because passion is the driving force in life.
Sow a thought, reap a belief. Sow a belief, reap an attitude, Sow an attitude, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Today we are walking in: Purpose And Passion
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER TEN
Attitude#1 Purpose and Passion
Man possesses the capacity to lead but has lost the will to lead.
The attitude of purpose is the first attribute that separates followers from leaders. True leadership cannot be born or exist without a sense of purpose. Purpose is the discovery of a reason for your existence and is defined as the original intent for the creation of a thing. Every human being was created for a specific purpose, and when that purpose is discovered, then a leader is born.
Purpose creates a leader because it provides an assignment for life and signals a sense of significance. You must discover your purpose and the specific contribution you were destined to make to your generation. Your leadership is hidden in your purpose, and your purpose is the key to your passion. No matter what position you may hold in life or in an organization, you must relate it to your sense of purpose and approach it with passion.
The attitude of passion is the second most indispensable attribute of leadership and serves as the driving force of motivation that sustains the focus of the leader.
Without passion, one lacks energy, and boredom infects one’s mind and life. To become the leader that you were created to be, you must find a purpose for your life that produces a passion for living.
Every great man or woman became great because he or she possessed the spirit of passion. Yet I believe that this attitude is missing in 99 percent of the people of the world. This is why many are followers rather than leaders. Passion is rare in human experience.
PURPOSE IS THE FIRST ATTRIBUTE THAT SEPARATES FOLLOWERS FROM LEADERS.
Why is passion so important? In the Psalms, we read, “May he [Yah] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Your plans will be successful if you truly desire to accomplish them. The word desire denotes not a casual interest in life, but a deep, possessed drive for a desired end—a passion for a purpose. If you don’t have a passion for something, you won’t receive it. It’s only when we have a passion for what we want to do that things start happening to enable us to fulfill it.
Every true leader is passionate. Consider the following questions: How badly do you want something? Are you just existing, or are you pursuing a reason for living? Leaders don’t just do, but they feel what they’re doing. Their passion continually motivates and inspires them. The average person just has a job. He puts in his time and goes home at 5:00. His work is a role he plays, not a contribution he makes to the world. Yet true leaders don’t have jobs; they have lifetime assignments.
A COMPELLING DESTINATION FOR YOUR LIFE
Leadership is not the accomplishment of a list of goals because goals are temporary. True leadership is manifested when you discover a destination for your life that is so compelling that you will have completed your purpose for living once you accomplish it.
Passion is a key to leadership because your desire is meant to be your destiny. David, the great Israelite king, wrote in one of his psalms, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Our purposes and passions are the perpetual ideas, dreams, thoughts, and visions that fill our hearts or subconscious minds.
PASSION IS KEY TO LEADERSHIP BECAUSE YOUR DESIRE IS MEANT TO BE YOUR DESTINY.
When we delight in our relationship with our Creator, he will give us the desires that preoccupy our subconscious minds every day. This is because he has “hidden” his will inside each of us. If you want to discover Yah’s will for your life, then look at what you desire to accomplish—the hopes and dreams that never seem to leave you. The Creator places his desires in our hearts or subconscious minds and then promises to fulfill them. Your passion is supposed to come from that hidden treasure of desire that he has put within you. You know that you have tapped into your leadership potential when you are actively involved in the things you want to do so much that you can’t stop thinking about them.
Sometimes, it’s not easy for us to recognize the source of our life’s passion because our desires are often bigger than our pocketbooks, the level of our educations, our natural abilities, our cultures, or our race, and we figure that someone else is meant to accomplish them. Yet one of the signs of a true passion is that it is much bigger than we are. Let’s look more closely at the nature of passion.
WHAT IS PASSION?
Passion may be defined as:
1. A DEEP DESIRE
Passion is stamina that says, “I’m going to go after this, no matter what happens. If I have to wait ten years, I’m going to get it.” If you want to go all the way to your dream, you can’t sit back and expect everything to be easy. True leaders possess a deep desire that produces the passion to proceed with their dreams.
2. A CRAVING
Passionate people are “possessed” people. In other words, you can’t be successful as a leader unless you have a real inner need to accomplish something in particular.
3. AN OBLIGATION
When you are passionate about something, you feel compelled to do it. Leadership is born when one discovers a divine obligation to his community, world, and generation.
4. A DEEP COMMITMENT
Many people are “interested” in doing certain things, but they aren’t really committed to accomplishing them. Some people say that they will get a better job, lose weight, or change their lives in other ways—some day. The world is filled with people who are merely interested, but not passionate. Commitment is the guy who jumps out of an airplane, trusting that the parachute will open. It’s not talk, but action. Passion makes you jump in, no matter what. Leaders are committed, not just interested. They are willing to put their whole selves into accomplishing their purposes. True leadership is not finding something to live for, but something to die for.
5. A DEEP RESOLUTION
We make New Year’s resolutions every year and quickly forget them. How determined are you? Do you act on what you’ve committed yourself to do? Are you are willing to pay the price to obtain your desire? True leaders are resolved in their decisions to pursue their goals and purposes.
6. A DEEP MOTIVATION
Passion is the juice for living. For many people, life is a drudgery. They have no motivation in regard to their jobs, spouses, education, or personal development. Someone once said that the thing about life is that it is so daily. Passion helps us to rise above our daily routines.
If you’re not motivated, then you will become a weight or burden to others. You will pull on their energy. Passion is a source of motivation. When you have passion, you don’t need the right conditions to move forward because passion is internally generated and is not affected by external conditions. True leaders do not need outside stimuli in order to take action. They are self-motivated.
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF PASSION?
A Sense of Purpose
Where does passion come from? First, it comes from a sense of purpose. You are pursuing something that gives your life meaning. If you become distracted or opposition stands in your way, your destiny still pulls you in the direction of your desire because you can’t imagine not fulfilling it.
A Sense of Destiny
Passion comes from something outside this world and is connected to it. As long as you’re living for something on earth, your passion won’t last. It has to be connected to something that is bigger than your own existence. If you get your passion from something on earth, then when it stops, you will stop. Yet if you capture a sense of destiny that existed before you and will continue to exist after you, if you feel you’re involved in something that is larger than yourself, then you’re on your way to leadership. Passion is born when you connect to both the past and the future.
A Deep Conviction
Some people have no conviction about what they’re doing, but a leader is a person of strong conviction.
Passion is a deep certainty that you need to do something. Your convictions have to do with your beliefs. If you believe that you have discovered what you’re supposed to do, this creates passion. It makes you stand against and overcome opposition, resistance, criticism, and all other obstacles.
A LEADER IS A PERSON OF STRONG CONVICTION.
A Revelation of the Future
Passion is ignited from a revelation of where you want to go with your life. The Creator’s vision for you is so vivid that you can see it in your mind’s eye, and this picture creates a passion to arrive there. Most people will criticize your passion because they don’t see what you see. A leader usually moves toward things that can’t yet be seen but will be manifested in the future.
An Understanding of Providence
When you understand that the Creator’s providential hand is on your life, then you know that you are not just an experiment but part of a larger program, orchestrated by Yah, and that you have a role to play. This causes your passion to come alive. You’re not living just for yourself anymore but for all those in the past and future to whom you’re tied through a common purpose. Again, a true leader always thinks in terms of both yesterday and tomorrow—he builds on the past, and he builds for the future.
A Deep Resolution
A person with passion is determined to accomplish what he was born to do. This is not for his own sake alone, but also for the sake of others who will be blessed through the fulfillment of his purpose.
LEADERSHIP AND PASSION
Leadership is born when purpose is discovered and destiny is understood. Passion is the driving force of leadership and energizes leadership motivation. Yah likes people who are passionate. In Revelation, we read of his distaste for those who are lukewarm: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” People who are satisfied with a lesser existence will never go where they need to be.
In contrast, a person with passion takes chances. He is not afraid to fail because of his sense of destiny. He knows that failure is an incident but that destiny is permanent. Leaders know that purpose is much bigger than one incident or several incidents. Instead, they keep on moving toward the fulfillment of their purposes, no matter what.
QUALITIES OF PASSION
Leaders are those who have discovered something more important than life itself, and therefore—
• their passion produces resilience.
• their passion overcomes resistance and pain.
• their passion is a source of determination.
• their passion is an incubator of courage.
• their passion is stronger than opposition and even death.
The first-century writer Paul is a great example of a leader who was passionate. In his second letter to Corinth, we find a unique passage that shows the passion he had for his vision. Some people had challenged Paul’s right to be an apostle. They said that he was not really called by Yah and that he was not worthy of the respect he was getting. They themselves were false apostles, yet they attacked Paul’s credibility and spiritual qualifications and drew people away from the truth. Paul responded by addressing the Corinthian believers who were being led astray by these false apostles. He wrote that, even if what he was about to say sounded ridiculous and foolish, he would say it anyway so that they would return to the true gospel.
LEADERS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE DISCOVERED SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIFE ITSELF.
Are [these other men] Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Hamachiach? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the ministries.
Why did Paul give a list of problems and tribulations as part of the proof that he was a genuine apostle? He was saying, in effect, “If the vision and assignment I received wasn’t real, do you think I’d go through all those hardships?”
Paul paid a price for his purpose, but his passion enabled him to do it. You are passionate and you are real if you stay steady under pressure. You know your vision is from Yah when you are still at it once the storm clears.
Leadership is born when one discovers his purpose for being and commits to pursue it at all costs. If you find that you are bored, then you have not yet discovered your purpose because passion is the driving force in life.
Sow a thought, reap a belief. Sow a belief, reap an attitude, Sow an attitude, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
RECAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Recapturing The Spirit Of Leadership
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER NINE
Recapturing the Spirit of Leadership
The key to the spirit of leadership is attitude rather than aptitude.
A few years ago, my wife and I went to Egypt and had a tour of the pyramids. We saw the tombs of the Pharaohs, as well as a chariot and a gold bracelet owned by one of the Egyptian rulers. The artifacts were in glass cases. In one case, there were some seeds of corn, wheat, and maize. The notation said something like, “These seeds were found in the Egyptian desert, not far from the Nile, where it is so hot that anything that is underground can be petrified and preserved for thousands of years. These seeds are 6,000 years old.”
The sign also said that some of the ancient seeds had been germinated. The Egyptian government had taken seeds that were 6,000 years old and planted them, and the seeds actually grew! When they crossbred the ancient seeds with modern seed, they found they got a better crop.
These seeds were underground for 6,000 years, but they never lost their innate potential. They were destined to become what they had been created to be: fully grown
plants that could nourish people. No matter how long you have been “petrified” by your emotions, the circumstances of life, or others’ opinions, your innate potential is still within you. The Authorized Dealer connects you with the Creator so that you can fulfill your destiny and do the work you were born to do. Paul wrote to the first-century church at Philippi, “We are Yah’s workmanship, created in Hamachiach Yahusha to do good works, which Yah prepared in advance for us to do.”
THE GOAL OF THE CREATOR IS TO RESTORE THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP BACK TO THE MIND OF MAN.
The goal of the Creator is to restore the spirit of leadership back to the mind of man. To accomplish this, Yah sent us his Word. Yah’s words are designed to transfer truth and ideas that will renew our thought lives and thus transform the spirit of our minds, our attitudes.
THE POWER OF MENTAL CONDITIONING
Our mental conditioning determines our success or failure. You have to train to become what you want to be. The reason soldiers are sent to boot camp is to get them to stop thinking like civilians and start thinking like professional military minds. In boot camp, they are isolated from their families and friends and the rest of society so that they can focus on their new mind-set.
Similarly, when you want to change your mental attitude about leadership, you have to train yourself. You will find that the power of mental conditioning will sustain you and give you the internal fortitude to overcome incredible odds. Our beliefs are housed in our hearts, but they manifest themselves as we experience various circumstances. The level of your mental conditioning dictates your response to life, to issues, to circumstances, to creation, to your world. This is why one of the most powerful things you possess on earth is your mental attitude. As you take in the thoughts of the Creator through prayer and reading the Bible, the Spirit “downloads” these truths to your heart so that your mind is trained to rely on his thoughts and not your former distorted ideas about life.
THE SPIRIT “DOWNLOADS” THE CREATOR’S THOUGHTS TO YOUR HEART.
Yahusha said that the Spirit would teach us the truth and explain the things that he has said. He will be our teacher. In order to have the right mental attitude, you have to have the right teacher, and your teacher, according to the Creator, is his Spirit who dwells in you, who takes up residence in you for that very purpose. Leadership demands mental reconditioning.
THE MARRIAGE OF ABILITY AND ATTITUDE
When you practice renewing your mind, you begin to recapture the spirit of leadership. In this way, there is a marriage between who you inherently are as a leader and the way you are meant to think as a leader. When the attitude of leadership is married to the ability of leadership, then you are a true leader.
INTEGRATING LEADERSHIP MENTALITY AND THE LEADERSHIP MANDATE
The Creator has given us a mandate to lead and have dominion over an area of life. However, we have to integrate this responsibility with the necessary mentality. We can never fully carry out the mandate of leadership if we don’t have the mentality of leadership.
INTEGRATING ATTITUDE, ATTRIBUTES, APTITUDE, AND ALTITUDE
Leaders think in a certain way. Therefore, they manifest certain attributes and they work hard to attain a certain aptitude (they continually desire to learn more about themselves, life, and Yah), and this causes them to think at a higher level, or altitude. The more truth about yourself that you receive into your heart, the higher your thinking will be. You will have an increasingly clear vision for your life. All these areas need to be integrated for effective leadership.
THE KEY TO THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP: ATTITUDE
Again, the key to the spirit of leadership is attitude rather than aptitude. In other words, it’s not ability—it’s mentality. What you think is even more important than what you do. The chapters that follow explore essential attitudes that must be cultivated for you to experience and achieve your fullest leadership potential.
A leader has to have an integration of attitudes. You can’t have vision without courage, you can’t have courage without compassion, and you can’t have compassion without strategy if you want to be an effective leader.
Attitude is a learned behavior, created by our beliefs, which are produced by our thoughts. We change our attitudes by changing our beliefs, by changing our thoughts about everything in life—including ourselves. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”34 The first-century writer John said, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
ATTITUDES CAN BE CHANGED
We can change our attitudes. In fact, we are responsible for doing so. We cannot continue to function in a manner that we do not truly believe about ourselves. The day that we take responsibility for our attitudes is the day that we truly grow up.
Attitude determines everything. It is not enough to know the principles, precepts, and skills of leadership. We must acquire the spirit of leadership by discovering and applying the attitudes of true leaders. Training in leadership really means training in attitude because attitude has to do with how we respond to life. We must think, talk, walk, dress, act, respond, decide, plan, work, relate, and live like leaders.
I have had to learn the attitudes of leadership. I was born in a very poor neighborhood in the Bahamas, in a wooden house on four stones. I had ten brothers and sisters, and I slept on the wooden floor of our two-bedroom house. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was poverty, and questionable characters were always present, exerting a negative influence.
Then I went through a transformation. I desired to know the truth about my life and about life in general. I questioned my disposition and challenged the status quo during my teenage years. The answers began to appear when I was given a Bible by my parents at age thirteen. I discovered in the pages of this series the amazing truth that I was created in the image of the Creator and that his intent was for me to know him and his will for my existence.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING OUR ATTITUDES.
This discovery changed everything for me forever. When I began to read the Bible, I received new thoughts about myself and my world. The source of our thoughts is so important because our thoughts are the key to our quality of life. When I read the Bible, it contradicted what I was taught and what I saw with my eyes. I began to believe what it said rather than what I heard from outside sources, and that is how I developed a leadership mentality.
Whatever your own circumstances, you, also, can experience the transformation of your outlook as you discover the attitudes that will enable you to be the leader that you were born to be.
CULTIVATING THE LEADERSHIP SPIRIT
In my experience, leadership is 20 percent talent, skill, and technical knowledge and 80 percent attitude. Most of the great leaders throughout history possessed a unique selfperception that set their characters apart from the average person. A careful study of these leadership giants will reveal that they weren’t born with this attitude, but it was ignited in them and then cultivated by a life-changing encounter with the Creator.
To cultivate means to grow, progress, and cause the orderly development of something. This process demands that the right components, resources, and environment be incorporated into the soil of the system. Cultivating the spirit of leadership is a choice, and only you can make it.
The most outstanding leaders we can study are biblical characters, such as Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Daniel, Esther, Deborah, Jeremiah, Mary, Peter, Paul, and John. In every one of the above cases, you will see that they experienced personal encounters with the Creator of mankind and, in these encounters, were challenged to believe things about themselves that they found difficult or almost impossible.
The Creator challenged their views, images, and conceptions of themselves and made demands on their potential that they did not believe they possessed. Moses, a fugitive, was challenged to become a “union leader,” a “freedom fighter,” and a national political leader destined to build a nation that would change the world. Moses’s fear of others, poor sense of self-worth, and low estimation of his own abilities were challenged by the Creator, and he was commanded to go and deliver the charge of “let my people go” to the most powerful government of his day. His self-concept, self-awareness, and estimation of his ability changed almost overnight, and the spirit of leadership was ignited within him. His attitude was changed forever.
Joshua, Moses’s assistant, was challenged to take leadership responsibility for millions of desert people and to settle them in the land of promise, establishing social, cultural, and economic institutions for the new nation. His timidity was challenged by the Creator, and he was commanded to “be strong and courageous.” His self-concept changed in that encounter. This new perception of himself produced the spirit of leadership in him and an attitude that distinguished him from other people.
The same scenario of transformation played out in the lives of Gideon, David, Esther, and all the others. Their personal encounters with their Yah challenged their selfimages, self-concepts, self-esteem, self-worth, and sense of potential. It also gave each a sense of purpose for their lives and changed their attitudes forever. The spirit of leadership was ignited in each, and their lives impacted their generations and continue to inspire the world today.
CULTIVATING THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP IS A CHOICE.
What is crucial in all these cases is the fact that all of them had images of themselves that were not correct and were produced by their cultures, past experiences, or the opinions of others. This is the reason the hidden leader within all of us remains buried and suffocates in the grave of our mediocre cultures. To be free from this condition, we must determine to cultivate the spirit of leadership and rise above the limitations of our past experiences, other people’s opinions of us, and the stifling context of our so-called social norms.
As I noted earlier, to begin this process, we must ask ourselves some very important questions, such as “What image do I have of myself?” or “How do I see myself?” and “What do I imagine that I am capable of?” Self-image sets the boundaries of both individual and national accomplishment.
It defines what you can and cannot be or do. Expand the selfimage, and you expand the scope of possibilities. As in the above examples, most of our self-images are the products of our primary role models, our historical context, our formal and informal educational training, and our social environments and powers of influence.
It is important to understand that the world usually forms its opinions of you primarily from the opinions you have of yourself. Others often see you in precisely the way you see yourself. You will generally act in a way that is consistent with your self-image. Self-esteem is the emotional component of your self-concept and represents the real core of your human personality. This is true of individuals and nations alike. It deals with the question, “How do you feel about yourself?” How much you like yourself is totally dependent on who you think you are. How you define yourself is the single most important statement you can make about yourself, and it is the heart of attitude. The spirit of leadership will emerge from your self-definition.
YOU ACT IN A WAY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR SELF-IMAGE.
Low self-esteem is a result of an inferiority or superiority complex. Again, the way you relate to others is directly connected to how you feel about yourself. This is why Yahusha’s response to the question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law [of Yah]?” was, in effect, “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.” The value that you perceive others to have and the way you treat them is directly determined by how you see and value yourself. You can never truly value others above your own value.
All behavior is shaped and controlled by who and what you think you are. Everything in life is indeed attitudinal. Your self-image determines the level of your self-esteem and self-worth. Your self-esteem determines how you live your life. In the final analysis, your ability to lead depends on the attitude produced by your self-image, sense of selfworth, and self-esteem.
MARKS OF THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
Just like the many examples of effective leaders discussed earlier, when you rediscover the truth about yourself, then you, too, will ignite the process of developing the marks of a true spirit of leadership:
• the spirit of a strong self-image—a true sense of one’s Source
• the spirit of a healthy self-concept—a perception of one’s true nature
• the spirit of self-confidence—a belief in one’s inherent ability
• the spirit of self-significance—a sense of valuable contribution to the world
• the spirit of passion—a deep conviction and determination of heart
• the spirit of excellence—a striving to always improve oneself and one’s work
• the spirit of compassion—a sensitivity to the value of others
• the spirit of creativity—a belief in the untested and untried
• the spirit of self-empowerment—a desire to see others succeed
• the spirit of self-improvement—a personal commitment to grow
• the spirit of self-discipline—a commitment to a self-imposed standard
• the spirit of humility—a consciousness of self and one’s strengths and weaknesses
• the spirit of unlimited ability—a belief in one’s potential as raw material
• the spirit of possibilities—a commitment to unlimited thinking
• the spirit of self-acceptance—an embracing of one’s total humanity, including one’s strengths, weaknesses, personality, physical appearance, defects, and gifts
In the following pages, I want to address the heart of this series, and that is the qualities and characteristics of the spirit of leadership—the unique attitudes that all true leaders possess, and the fact that you can cultivate and develop them. These attitudes are necessary if you are to experience the manifestation of your leadership capacity. They can be learned, developed, cultivated, and refined through practice and responsibility. When they come together in your life, then you will fulfill the definition of a leader: You will have the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose. To paraphrase Paul Meier,
Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought produced by your self-image, self-worth, and self-esteem, and habit can be acquired and changed by the reconditioning of the mind.
PRINCIPLES
1. No matter how long you have been “petrified” by your emotions, the circumstances of life, or others’ opinions, your innate leadership potential is still within you.
2. Yah’s words are designed to transfer truth and ideas that will renew our thought lives and thus transform the spirit of our minds, our attitudes.
3. Our mental conditioning determines our success or failure.
4. When the attitude of leadership is married to the ability of leadership, then you are a true leader.
5. Leaders manifest certain attributes, and they work hard to attain a certain aptitude (they continually desire to learn more about themselves, life, and Yah), and this causes them to think at a higher level, or altitude.
6. The day that we take responsibility for our attitudes is the day that we truly grow up.
7. We must acquire the spirit of leadership by discovering and applying the attitudes of true leaders. We must think, talk, walk, dress, act, respond, decide, plan, work, relate, and live like leaders.
8. Leadership is 20 percent talent, skill, and technical knowledge and 80 percent attitude.
9. Cultivating the spirit of leadership is a choice, and only you can make it.
10. How you define yourself is the single most important statement you can make about yourself, and it is the heart of attitude. The spirit of leadership will emerge from your self-definition.
11. All the leadership attitudes can be learned, developed, cultivated, and refined through practice and responsibility.
12. When the leadership attitudes come together in your life, then you will fulfill the definition of a leader: You will have the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose.
Today we are walking in: Recapturing The Spirit Of Leadership
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER NINE
Recapturing the Spirit of Leadership
The key to the spirit of leadership is attitude rather than aptitude.
A few years ago, my wife and I went to Egypt and had a tour of the pyramids. We saw the tombs of the Pharaohs, as well as a chariot and a gold bracelet owned by one of the Egyptian rulers. The artifacts were in glass cases. In one case, there were some seeds of corn, wheat, and maize. The notation said something like, “These seeds were found in the Egyptian desert, not far from the Nile, where it is so hot that anything that is underground can be petrified and preserved for thousands of years. These seeds are 6,000 years old.”
The sign also said that some of the ancient seeds had been germinated. The Egyptian government had taken seeds that were 6,000 years old and planted them, and the seeds actually grew! When they crossbred the ancient seeds with modern seed, they found they got a better crop.
These seeds were underground for 6,000 years, but they never lost their innate potential. They were destined to become what they had been created to be: fully grown
plants that could nourish people. No matter how long you have been “petrified” by your emotions, the circumstances of life, or others’ opinions, your innate potential is still within you. The Authorized Dealer connects you with the Creator so that you can fulfill your destiny and do the work you were born to do. Paul wrote to the first-century church at Philippi, “We are Yah’s workmanship, created in Hamachiach Yahusha to do good works, which Yah prepared in advance for us to do.”
THE GOAL OF THE CREATOR IS TO RESTORE THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP BACK TO THE MIND OF MAN.
The goal of the Creator is to restore the spirit of leadership back to the mind of man. To accomplish this, Yah sent us his Word. Yah’s words are designed to transfer truth and ideas that will renew our thought lives and thus transform the spirit of our minds, our attitudes.
THE POWER OF MENTAL CONDITIONING
Our mental conditioning determines our success or failure. You have to train to become what you want to be. The reason soldiers are sent to boot camp is to get them to stop thinking like civilians and start thinking like professional military minds. In boot camp, they are isolated from their families and friends and the rest of society so that they can focus on their new mind-set.
Similarly, when you want to change your mental attitude about leadership, you have to train yourself. You will find that the power of mental conditioning will sustain you and give you the internal fortitude to overcome incredible odds. Our beliefs are housed in our hearts, but they manifest themselves as we experience various circumstances. The level of your mental conditioning dictates your response to life, to issues, to circumstances, to creation, to your world. This is why one of the most powerful things you possess on earth is your mental attitude. As you take in the thoughts of the Creator through prayer and reading the Bible, the Spirit “downloads” these truths to your heart so that your mind is trained to rely on his thoughts and not your former distorted ideas about life.
THE SPIRIT “DOWNLOADS” THE CREATOR’S THOUGHTS TO YOUR HEART.
Yahusha said that the Spirit would teach us the truth and explain the things that he has said. He will be our teacher. In order to have the right mental attitude, you have to have the right teacher, and your teacher, according to the Creator, is his Spirit who dwells in you, who takes up residence in you for that very purpose. Leadership demands mental reconditioning.
THE MARRIAGE OF ABILITY AND ATTITUDE
When you practice renewing your mind, you begin to recapture the spirit of leadership. In this way, there is a marriage between who you inherently are as a leader and the way you are meant to think as a leader. When the attitude of leadership is married to the ability of leadership, then you are a true leader.
INTEGRATING LEADERSHIP MENTALITY AND THE LEADERSHIP MANDATE
The Creator has given us a mandate to lead and have dominion over an area of life. However, we have to integrate this responsibility with the necessary mentality. We can never fully carry out the mandate of leadership if we don’t have the mentality of leadership.
INTEGRATING ATTITUDE, ATTRIBUTES, APTITUDE, AND ALTITUDE
Leaders think in a certain way. Therefore, they manifest certain attributes and they work hard to attain a certain aptitude (they continually desire to learn more about themselves, life, and Yah), and this causes them to think at a higher level, or altitude. The more truth about yourself that you receive into your heart, the higher your thinking will be. You will have an increasingly clear vision for your life. All these areas need to be integrated for effective leadership.
THE KEY TO THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP: ATTITUDE
Again, the key to the spirit of leadership is attitude rather than aptitude. In other words, it’s not ability—it’s mentality. What you think is even more important than what you do. The chapters that follow explore essential attitudes that must be cultivated for you to experience and achieve your fullest leadership potential.
A leader has to have an integration of attitudes. You can’t have vision without courage, you can’t have courage without compassion, and you can’t have compassion without strategy if you want to be an effective leader.
Attitude is a learned behavior, created by our beliefs, which are produced by our thoughts. We change our attitudes by changing our beliefs, by changing our thoughts about everything in life—including ourselves. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”34 The first-century writer John said, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
ATTITUDES CAN BE CHANGED
We can change our attitudes. In fact, we are responsible for doing so. We cannot continue to function in a manner that we do not truly believe about ourselves. The day that we take responsibility for our attitudes is the day that we truly grow up.
Attitude determines everything. It is not enough to know the principles, precepts, and skills of leadership. We must acquire the spirit of leadership by discovering and applying the attitudes of true leaders. Training in leadership really means training in attitude because attitude has to do with how we respond to life. We must think, talk, walk, dress, act, respond, decide, plan, work, relate, and live like leaders.
I have had to learn the attitudes of leadership. I was born in a very poor neighborhood in the Bahamas, in a wooden house on four stones. I had ten brothers and sisters, and I slept on the wooden floor of our two-bedroom house. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was poverty, and questionable characters were always present, exerting a negative influence.
Then I went through a transformation. I desired to know the truth about my life and about life in general. I questioned my disposition and challenged the status quo during my teenage years. The answers began to appear when I was given a Bible by my parents at age thirteen. I discovered in the pages of this series the amazing truth that I was created in the image of the Creator and that his intent was for me to know him and his will for my existence.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING OUR ATTITUDES.
This discovery changed everything for me forever. When I began to read the Bible, I received new thoughts about myself and my world. The source of our thoughts is so important because our thoughts are the key to our quality of life. When I read the Bible, it contradicted what I was taught and what I saw with my eyes. I began to believe what it said rather than what I heard from outside sources, and that is how I developed a leadership mentality.
Whatever your own circumstances, you, also, can experience the transformation of your outlook as you discover the attitudes that will enable you to be the leader that you were born to be.
CULTIVATING THE LEADERSHIP SPIRIT
In my experience, leadership is 20 percent talent, skill, and technical knowledge and 80 percent attitude. Most of the great leaders throughout history possessed a unique selfperception that set their characters apart from the average person. A careful study of these leadership giants will reveal that they weren’t born with this attitude, but it was ignited in them and then cultivated by a life-changing encounter with the Creator.
To cultivate means to grow, progress, and cause the orderly development of something. This process demands that the right components, resources, and environment be incorporated into the soil of the system. Cultivating the spirit of leadership is a choice, and only you can make it.
The most outstanding leaders we can study are biblical characters, such as Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Daniel, Esther, Deborah, Jeremiah, Mary, Peter, Paul, and John. In every one of the above cases, you will see that they experienced personal encounters with the Creator of mankind and, in these encounters, were challenged to believe things about themselves that they found difficult or almost impossible.
The Creator challenged their views, images, and conceptions of themselves and made demands on their potential that they did not believe they possessed. Moses, a fugitive, was challenged to become a “union leader,” a “freedom fighter,” and a national political leader destined to build a nation that would change the world. Moses’s fear of others, poor sense of self-worth, and low estimation of his own abilities were challenged by the Creator, and he was commanded to go and deliver the charge of “let my people go” to the most powerful government of his day. His self-concept, self-awareness, and estimation of his ability changed almost overnight, and the spirit of leadership was ignited within him. His attitude was changed forever.
Joshua, Moses’s assistant, was challenged to take leadership responsibility for millions of desert people and to settle them in the land of promise, establishing social, cultural, and economic institutions for the new nation. His timidity was challenged by the Creator, and he was commanded to “be strong and courageous.” His self-concept changed in that encounter. This new perception of himself produced the spirit of leadership in him and an attitude that distinguished him from other people.
The same scenario of transformation played out in the lives of Gideon, David, Esther, and all the others. Their personal encounters with their Yah challenged their selfimages, self-concepts, self-esteem, self-worth, and sense of potential. It also gave each a sense of purpose for their lives and changed their attitudes forever. The spirit of leadership was ignited in each, and their lives impacted their generations and continue to inspire the world today.
CULTIVATING THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP IS A CHOICE.
What is crucial in all these cases is the fact that all of them had images of themselves that were not correct and were produced by their cultures, past experiences, or the opinions of others. This is the reason the hidden leader within all of us remains buried and suffocates in the grave of our mediocre cultures. To be free from this condition, we must determine to cultivate the spirit of leadership and rise above the limitations of our past experiences, other people’s opinions of us, and the stifling context of our so-called social norms.
As I noted earlier, to begin this process, we must ask ourselves some very important questions, such as “What image do I have of myself?” or “How do I see myself?” and “What do I imagine that I am capable of?” Self-image sets the boundaries of both individual and national accomplishment.
It defines what you can and cannot be or do. Expand the selfimage, and you expand the scope of possibilities. As in the above examples, most of our self-images are the products of our primary role models, our historical context, our formal and informal educational training, and our social environments and powers of influence.
It is important to understand that the world usually forms its opinions of you primarily from the opinions you have of yourself. Others often see you in precisely the way you see yourself. You will generally act in a way that is consistent with your self-image. Self-esteem is the emotional component of your self-concept and represents the real core of your human personality. This is true of individuals and nations alike. It deals with the question, “How do you feel about yourself?” How much you like yourself is totally dependent on who you think you are. How you define yourself is the single most important statement you can make about yourself, and it is the heart of attitude. The spirit of leadership will emerge from your self-definition.
YOU ACT IN A WAY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR SELF-IMAGE.
Low self-esteem is a result of an inferiority or superiority complex. Again, the way you relate to others is directly connected to how you feel about yourself. This is why Yahusha’s response to the question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law [of Yah]?” was, in effect, “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.” The value that you perceive others to have and the way you treat them is directly determined by how you see and value yourself. You can never truly value others above your own value.
All behavior is shaped and controlled by who and what you think you are. Everything in life is indeed attitudinal. Your self-image determines the level of your self-esteem and self-worth. Your self-esteem determines how you live your life. In the final analysis, your ability to lead depends on the attitude produced by your self-image, sense of selfworth, and self-esteem.
MARKS OF THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
Just like the many examples of effective leaders discussed earlier, when you rediscover the truth about yourself, then you, too, will ignite the process of developing the marks of a true spirit of leadership:
• the spirit of a strong self-image—a true sense of one’s Source
• the spirit of a healthy self-concept—a perception of one’s true nature
• the spirit of self-confidence—a belief in one’s inherent ability
• the spirit of self-significance—a sense of valuable contribution to the world
• the spirit of passion—a deep conviction and determination of heart
• the spirit of excellence—a striving to always improve oneself and one’s work
• the spirit of compassion—a sensitivity to the value of others
• the spirit of creativity—a belief in the untested and untried
• the spirit of self-empowerment—a desire to see others succeed
• the spirit of self-improvement—a personal commitment to grow
• the spirit of self-discipline—a commitment to a self-imposed standard
• the spirit of humility—a consciousness of self and one’s strengths and weaknesses
• the spirit of unlimited ability—a belief in one’s potential as raw material
• the spirit of possibilities—a commitment to unlimited thinking
• the spirit of self-acceptance—an embracing of one’s total humanity, including one’s strengths, weaknesses, personality, physical appearance, defects, and gifts
In the following pages, I want to address the heart of this series, and that is the qualities and characteristics of the spirit of leadership—the unique attitudes that all true leaders possess, and the fact that you can cultivate and develop them. These attitudes are necessary if you are to experience the manifestation of your leadership capacity. They can be learned, developed, cultivated, and refined through practice and responsibility. When they come together in your life, then you will fulfill the definition of a leader: You will have the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose. To paraphrase Paul Meier,
Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought produced by your self-image, self-worth, and self-esteem, and habit can be acquired and changed by the reconditioning of the mind.
PRINCIPLES
1. No matter how long you have been “petrified” by your emotions, the circumstances of life, or others’ opinions, your innate leadership potential is still within you.
2. Yah’s words are designed to transfer truth and ideas that will renew our thought lives and thus transform the spirit of our minds, our attitudes.
3. Our mental conditioning determines our success or failure.
4. When the attitude of leadership is married to the ability of leadership, then you are a true leader.
5. Leaders manifest certain attributes, and they work hard to attain a certain aptitude (they continually desire to learn more about themselves, life, and Yah), and this causes them to think at a higher level, or altitude.
6. The day that we take responsibility for our attitudes is the day that we truly grow up.
7. We must acquire the spirit of leadership by discovering and applying the attitudes of true leaders. We must think, talk, walk, dress, act, respond, decide, plan, work, relate, and live like leaders.
8. Leadership is 20 percent talent, skill, and technical knowledge and 80 percent attitude.
9. Cultivating the spirit of leadership is a choice, and only you can make it.
10. How you define yourself is the single most important statement you can make about yourself, and it is the heart of attitude. The spirit of leadership will emerge from your self-definition.
11. All the leadership attitudes can be learned, developed, cultivated, and refined through practice and responsibility.
12. When the leadership attitudes come together in your life, then you will fulfill the definition of a leader: You will have the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
LEADERSHIP ABILITY WITHOUT THE ATTITUDE
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Leadership Ability Without The Attitude
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER EIGHT
Leadership Ability without the Attitude
No leader can rise above his attitude.
When the young lion saw the older lion and reconnected to his true nature, the process of his growth was still ahead of him. He knew his identity, but he had to understand what that identity really meant. Only by entering the right environment— the forest—could he discover what it would involve for him to someday take his place as king of his domain. The same is true for us.
HARDWARE WITHOUT SOFTWARE
As I wrote in the previous teaching, when we are restored to our Source of power, we are still missing a key element: the software. The software is our leadership attitude. We have been detached from this attitude for so long that, even though we now have an awareness of our leadership spirit, we need to take on the mentality of a leader because we still have the mind-set of slaves.
THE MIND OF THE SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT OF THE MIND
The greatest challenge of those who have been reconnected with the Creator is having their attitude correspond with the mind of Yah’s Spirit who now dwells within them. Yahusha has provided for the restoration of the Spirit in us. We are spiritually reconnected to our Source, but the second step is that of restoring the attitude of our minds so that we can exercise our leadership spirit.
Paul said, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Hamachiach Yahusha,” and “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” He was talking to people who had already received Yah’s Spirit, so he was indicating that they had not yet changed in the way they needed to. Just because we’ve been reconnected to our Source doesn’t mean that we are thinking like him in all ways. Our attitude needs to be adjusted. Only when we are renewed in the “spirit of our mind” will we have the attitude that reflects the mind of the Spirit.
THE HEART AND THE MIND OF LEADERSHIP
Remember our earlier discussion about beliefs being our own only as they move into our subconscious minds? In your mind, you can know that you are a leader, but if this knowledge is not in your subconscious mind, then you still won’t behave like a leader. If your heart is not changed, then you’re a new creature with an old mind.
Yahusha, the great leadership trainer, would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Some people just want to listen; they don’t want to hear, so it never gets
into their subconscious minds. The only way to get things into your subconscious mind is through repetition. You have to “download” it over a period of time. When you download something onto your computer, you have to wait until it is finished before you can use it. You can’t force it to download. It is the same with your heart. You have to patiently allow the new information to settle into your subconscious. For example, it may be necessary for you to read this series three or four times to absorb all the leadership information that it contains.
SALVATION IS DIFFERENT FROM CONVERSION
Salvation (reconnection with Yah) is not necessarily synonymous with conversion (the transformation of the mind). The word conversion in Greek means “reversion” or “a turning about.”31 Although salvation is a turning back to Yah, we also need to be coverted in the sense of reverting to the original information the Manufacturer gave us. It is through the Spirit of the Creator that we can mend the attitude of our minds because he is the Spirit of Truth who reminds us of the truth that the Authorized Dealer brought us.
YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO LEAD, BUT YOU NEED THE MENTALITY FOR IT.
In other words, in leadership terms, salvation should not be confused with conversion. You will never become a true leader until you discover how to think like a leader. You have the capacity to lead, but you need the mentality for it. You have the ability to lead, but you need the
understanding to do it. You have the potential to lead, but you need to have a revelation of leadership.
There has to be a conversion in your heart or subconscious mind that creates a different sense of reality for you. When you think in a different way, you will become different. Your head has to catch up with what has already happened in your spirit. What’s been in your subconscious mind for the last ten, twenty, or thirty years is going to fight what the Spirit is revealing to you. Whether it was a parent who said you were no good, a teacher who told you that you weren’t smart, or even a well-meaning pastor or priest who told you to be “humble,” various people have negatively influenced your perspective toward your leadership ability.
How many times have you agreed with something yet did not do it? How many times have you said to yourself, “That’s true,” but did not act on it? You believed it because it was true, but you were not to the point of conviction where it caused you to act. You probably believe that there are certain things you cannot do, and you think things such as the following: “I don’t deserve this.” “I can’t go there.” “I can’t achieve that.” “There’s no way I can have that.” “I can’t even think about that.” You have to come to believe that you can pursue and accomplish what the Creator has already put within you to do.
LEADERSHIP—ATTITUDE OR APTITUDE?
Remember that leadership is both an aptitude and an attitude. No matter how much intellectual ability you have, if you don’t have the right attitudes, your ability doesn’t
mean anything. Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”32
When I was in college, I signed up for a class in business administration. Then I discovered that the professor was driving a VW and wearing torn jeans and old shoes. He walked into the classroom and said, “Today our session is about how to become a millionaire.” I sat there and said to myself, I’m in the wrong class. I dropped the course because he had an aptitude, but obviously he didn’t have the attitude that would enable him to achieve what he was about to try to teach me. Something was missing.
WHEN YOU THINK IN A DIFFERENT WAY, YOU WILL BECOME DIFFERENT.
The wealthiest people in the world are usually not intellectuals or academic experts. I’m not saying that they aren’t intelligent but that their financial success is not attributed to their educations. Computer entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Steven Jobs are examples of successful people who didn’t do well under a traditional educational experience. Although they dropped out of college, they somehow had a certain attitude that caused them to be convinced that they had valuable ideas to develop. They discovered purpose and passion, they believed in their ideas, and they inspired other people who believed in them, too. Eventually, hundreds of thousands of people bought their products—and still do.
In lesson two, I gave examples of leaders who found a purpose and a passion and inspired others to follow
them in their visions. Yet they were not overnight successes. They had to have the right attitudes and then persevere in them in order to be effective.
Abraham Lincoln is a classic example of this. He failed to accomplish his goals many times, but he had an inner belief that he had something to offer his community, his state, and eventually his nation. This attitude is what kept him in the race even when he faced negative circumstances and setbacks. How do you react when you fail? You have to have an inner belief that is stronger than your experience. Victor Frankl, the holocaust survivor, said, “It’s not what happens to me that matters, but what happens in me.”
Sir Winston Churchill is another good example of someone who persevered in his vision and in pursuing what he believed was right. He understood clearly that Nazism was a threat to Great Britain and the world, but he spent months and years as essentially the lone voice of warning before others realized the truth of what he was saying. He had an inner conviction that kept him going. Under the pressure of circumstances and a sense of responsibility for saving the nation of England, his leadership developed and matured.
In a sense, George W. Bush’s presidency was born on September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in rural Pennsylvania. This crisis introduced Bush to himself. The demands and responsibilities of his position put tremendous pressure on him, and the result was a new attitude of deep responsibility for the welfare of the citizens of America that brought out his inherent leadership ability.
You might know that you are a leader. That’s awareness. But do you have the mental conditioning to manifest that reality?
“We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have.” —John Maxwell33
PRINCIPLES
1. Leadership is both an aptitude and an attitude.
2. No leader can rise above his or her attitude.
3. Man’s greatest challenge is having his attitude correspond with the mind of the Spirit of Yah within him.
4. The mind of the Spirit is the presence of the Spirit of Yah in man’s spirit, but the spirit of the mind is the attitude that accompanies that Spirit.
5. Salvation (reconnection with Yah) is not necessarily synonymous with conversion (the transformation of the mind). The word conversion in Greek means “reversion” or “a turning about.” We need to revert to the original information the Manufacturer gave us.
6. It is through the Spirit of the Creator that we can mend the attitude of our minds because he is the Spirit of Truth who reminds us of the truth that the Authorized Dealer brought us.
7. You have to patiently allow the new information from the Creator to settle into your subconscious.
Today we are walking in: Leadership Ability Without The Attitude
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER EIGHT
Leadership Ability without the Attitude
No leader can rise above his attitude.
When the young lion saw the older lion and reconnected to his true nature, the process of his growth was still ahead of him. He knew his identity, but he had to understand what that identity really meant. Only by entering the right environment— the forest—could he discover what it would involve for him to someday take his place as king of his domain. The same is true for us.
HARDWARE WITHOUT SOFTWARE
As I wrote in the previous teaching, when we are restored to our Source of power, we are still missing a key element: the software. The software is our leadership attitude. We have been detached from this attitude for so long that, even though we now have an awareness of our leadership spirit, we need to take on the mentality of a leader because we still have the mind-set of slaves.
THE MIND OF THE SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT OF THE MIND
The greatest challenge of those who have been reconnected with the Creator is having their attitude correspond with the mind of Yah’s Spirit who now dwells within them. Yahusha has provided for the restoration of the Spirit in us. We are spiritually reconnected to our Source, but the second step is that of restoring the attitude of our minds so that we can exercise our leadership spirit.
Paul said, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Hamachiach Yahusha,” and “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” He was talking to people who had already received Yah’s Spirit, so he was indicating that they had not yet changed in the way they needed to. Just because we’ve been reconnected to our Source doesn’t mean that we are thinking like him in all ways. Our attitude needs to be adjusted. Only when we are renewed in the “spirit of our mind” will we have the attitude that reflects the mind of the Spirit.
THE HEART AND THE MIND OF LEADERSHIP
Remember our earlier discussion about beliefs being our own only as they move into our subconscious minds? In your mind, you can know that you are a leader, but if this knowledge is not in your subconscious mind, then you still won’t behave like a leader. If your heart is not changed, then you’re a new creature with an old mind.
Yahusha, the great leadership trainer, would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Some people just want to listen; they don’t want to hear, so it never gets
into their subconscious minds. The only way to get things into your subconscious mind is through repetition. You have to “download” it over a period of time. When you download something onto your computer, you have to wait until it is finished before you can use it. You can’t force it to download. It is the same with your heart. You have to patiently allow the new information to settle into your subconscious. For example, it may be necessary for you to read this series three or four times to absorb all the leadership information that it contains.
SALVATION IS DIFFERENT FROM CONVERSION
Salvation (reconnection with Yah) is not necessarily synonymous with conversion (the transformation of the mind). The word conversion in Greek means “reversion” or “a turning about.”31 Although salvation is a turning back to Yah, we also need to be coverted in the sense of reverting to the original information the Manufacturer gave us. It is through the Spirit of the Creator that we can mend the attitude of our minds because he is the Spirit of Truth who reminds us of the truth that the Authorized Dealer brought us.
YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO LEAD, BUT YOU NEED THE MENTALITY FOR IT.
In other words, in leadership terms, salvation should not be confused with conversion. You will never become a true leader until you discover how to think like a leader. You have the capacity to lead, but you need the mentality for it. You have the ability to lead, but you need the
understanding to do it. You have the potential to lead, but you need to have a revelation of leadership.
There has to be a conversion in your heart or subconscious mind that creates a different sense of reality for you. When you think in a different way, you will become different. Your head has to catch up with what has already happened in your spirit. What’s been in your subconscious mind for the last ten, twenty, or thirty years is going to fight what the Spirit is revealing to you. Whether it was a parent who said you were no good, a teacher who told you that you weren’t smart, or even a well-meaning pastor or priest who told you to be “humble,” various people have negatively influenced your perspective toward your leadership ability.
How many times have you agreed with something yet did not do it? How many times have you said to yourself, “That’s true,” but did not act on it? You believed it because it was true, but you were not to the point of conviction where it caused you to act. You probably believe that there are certain things you cannot do, and you think things such as the following: “I don’t deserve this.” “I can’t go there.” “I can’t achieve that.” “There’s no way I can have that.” “I can’t even think about that.” You have to come to believe that you can pursue and accomplish what the Creator has already put within you to do.
LEADERSHIP—ATTITUDE OR APTITUDE?
Remember that leadership is both an aptitude and an attitude. No matter how much intellectual ability you have, if you don’t have the right attitudes, your ability doesn’t
mean anything. Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”32
When I was in college, I signed up for a class in business administration. Then I discovered that the professor was driving a VW and wearing torn jeans and old shoes. He walked into the classroom and said, “Today our session is about how to become a millionaire.” I sat there and said to myself, I’m in the wrong class. I dropped the course because he had an aptitude, but obviously he didn’t have the attitude that would enable him to achieve what he was about to try to teach me. Something was missing.
WHEN YOU THINK IN A DIFFERENT WAY, YOU WILL BECOME DIFFERENT.
The wealthiest people in the world are usually not intellectuals or academic experts. I’m not saying that they aren’t intelligent but that their financial success is not attributed to their educations. Computer entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Steven Jobs are examples of successful people who didn’t do well under a traditional educational experience. Although they dropped out of college, they somehow had a certain attitude that caused them to be convinced that they had valuable ideas to develop. They discovered purpose and passion, they believed in their ideas, and they inspired other people who believed in them, too. Eventually, hundreds of thousands of people bought their products—and still do.
In lesson two, I gave examples of leaders who found a purpose and a passion and inspired others to follow
them in their visions. Yet they were not overnight successes. They had to have the right attitudes and then persevere in them in order to be effective.
Abraham Lincoln is a classic example of this. He failed to accomplish his goals many times, but he had an inner belief that he had something to offer his community, his state, and eventually his nation. This attitude is what kept him in the race even when he faced negative circumstances and setbacks. How do you react when you fail? You have to have an inner belief that is stronger than your experience. Victor Frankl, the holocaust survivor, said, “It’s not what happens to me that matters, but what happens in me.”
Sir Winston Churchill is another good example of someone who persevered in his vision and in pursuing what he believed was right. He understood clearly that Nazism was a threat to Great Britain and the world, but he spent months and years as essentially the lone voice of warning before others realized the truth of what he was saying. He had an inner conviction that kept him going. Under the pressure of circumstances and a sense of responsibility for saving the nation of England, his leadership developed and matured.
In a sense, George W. Bush’s presidency was born on September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in rural Pennsylvania. This crisis introduced Bush to himself. The demands and responsibilities of his position put tremendous pressure on him, and the result was a new attitude of deep responsibility for the welfare of the citizens of America that brought out his inherent leadership ability.
You might know that you are a leader. That’s awareness. But do you have the mental conditioning to manifest that reality?
“We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have.” —John Maxwell33
PRINCIPLES
1. Leadership is both an aptitude and an attitude.
2. No leader can rise above his or her attitude.
3. Man’s greatest challenge is having his attitude correspond with the mind of the Spirit of Yah within him.
4. The mind of the Spirit is the presence of the Spirit of Yah in man’s spirit, but the spirit of the mind is the attitude that accompanies that Spirit.
5. Salvation (reconnection with Yah) is not necessarily synonymous with conversion (the transformation of the mind). The word conversion in Greek means “reversion” or “a turning about.” We need to revert to the original information the Manufacturer gave us.
6. It is through the Spirit of the Creator that we can mend the attitude of our minds because he is the Spirit of Truth who reminds us of the truth that the Authorized Dealer brought us.
7. You have to patiently allow the new information from the Creator to settle into your subconscious.
Monday, June 26, 2023
THE RESTORATION OF THE LEADERSHIP SPIRIT
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: The Restoration of The Leadership Spirit
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Restoration of the Leadership Spirit
The Creator’s purposes for mankind are permanent.
In this work, I have presented my position that every human was created with leadership potential and rulership capacity, yet few will discover this latent power and fewer still will release or manifest it. The question is why. Why is leadership so difficult to develop and manifest in our generation?
The answer, I believe, is not a lack of raw material or potential but the absence of right information, training, and an environment conducive to producing the mentality, mind-set, and attitudes necessary for this leadership potential to be ignited. This is the spirit of leadership. True leadership has more to do with mind-set than with methods and techniques.
In the story that opened this discussion, the young lion who thought he was a sheep, and who lived like and with the sheep, came to a point of decision where he either had to become himself or forever live in a world that was not designed for him. The young lion, as you will recall, made his decision and turned his back on the security and safety of the farm. He followed the great beast into the forest and was restored to his destiny, his reality, and himself. This is the challenge of all humanity—restoration to self.
TRUE LEADERSHIP HAS MORE TO DO WITH MIND-SET THAN WITH METHODS.
Despite humanity’s declaring independence from its Source and manifesting the tragic and harmful results of its rebellion, the Creator hasn’t changed his mind about his original purposes for us. He is passionately committed to our being reconnected to him for two principal reasons: (1) We are made in his image, and he doesn’t want his image to be distorted or disgraced in the world, and (2) his purposes are permanent; he always accomplishes what he originally sets out to do.
THE PERMANENCE OF PURPOSE
As we have read in the original text of the creation narrative, the purpose for man’s creation was to have dominion over the earth as ruler over the environment. Man was created to be a leader and was designed with the ability to manifest his leadership nature. The past and future of mankind is leadership. Leadership is your destiny.
The Creator is committed to fulfilling his purposes for us, which he initiated when he first created us. In order for him to accomplish what he originally purposed for us, he first has to reconnect us to himself. His original intent for mankind is the motivation behind his plan of restoration and all his interactions with us.
THE CORPORATE LEADERSHIP MANDATE
In this series, our philosophy of leadership is based on the precept that every human was created to be a leader. Again, if this proposition is applied to the traditional concept of leadership, which defines leadership as the management, control, or mobilizing of people, then the obvious question is, “Who will be the followers?”
However, our principle is derived from the mandate established by the Creator when he said, “Let them rule [“have dominion”]...over all the earth.” There are a number of important implications of this mandate that must be considered when discussing the purpose and assignment of mankind. Let’s review them now.
1. The word dominion means to rule, control, govern, master, and lead.
2. The dominion command specifically referred to dominion over nature, not human beings.
3. The mandate to dominate, rule, and lead was given to the entire human species (“Let them rule”) and therefore places every human in the position of leadership.
The implications of these truths are tremendous and critical. Each one a leader? How can this be? It becomes clearer when we truly come to understand that the mandate was for mankind to dominate fish, birds, plants, animals, and the entire environment of earth, but not his fellowman.
This amazing mandate was the result of the Creator’s purpose for mankind to be the reflection of a corporate
leadership—in other words, a nation of kings, a company of rulers. The question then arises, “How does this type of leadership work?” The answer is in the concept of the servant leadership principle.
Each human being comes to earth with a specific gift, talent, and strength of ability. Each is to serve that gift to the others through subduing the material resources of creation and thus becoming a servant to everyone else. He or she becomes a leader in that specific area of strength.
Yah IS DESCRIBED AS KING OF KINGS, NOT KING OF SLAVES.
As we saw earlier, this principle of servant leadership was expressed by the ultimate leader, Yahusha Hamachiach, when he was asked about leadership positioning. Thus, the Creator’s design of a corporate leadership can be summed up in the phrase “Every person a leader.” Every human being, according to the Creator’s mandate, was designed by him to be a leader in an area of gifting.
We must understand this truth if we’re to fulfill the Creator’s purpose: The command to have dominion over the earth was given to all of humanity. It wasn’t given to a few select people, and it wasn’t given to males alone. Both males and females are leaders, according to our Creator. Yah is described as King of kings. He is not the king of slaves but of rulers who reign with him according to his purposes. His plan for humanity is that each one be a king—a ruler over an area of gifting in creation.
Clifford Pinchot, a speaker and consultant on innovation management, is the author of the best-selling book Intrapreneuring: Why You Don’t Have to Leave the Corporation to Become an Entrepreneur. He is also a contributing author in The Leader of the Future, published by the Drucker Foundation. Pinchot addressed the concept of corporate leadership in his work entitled Creating Organizations with Many Leaders: “Effective leaders today use the tools of community building to create an environment in which many leaders can emerge. They contribute inspiring descriptions of a shared vision to align everyone’s energies....The organization of the future will be a community of entrepreneurs.”29
As I read the many ideas being explored and introduced by leadership experts and gurus today, I am amazed that some of their so-called new ideas are simply old ideas that, for thousands of years, have been embedded in the texts of the ancient writings of the Scriptures. The Creator always intended that all men—male and female—become leaders in their specific areas of gifting and serve the world as a nation of rulers. Perhaps this is the notion behind the designation of Yahusha Hamachiach in his consummate relationship with mankind as the “King of kings.” He is the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of leaders. This is the essence of corporate leadership.
THE PROGRAM FOR REPAIR— RECONNECTION TO SOURCE
When humanity lost the spirit of leadership, the result was spiritual, mental, and physical decline. Human beings were disconnected from the Spirit of Yah, who enabled them to know the thoughts of their Creator. They had no other place to get their thoughts from, so they got them from themselves and their environment. This is what man has been living on ever since—his own thoughts, the thoughts of his contemporaries, and the deceitfulness of his adversary. What a combination to build one’s heart out of!
The Creator’s program for repair is to reconnect mankind to himself. We will call this reconnection “redemptive restoration.” In its essence, the entire story of the Bible is about the Manufacturer refitting his product to accomplish his original purpose.
The Creator’s prognosis of our condition is actually very different from what we usually think it is. It was not so much a “religious” problem as it is a thought problem. Therefore, he sent the Word (his thoughts) to earth to correct and redirect our thinking. The first-century writer John wrote,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yah, and the Word was Yah. He was with Yah in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it....The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
The Greek word that is translated “Word” in this passage is logos, which means “The Divine Expression.”30 Yahusha is Yah expressing himself and his purposes to us. The Creator sent us his thoughts. When someone is sick, and the doctor does a diagnosis, the result of the diagnosis dictates the medication he prescribes. Therefore, Yah’s prescription of sending his expressed thought indicates what he considered to be the source and cause of humanity’s problem: a defective thought problem.
In the final analysis, our thinking creates our lives. Yahusha came to give us back the original thoughts that we lost when we rebelled against our Source. When our thoughts are corrected, our attitudes will be transformed because our original thinking will be restored. This will ignite our leadership spirit and enable us to fulfill our leadership potential.
OUR THINKING CREATES OUR LIVES.
This is why, for three-and-a-half years, Yahusha sat with his student-disciples—which included those businessmen who owned a fishing company, Peter, Andrew, James, and John—and challenged them to change their thinking by showing them the way a true leader thinks.
THE AUTHORIZED DEALER—Yahusha
A few years ago, I purchased a new laptop computer and was intrigued when I read through the operator’s manual. All the usual information was there, but what caught my eye were the last few pages at the back of the booklet. These pages dealt with the warranty and guarantee issues and the stipulation concerning using only an authorized dealer. The principle was clear: The company honored only the work of an authorized dealer in regard to repairs, and any violation of this agreement would cancel the warranty.
When a manufacturer addresses the issue of repairing a problem with its product, it has its authorized dealers take care of the situation because they represent the
manufacturer and are familiar with the product. The same principle holds true in the case of the fall of man from his relationship with his Creator. The Creator sent his one-and-only Authorized Dealer to give us the original information about ourselves and to repair our damaged relationship with the Manufacturer.
The coming of Yahusha to the earth was not so much a religious activity as it was a “business” transaction. His “assignment” was to do everything necessary to reconnect mankind back to his Source. Following our earlier analogy, Yahusha came to restore power to the “computer”—he restored the Spirit of the Creator to our lives and gave us a new awareness of our purpose. Now we have the power to become what we were created to be. He restored our “hard drives.”
Yahusha’S COMING TO EARTH WAS MORE A BUSINESS TRANSACTION THAN A RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.
We read earlier that “the Word is Yah.” Yah sent himself to give us the true information about ourselves. Yahusha said, “You will know the truth [through the Word], and the truth will set you free.” Through the Word, we are set free from all the misconceptions and mental illnesses that resulted from our disconnection.
One of the statements Yahusha made numerous times before he explained something was, “I tell you the truth.” If you want to know the truth about yourself and the attitude you should have about yourself, you have to listen to the words Yahusha spoke about you. We need truth, and he is the source of it. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I read this as, “I am the way to the truth that gives you life.” Put another way, he is the source of the information that makes us come alive.
John went on to say, “In him was life, and that life was the light [knowledge] of men.” Yahusha came to bring life. You never really live until you get true information about yourself. “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Darkness refers to ignorance, while light denotes knowledge. Yahusha knows the truth about us—who we really are—and he is saying, “The more you know what I know about you, the more alive you will become.”
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” Yahusha knows the truth about every human being who is alive. That’s why we go to him for restoration. It is not to “get religion,” but to rediscover our Source and our true selves.
THE PROGRAM FOR REPROGRAMMING— THE RETURN OF THE SPIRIT OF THE CREATOR
The human spirit lost its connection with the Creator, which is the presence of his Spirit in our lives. Every act of the Authorized Dealer was a very intricate program that required certain things in order for the connection to be restored. First, humanity’s rebellion had to be resolved because, remember, the rebellion resulted in a penalty: spiritual death. You can’t cancel a penalty—someone has to pay it. Therefore, the Authorized Dealer took that penalty on himself. The substitutionary death of the Authorized Dealer was to satisfy the demands of the penalty for the rebellion of man.
This was the purpose of Hamachiach’s suffering and death. They were not ends in themselves but means for us to be fully reconnected and restored to the Creator. So now, this Spirit is available to every human being of every generation. The Authorized Dealer paid the penalty, provided complete forgiveness, and repaired the internal damage. We had been responsible for paying it, but we had no ability to do so. We never could have been restored without his intervention. After the repair, the Authorized Dealer’s goal was to restore the Spirit to vessels who were now ready to receive him.
THE LAST THING YAHUSHA PROMISED MANKIND WAS NOT HEAVEN BUT POWER.
The last thing that Yahusha Hamachiach promised mankind was not heaven but power: “You will receive power when the Ruach HaQadesh comes on you.” He told his disciples, in effect, “I’m leaving to return to the Father Yah. My purpose on earth is completed, but I’m sending One who is just like me who will help you. I’m outside of you, and I’m demonstrating power, but he will be in you, and he’s going to enact power through you and give power to you.” Yahusha knew that this power was what they were missing. It was what Adam lost. So the ultimate purpose of Hamachiach’s death and resurrection at Calvary was to return the power of the Creator to man so that he could fulfill Yah’s intent for him.
The return of the Spirit of Yah to the spirit of man is the most important moment in human history since the Creator first breathed into man the breath of life and caused him to be a living being. We have the initial reception at creation, and then the re-reception at the end of the program of restoration. In this way, Yahusha restored humanity’s connection with its Source. At the same time, man’s leadership spirit was reconnected to the Source of true leadership. The hard drive was restored, but now comes the more difficult part: the installation of the software of a renewed mind—in other words, the thinking of a leader.
THE NEED FOR A RENEWED MIND
Being a leader is a natural part of our makeup, but thinking like a leader is difficult. Although becoming reconnected is essential, it is just the start of developing into a true leader. We have to transform our thoughts and align them with those that our Creator is thinking. Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Yah’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The only way to have a mind change is to rediscover the revelation of the truth about yourself—the reality that you were created and designed to be a leader. You must internalize the truth that leadership is your nature, your destiny, and your purpose for existence. You must capture the essence of the understanding that the purpose for your existence is to have dominion over the earth. You were born to rule—to lead. Once you capture this truth, then the work begins.
The mental transformation—in our computer analogy, this would be the downloading of new software—is different from the repair and restoration. It is a process that takes
time because it involves the changing of ingrained thoughts and habits. The vital difference is that now you have the power and the access to the Spirit of the Creator that will enable you to be able to do this.
The return of the Spirit restores to us the consciousness of our leadership spirit and dominion assignment. Now comes the challenge, which is what the rest of this series deals with: the transformation of our minds as we discover and live out the attitudes of the spirit of leadership. The essence of this series is about the downloading of the leadership software.
PRINCIPLES
1. True leadership has more to do with mind-set than with methods and techniques.
2. The challenge of all humanity is restoration to self.
3. Despite humanity’s declaring independence from its Source, the Creator hasn’t changed his mind about his original purposes for us.
4. The Creator is passionately committed to our being reconnected to him because (1) we are made in his image, and he doesn’t want his image to be distorted or disgraced in the world, and (2) his purposes are permanent; he always accomplishes what he originally sets out to do.
5. The Creator’s ultimate purpose for humanity is to create a corporate leadership, summed up in the phrase, “Every person a leader.” The command to have dominion over the earth was given to all of humanity, males and females.
6. Corporate leadership works through the servant leadership principle.
7. Every human being, according to the Creator’s mandate, was designed by him to be a leader in an area of gifting.
8. The Creator’s program for reconnecting humanity with himself can be called “redemptive restoration.”
9. Humanity’s dilemma is not so much a “religious” problem as it is a thought problem.
10. Yah sent “the Word,” Yahusha Hamachiach, to earth to correct and redirect our thinking. He came to give us back the original thoughts that we lost when we disconnected from our Source.
11. When our thoughts are corrected, our attitudes can be transformed, and we will be able to fulfill our leadership potential.
12. The Authorized Dealer, Yahusha, is “the way to the truth that gives us life.”
13. You never really live until you get true information about yourself.
14. The substitutionary death of the Authorized Dealer was to satisfy the demands of the penalty for the rebellion of man. Through his death, humanity could be fully reconnected and restored to Yah, and the Spirit of the Creator was made available to people of every generation.
15. The ultimate purpose of the suffering and death of Yahusha Hamachiach was to return the power of the Creator to human beings so that we could fulfill Yah’s original intent for us.
16. The return of the Spirit restores to us the consciousness of our leadership spirit and dominion assignment.
17. Full restoration of the spirit of leadership is a process of transforming our thoughts and aligning them with those of our Creator.
18. Mental transformation is different from repair and restoration. It is a process that takes time because it involves the changing of ingrained thoughts and habits.
19. Through the Spirit, we have the power and the access to the Creator that will enable us to effect a transformation of our attitudes.
Today we are walking in: The Restoration of The Leadership Spirit
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Restoration of the Leadership Spirit
The Creator’s purposes for mankind are permanent.
In this work, I have presented my position that every human was created with leadership potential and rulership capacity, yet few will discover this latent power and fewer still will release or manifest it. The question is why. Why is leadership so difficult to develop and manifest in our generation?
The answer, I believe, is not a lack of raw material or potential but the absence of right information, training, and an environment conducive to producing the mentality, mind-set, and attitudes necessary for this leadership potential to be ignited. This is the spirit of leadership. True leadership has more to do with mind-set than with methods and techniques.
In the story that opened this discussion, the young lion who thought he was a sheep, and who lived like and with the sheep, came to a point of decision where he either had to become himself or forever live in a world that was not designed for him. The young lion, as you will recall, made his decision and turned his back on the security and safety of the farm. He followed the great beast into the forest and was restored to his destiny, his reality, and himself. This is the challenge of all humanity—restoration to self.
TRUE LEADERSHIP HAS MORE TO DO WITH MIND-SET THAN WITH METHODS.
Despite humanity’s declaring independence from its Source and manifesting the tragic and harmful results of its rebellion, the Creator hasn’t changed his mind about his original purposes for us. He is passionately committed to our being reconnected to him for two principal reasons: (1) We are made in his image, and he doesn’t want his image to be distorted or disgraced in the world, and (2) his purposes are permanent; he always accomplishes what he originally sets out to do.
THE PERMANENCE OF PURPOSE
As we have read in the original text of the creation narrative, the purpose for man’s creation was to have dominion over the earth as ruler over the environment. Man was created to be a leader and was designed with the ability to manifest his leadership nature. The past and future of mankind is leadership. Leadership is your destiny.
The Creator is committed to fulfilling his purposes for us, which he initiated when he first created us. In order for him to accomplish what he originally purposed for us, he first has to reconnect us to himself. His original intent for mankind is the motivation behind his plan of restoration and all his interactions with us.
THE CORPORATE LEADERSHIP MANDATE
In this series, our philosophy of leadership is based on the precept that every human was created to be a leader. Again, if this proposition is applied to the traditional concept of leadership, which defines leadership as the management, control, or mobilizing of people, then the obvious question is, “Who will be the followers?”
However, our principle is derived from the mandate established by the Creator when he said, “Let them rule [“have dominion”]...over all the earth.” There are a number of important implications of this mandate that must be considered when discussing the purpose and assignment of mankind. Let’s review them now.
1. The word dominion means to rule, control, govern, master, and lead.
2. The dominion command specifically referred to dominion over nature, not human beings.
3. The mandate to dominate, rule, and lead was given to the entire human species (“Let them rule”) and therefore places every human in the position of leadership.
The implications of these truths are tremendous and critical. Each one a leader? How can this be? It becomes clearer when we truly come to understand that the mandate was for mankind to dominate fish, birds, plants, animals, and the entire environment of earth, but not his fellowman.
This amazing mandate was the result of the Creator’s purpose for mankind to be the reflection of a corporate
leadership—in other words, a nation of kings, a company of rulers. The question then arises, “How does this type of leadership work?” The answer is in the concept of the servant leadership principle.
Each human being comes to earth with a specific gift, talent, and strength of ability. Each is to serve that gift to the others through subduing the material resources of creation and thus becoming a servant to everyone else. He or she becomes a leader in that specific area of strength.
Yah IS DESCRIBED AS KING OF KINGS, NOT KING OF SLAVES.
As we saw earlier, this principle of servant leadership was expressed by the ultimate leader, Yahusha Hamachiach, when he was asked about leadership positioning. Thus, the Creator’s design of a corporate leadership can be summed up in the phrase “Every person a leader.” Every human being, according to the Creator’s mandate, was designed by him to be a leader in an area of gifting.
We must understand this truth if we’re to fulfill the Creator’s purpose: The command to have dominion over the earth was given to all of humanity. It wasn’t given to a few select people, and it wasn’t given to males alone. Both males and females are leaders, according to our Creator. Yah is described as King of kings. He is not the king of slaves but of rulers who reign with him according to his purposes. His plan for humanity is that each one be a king—a ruler over an area of gifting in creation.
Clifford Pinchot, a speaker and consultant on innovation management, is the author of the best-selling book Intrapreneuring: Why You Don’t Have to Leave the Corporation to Become an Entrepreneur. He is also a contributing author in The Leader of the Future, published by the Drucker Foundation. Pinchot addressed the concept of corporate leadership in his work entitled Creating Organizations with Many Leaders: “Effective leaders today use the tools of community building to create an environment in which many leaders can emerge. They contribute inspiring descriptions of a shared vision to align everyone’s energies....The organization of the future will be a community of entrepreneurs.”29
As I read the many ideas being explored and introduced by leadership experts and gurus today, I am amazed that some of their so-called new ideas are simply old ideas that, for thousands of years, have been embedded in the texts of the ancient writings of the Scriptures. The Creator always intended that all men—male and female—become leaders in their specific areas of gifting and serve the world as a nation of rulers. Perhaps this is the notion behind the designation of Yahusha Hamachiach in his consummate relationship with mankind as the “King of kings.” He is the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of leaders. This is the essence of corporate leadership.
THE PROGRAM FOR REPAIR— RECONNECTION TO SOURCE
When humanity lost the spirit of leadership, the result was spiritual, mental, and physical decline. Human beings were disconnected from the Spirit of Yah, who enabled them to know the thoughts of their Creator. They had no other place to get their thoughts from, so they got them from themselves and their environment. This is what man has been living on ever since—his own thoughts, the thoughts of his contemporaries, and the deceitfulness of his adversary. What a combination to build one’s heart out of!
The Creator’s program for repair is to reconnect mankind to himself. We will call this reconnection “redemptive restoration.” In its essence, the entire story of the Bible is about the Manufacturer refitting his product to accomplish his original purpose.
The Creator’s prognosis of our condition is actually very different from what we usually think it is. It was not so much a “religious” problem as it is a thought problem. Therefore, he sent the Word (his thoughts) to earth to correct and redirect our thinking. The first-century writer John wrote,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yah, and the Word was Yah. He was with Yah in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it....The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
The Greek word that is translated “Word” in this passage is logos, which means “The Divine Expression.”30 Yahusha is Yah expressing himself and his purposes to us. The Creator sent us his thoughts. When someone is sick, and the doctor does a diagnosis, the result of the diagnosis dictates the medication he prescribes. Therefore, Yah’s prescription of sending his expressed thought indicates what he considered to be the source and cause of humanity’s problem: a defective thought problem.
In the final analysis, our thinking creates our lives. Yahusha came to give us back the original thoughts that we lost when we rebelled against our Source. When our thoughts are corrected, our attitudes will be transformed because our original thinking will be restored. This will ignite our leadership spirit and enable us to fulfill our leadership potential.
OUR THINKING CREATES OUR LIVES.
This is why, for three-and-a-half years, Yahusha sat with his student-disciples—which included those businessmen who owned a fishing company, Peter, Andrew, James, and John—and challenged them to change their thinking by showing them the way a true leader thinks.
THE AUTHORIZED DEALER—Yahusha
A few years ago, I purchased a new laptop computer and was intrigued when I read through the operator’s manual. All the usual information was there, but what caught my eye were the last few pages at the back of the booklet. These pages dealt with the warranty and guarantee issues and the stipulation concerning using only an authorized dealer. The principle was clear: The company honored only the work of an authorized dealer in regard to repairs, and any violation of this agreement would cancel the warranty.
When a manufacturer addresses the issue of repairing a problem with its product, it has its authorized dealers take care of the situation because they represent the
manufacturer and are familiar with the product. The same principle holds true in the case of the fall of man from his relationship with his Creator. The Creator sent his one-and-only Authorized Dealer to give us the original information about ourselves and to repair our damaged relationship with the Manufacturer.
The coming of Yahusha to the earth was not so much a religious activity as it was a “business” transaction. His “assignment” was to do everything necessary to reconnect mankind back to his Source. Following our earlier analogy, Yahusha came to restore power to the “computer”—he restored the Spirit of the Creator to our lives and gave us a new awareness of our purpose. Now we have the power to become what we were created to be. He restored our “hard drives.”
Yahusha’S COMING TO EARTH WAS MORE A BUSINESS TRANSACTION THAN A RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.
We read earlier that “the Word is Yah.” Yah sent himself to give us the true information about ourselves. Yahusha said, “You will know the truth [through the Word], and the truth will set you free.” Through the Word, we are set free from all the misconceptions and mental illnesses that resulted from our disconnection.
One of the statements Yahusha made numerous times before he explained something was, “I tell you the truth.” If you want to know the truth about yourself and the attitude you should have about yourself, you have to listen to the words Yahusha spoke about you. We need truth, and he is the source of it. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I read this as, “I am the way to the truth that gives you life.” Put another way, he is the source of the information that makes us come alive.
John went on to say, “In him was life, and that life was the light [knowledge] of men.” Yahusha came to bring life. You never really live until you get true information about yourself. “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Darkness refers to ignorance, while light denotes knowledge. Yahusha knows the truth about us—who we really are—and he is saying, “The more you know what I know about you, the more alive you will become.”
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” Yahusha knows the truth about every human being who is alive. That’s why we go to him for restoration. It is not to “get religion,” but to rediscover our Source and our true selves.
THE PROGRAM FOR REPROGRAMMING— THE RETURN OF THE SPIRIT OF THE CREATOR
The human spirit lost its connection with the Creator, which is the presence of his Spirit in our lives. Every act of the Authorized Dealer was a very intricate program that required certain things in order for the connection to be restored. First, humanity’s rebellion had to be resolved because, remember, the rebellion resulted in a penalty: spiritual death. You can’t cancel a penalty—someone has to pay it. Therefore, the Authorized Dealer took that penalty on himself. The substitutionary death of the Authorized Dealer was to satisfy the demands of the penalty for the rebellion of man.
This was the purpose of Hamachiach’s suffering and death. They were not ends in themselves but means for us to be fully reconnected and restored to the Creator. So now, this Spirit is available to every human being of every generation. The Authorized Dealer paid the penalty, provided complete forgiveness, and repaired the internal damage. We had been responsible for paying it, but we had no ability to do so. We never could have been restored without his intervention. After the repair, the Authorized Dealer’s goal was to restore the Spirit to vessels who were now ready to receive him.
THE LAST THING YAHUSHA PROMISED MANKIND WAS NOT HEAVEN BUT POWER.
The last thing that Yahusha Hamachiach promised mankind was not heaven but power: “You will receive power when the Ruach HaQadesh comes on you.” He told his disciples, in effect, “I’m leaving to return to the Father Yah. My purpose on earth is completed, but I’m sending One who is just like me who will help you. I’m outside of you, and I’m demonstrating power, but he will be in you, and he’s going to enact power through you and give power to you.” Yahusha knew that this power was what they were missing. It was what Adam lost. So the ultimate purpose of Hamachiach’s death and resurrection at Calvary was to return the power of the Creator to man so that he could fulfill Yah’s intent for him.
The return of the Spirit of Yah to the spirit of man is the most important moment in human history since the Creator first breathed into man the breath of life and caused him to be a living being. We have the initial reception at creation, and then the re-reception at the end of the program of restoration. In this way, Yahusha restored humanity’s connection with its Source. At the same time, man’s leadership spirit was reconnected to the Source of true leadership. The hard drive was restored, but now comes the more difficult part: the installation of the software of a renewed mind—in other words, the thinking of a leader.
THE NEED FOR A RENEWED MIND
Being a leader is a natural part of our makeup, but thinking like a leader is difficult. Although becoming reconnected is essential, it is just the start of developing into a true leader. We have to transform our thoughts and align them with those that our Creator is thinking. Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Yah’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The only way to have a mind change is to rediscover the revelation of the truth about yourself—the reality that you were created and designed to be a leader. You must internalize the truth that leadership is your nature, your destiny, and your purpose for existence. You must capture the essence of the understanding that the purpose for your existence is to have dominion over the earth. You were born to rule—to lead. Once you capture this truth, then the work begins.
The mental transformation—in our computer analogy, this would be the downloading of new software—is different from the repair and restoration. It is a process that takes
time because it involves the changing of ingrained thoughts and habits. The vital difference is that now you have the power and the access to the Spirit of the Creator that will enable you to be able to do this.
The return of the Spirit restores to us the consciousness of our leadership spirit and dominion assignment. Now comes the challenge, which is what the rest of this series deals with: the transformation of our minds as we discover and live out the attitudes of the spirit of leadership. The essence of this series is about the downloading of the leadership software.
PRINCIPLES
1. True leadership has more to do with mind-set than with methods and techniques.
2. The challenge of all humanity is restoration to self.
3. Despite humanity’s declaring independence from its Source, the Creator hasn’t changed his mind about his original purposes for us.
4. The Creator is passionately committed to our being reconnected to him because (1) we are made in his image, and he doesn’t want his image to be distorted or disgraced in the world, and (2) his purposes are permanent; he always accomplishes what he originally sets out to do.
5. The Creator’s ultimate purpose for humanity is to create a corporate leadership, summed up in the phrase, “Every person a leader.” The command to have dominion over the earth was given to all of humanity, males and females.
6. Corporate leadership works through the servant leadership principle.
7. Every human being, according to the Creator’s mandate, was designed by him to be a leader in an area of gifting.
8. The Creator’s program for reconnecting humanity with himself can be called “redemptive restoration.”
9. Humanity’s dilemma is not so much a “religious” problem as it is a thought problem.
10. Yah sent “the Word,” Yahusha Hamachiach, to earth to correct and redirect our thinking. He came to give us back the original thoughts that we lost when we disconnected from our Source.
11. When our thoughts are corrected, our attitudes can be transformed, and we will be able to fulfill our leadership potential.
12. The Authorized Dealer, Yahusha, is “the way to the truth that gives us life.”
13. You never really live until you get true information about yourself.
14. The substitutionary death of the Authorized Dealer was to satisfy the demands of the penalty for the rebellion of man. Through his death, humanity could be fully reconnected and restored to Yah, and the Spirit of the Creator was made available to people of every generation.
15. The ultimate purpose of the suffering and death of Yahusha Hamachiach was to return the power of the Creator to human beings so that we could fulfill Yah’s original intent for us.
16. The return of the Spirit restores to us the consciousness of our leadership spirit and dominion assignment.
17. Full restoration of the spirit of leadership is a process of transforming our thoughts and aligning them with those of our Creator.
18. Mental transformation is different from repair and restoration. It is a process that takes time because it involves the changing of ingrained thoughts and habits.
19. Through the Spirit, we have the power and the access to the Creator that will enable us to effect a transformation of our attitudes.
Saturday, June 24, 2023
KINGDOM DEVELOPS YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Kingdom Develops Your Belief System
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
Kingdom Develops Your Belief System Part 2
You know, here's something else I thought was interesting: what is the object of your faith? You see the object of your faith determines the strength of your faith!! Write this down, the source of your faith determines the quality of your faith!! Where did you get your faith from is the question. If your faith fails under a little stress, a little problem, a little surprise, a little sudden thing that happens--then I want to know where did you get your faith from? What is the source of your faith? Where did it come from? Do you know why we become disappointed in people no matter who they are? It could be a spouse, a parent or a child, a pastor, or a politician--it could be anybody, even a good friend. The reason why we become disappointed in them is because we had faith in them and so our faith was as good as they were at the time and when they changed our faith in them changed. So where did you get your faith from? Is it coming from the people and the situations you are in? That's an important question because wherever you get it from is the source and the quality of your faith.
Objective of faith, the object of your faith determines the quantity or the size of your faith.
We have two things. You get quality and quantity. How much faith do you have? In other words, how big is your faith? That depends on the object of your faith, which you have your faith in. When you get married to someone that marriage is 100% faith. It is not love. It is faith and that's why many don't stay together. Because we put our faith in the person and that's how strong your faith is. Remember the source of your faith is the quality and the object of your faith is the quantity. How much faith should I have in this woman? How much faith do you have in this man? The answer is none. Why because if they are the source and the object of your faith--then they control your belief system. And so you hear things like I can't believe you anymore. What they mean is I lost faith in you. Well if you have put your faith in The Most High and The Most High is the one who you depend on to keep this relationship, then if anything happens your faith doesn't move. Because it was never in the person.
Object of your faith determines the size of it. In other words your faith is as big as the Yah you have it in.
Now here's the problem with the Yah you have it in-- you don't know enough about that Yah you have it in. While you claim that you know the true and holy Yah, The Most High and that's why the Bible says you must study. You have to get to know The Most High for yourself because the more you learn about The Most High, the bigger your faith becomes!!!
Object of your faith, your faith is as secure as what your faith is in. Where’s your faith? Is your faith in a church or in The Most High? Is your faith in a relationship or in The Most High? Is your faith in a priest or a pastor or is it in The Most High? Then your faith will only be as secure as what you have it in.
The stability of faith is determined by the stability of its object. The reason why you don't put an anchor in sand is because when the currents come and the winds blow there is instability so you cannot trust the anchor.
Do you know a miracle is a temporary act of The Most High? So don't trust miracles. I think that's one of our problems in the spiritual relationship we have in the kingdom of The Most High--we somehow measure The Most High by what He does. And so when He doesn't do something our measure changes it's sandy. How stable is your faith? It's as stable as the object it is in. Don't even trust the works of The Most High.
What is your faith in? That's an important question and sometimes we think we already answered it. Is your faith in Dr. Jeanette? You better check it!! Is your faith in this ministry? You better check it!! Where is your faith? What is it in? Is your faith in the blessing The Most High gave you last year? Where is your faith? Well here's an answer I thought was interesting--it's answered by Yahusha in Mark chapter 11 verse 22, Yahusha said these words have faith in The Most High. Either book He caught fish for them, He healed Peter's mother-in-law from fever, He paid their taxes from the mouth of a fish, He raised Lazarus from the dead, He walked on the water, He stopped the winds for them, He said don’t have faith in none of those things--have faith in The Most High!!! That's the only thing that is stable. That. Is. It. We are running a race, you know and sometimes we forget that. We think we're just here to get presents from The Most High every day. This is no party. This is citizenship in a country on a planet that is very adversarial toward the kingdom. Don't forget we are in a fight. We are in a race!! We are not in a great big celebration where everything is good. Hasatan has not left the earth. I just thought I'd remind you that demonic influences aren’t gone from the planet yet. You will overcome the world after a fight. And so you're in this race--what's the fight?? I thought I would read this again--this is important, first Timothy chapter 6 verse 11 says but you man of The Most High everybody's a man of The Most High woman of The Most High and include all of us. So if you claim to be a man of The Most High woman of The Most High that means a citizen of the kingdom of The Most High!! If you claim to be one who belongs to The Most High, then He says flee from all of these conditions and circumstances--pursue righteousness. What is righteousness? Right positioning, right standing with The Most High. Because The Most High’s character, image and faith are necessary! Love and endurance are all necessary, gentleness all necessary. Why because you got to fight. What's the fight? Fight the good fight of faith verse 12 , look at that you're not even fighting hasatan. What is this point? You think you are fighting hasatan--He says the fight in the kingdom is for your belief. Hasatan, is really not your ultimate enemy. Your ultimate enemy is doubt. His job is to get you to doubt what The Most High told you. So the fight is to come up after you've been under the water of life for a long time. When you hit the surface will you say I still believe?! Can you live that way? I lost everything, I lost everyone and I still believe. It is then that you won!! You don't lose when you lose the blessings. You lose when you lose your faith! Because your faith will always get back the blessing. So Hasatan says I have to get rid of this faith. If I can destroy their faith, I have won. So Paul says, fight the good fight of faith. Next verse says what--take hold of eternal life. It doesn't just come to you. I know you have eternal life He said but you have got to fight to keep it because Hasatan wants you to believe that you aren’t living according to His principles. If I am walking His function, order and life--why is this happening to me?? This is what we say. Or we are saying why am I losing?? And The Most High says this doesn’t have anything to do with that. Do you believe it even if it happens? What a faith The Most High has given us. It's powerful, faith. Paul gave us a couple of hints here write them down:
Faith confession will be tested. That's very important. This is the key in the kingdom.
Kingdom keys are principles. Yahusha said I will give you the keys, here's one of them. Never say in the kingdom of The Most High what you don't mean. But this sounds simple. You know one of the laws that The Most High gave Moses to give to the nation that He was building was in fact the Ten Commandments--which are used by our governments but they omit a few but they use most of them to run countries. You know like thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not bear false witness, you know thou shalt not commit adultery these laws are used to build many countries. Here is one that they do use: Thou shalt not take The Most High's name in vain. What does that mean? Yahusha explained it when He came to earth four thousand years after Moses. Yahusha was going through the laws, you know them. Do not commit adultery and do not covet all this stuff and when he got to this one He says--look do not take the The Most High name in vain. Then He explained it He says let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. He says anything more than this is evil. What He is saying is don't ever use “maybe” in the kingdom. Let me explain how deep this is. It has to do with faith. If you say yes, I will do this, or I believe this, that must be tested!! Are you getting this?? So keep your mouth shut!! Death and life is really truly in the power of your tongue. There is a key in the kingdom, the key says whatever you proclaim--must be tested!! The key word is must be, so you don’t talk, if you don’t want no trouble! It is a law in the kingdom. And yet here is the problem, you can get nothing in the kingdom, without saying it!! You shall have whatever you say!! The part they don’t add is that it is after the test. So you tell your friends--I believe the Most High for this thing, now it is out there. And then the next day, everything opposite happens! Now what are they gonna say about you now?! This faith thing is not working for you. This Yah ain’t working for you. You have to understand the system. The Most High normally talks to you privately, but you have to profess it publically. This is the deep part of the kingdom. He talked to Moses by himself at the burning bush on the back of the mountain. Then the Most High talked to Abraham, you are going to have a baby. Abraham has to now go back to that village--where all of those people know him, and say it. Now he is thinking no problem, I can say it because the Most High said it. He can do it in nine months. The Bible says that Abraham believed the Most High. Believing Ahayha asher Ahayah doesn’t guarantee an immediate answer--it does guarantee a test!! Let me tell you why you are in trouble right now, this is it, your mouth got you in trouble! You said something--and the principle of the kingdom is, that it must be tested!! Let’s prove it. Before this scripture Simon Peter says to Yahusha, I will die for you, I will never leave you!! I will not forsake you! I am with you. I will support you! That was Simon Peter just speaking all of this out of his mouth. I will never abandon you Yahusha!! Look at the words that He uses when He responds to him in Luke 22:31. Did you notice that the other disciples did not join Simon?? Why, they heard what Yahusha said. And the Most High said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [demanded] to have you, that he may sift [test] you as wheat. Now this is Yahusha, the Most High in the flesh. The maker of all things, including hasatan. He says look Peter, you just qualified yourself for a test. By the way, I am sure most of you know what a sift is. Or do you? Let’s look at that again, He says that hasatan has demanded to lay you out, and test every area of the statement that you have made. You claim that you ain’t never gonna deny Yahusha, that you ain’t never gonna forsake Him.
That you are never gonna abandon Him. That is a test that's going to test you right through the hole! Anybody felt like that lately? Do you feel like you are all by yourself? Are you asking yourself if the Most High has forgotten about you? Looking in the mirror you are saying how am I gonna make it through this?! The Most High says, hang on your mouth got you here! Let your mouth keep you here. Say I still believe!! 1 Peter 4:12 (KJV) 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
How did Peter know that, Peter spoke himself into it! He said, I have been there! Yahusha continues, Luke 22:32 (KJV) 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
When you are going through, still believe!! Believe what the Most High spoke at the beginning!! Fiveamprayer as a ministry is stronger than anyone’s criticism, stronger than anyone’s opinion, stronger than anybody’s presumption or assumption. This ministry is a result of a word the Most High gave! You can tell if something is genuine! It always comes out of the fire staggering--and then say, I am still here!! Even with the smoke rolling off of their clothes, they say I am still here!! That is faith, it says it doesn’t matter I still believe!! What destroys you?? Look at what Yahusha prays for our faith, not healing nor for hasatan to leave him alone. He prayed for His belief through the process!! That is why it is the most powerful thing that you possess! Yahusha says that if you can just keep that, hasatan has lost! Did Peter make it, look at the last part. He says to Peter when you are converted, strengthen your brothers. That means that you are not qualified to help nobody, until you needed help one time and you made it through. It is the test that allows the Most High to trust you, to help other people. Fiveamprayer, the divine destiny connection is about to move to a whole new dimension!! The Most High is coming through and checking everybody!! And if you are standing firm and strong, He says, I am about to trust you with something--that I need tested people that I can trust! Your personal life--the bigger the test, the bigger the assignment that is coming up next. So don’t be impressed by people who are always having a good time. Learn from those who have gone through the fiery furnace, the lion's den, who had boils all over their body like Job. Learn from people who have a story, trust people who have got scars.
Like teaching little children to walk, they struggle trying to walk. Then the parent will come a long and say come. The baby takes one step and then another then the baby falls down. What do the parents do? They get them up standing to try again. The parent moves back and then says to the child come. Why do the children trust the parent who says come? Because the fall was not as important as the parent’s call. Listen close now, the Most High is saying, come! You fall down and Abba says get up. Does He come to help you--no, He says come. So you have to dig inside and pull yourself up, because if He believes that I can still walk over there, then I am gonna walk toward Him!! That is called faith. Trust, that is what children have in parents. When you have been tested, then you can help your brothers. Fiveamprayer is a teaching ministry. The only way to test leadership is through trials. And if we are going to, teach and train leaders around the world. We are gonna have to have a story on every corner! Yes, we have been through that. O, we have done that. Yes we have been broke many times, you will be alright. Listen, you will never be blessed financially by the Most High until you have been bankrupt a few times. You gotta have faith in the middle of the bankruptcy. Job was totally bankrupt--everything was gone! What did Job say, even though He slay me...my trust is not in the wealth and the house. My trust is in the Most High! Where is your faith?? Write this down, the impact of the Most High’s works. This is very important to understand in living the kingdom lifestyle.
The goal of the Most High’s works is to place your faith in Him, not the works.
In other words the Most High will do something in your life so you can trust Him. But what we do is that we trust what He did--not Him!
We normally say, if He did it for you, He will do it for me! That is not necessarily true in the kingdom. That statement is true in religion, but thank the Most High you are delivered from religion and are now in relationship with Him! The Most High never did anything for Joshua the way He did it for Moses. So what He did for me, watch this, you can’t put your faith in what He did for me!! Put your faith in the Most High. He may or may not do for you what He did for me, but you still gotta trust Him! The Most High works so that you can put your faith in Him. The impact of the Most High’s works.
In John 2:11 This is the first of the signs and miracles that Yahusha performed at Cana where He turned the water into wine.
Therefore He revealed His glory. And then His disciples put their faith in Him! What was the glory?? The wine. But they did not put their faith in the wine, because Yahusha never again turned water into wine!! You know the Most High may not pay your rent right now. That does not have anything to do with your faith in the Most High!! He may let your rent run right to the last day. It may run over time to see what your mouth is going to say. The disciples saw the miracle but did not put their faith in the miracle but in Yahusha! Miracles are temporary, remember?! And they may never be repeated. When I was young I realized that Joseph died with the Most High in the house. The last time we hear about him, Yahusha is twelve years old. In the Hebrew culture, at the age of twelve boys were now considered to be a man. That is why he went to the temple to be tested. That was a test to become a man, called a bar mitzvah. In that culture He was now a man, and responded to His parents that I must be about my Father’s business. From that point on Joseph never shows up again. Mary lived all the way to His resurrection. His question was with the Most High in the house, how could Joseph be lying in a sick bed and eventually die? The answer, yes. He raised Lazarus, but He could not touch His own earthly father because his assignment was up. So who are you to say, someone died young?? Your faith must be in the Most High not His works. So as you go through this week and next month and next year and 2022 and 2024 and 2030--remember this message! That no test is allowed that doesn't come just to build your faith. It did not come to destroy, but to test your faith and belief in the Most High. This is your belief not in people but the Most High. This is not the faith in circumstances but in the King of kings! Nor your faith in the blessings, but in Ahayah asher Ahayah. What a wonderful thing to have faith in the Most High. To have faith in persecution. In Acts 6:5-6 it says the purpose pleased the whole group. The scripture here is speaking of Stephen, an interesting guy. He was one of the early disciples that they appointed. He was chosen as a leader in the local church. They chose him because he was a man full of faith. You have to be full of faith to be chosen in the body of Machaich. You can’t have people without a backbone when the pressure comes!! They chose him in leadership, not because he was educated but his belief in the Most High was so strong! Guess what that belief made him a member of the hall of fame.
The scripture continues, a man full of faith and of the Ruach HaQadesh, and Philip, they presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. You lay hands on people who have two things, the Ruach HaQadesh and a lot of faith. Not talent but faith! When the going gets rough the talented leave. Is your faith in the Most High no matter what?? Here is a little note on Peter, Stephen’s faith did not prevent his stoning. But gave him courage in the face of trial. He was the first disciple to be stoned--killed in the road for Yahusha. He was a man full of faith, what happened to you? Ask Stephen?? If you are following the Most High how can He allow them to stone you?? That is His prerogative. What? Why?? It is for His glory!! How come you ain’t in the Bible, because you have not be stoned!! Let me tell you what is so great about Stephen, you know the text. It says that when they threw the stones on Stephen--big rocks were hitting him everywhere. It says that before he died he said Father forgive them! Then it says that his face becomes bright. For he had seen the glory of the Son of the Most High. He died with glory in His face. That he died with a smile. Can you die with a smile while rocks are being thrown at your face? This man’s faith was stronger than rocks! And it was from his death that the congregation was multiplied. It says that the congregation scattered and grew. All this was at the death of Stephen, the Most High used Stephen’s death to give everyone else a purpose for living. If he could die for that thing, I could live for it, they say! Maybe The Most High take them through some things so that others believe that they can do it too!! It is not so good for you while you are going through it. You ask Him to use somebody else as the example. You really don’t have to use me. He says, no I chose you because I believe that you are full of faith.
The Most High will only allow you to go through something--if He believes you can handle it. The Most High will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to overcome. Not everybody could handle what you are going through--because they are not qualified yet. So go through! Because Abba thinks a lot of you! He believes you can handle it. So stand steady!! Stand firm, don’t be discouraged. Walk, run, stand and stagger out of the fire--shout with all of your might--I STILL BELIEVE!!
Today we are walking in: Kingdom Develops Your Belief System
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
Kingdom Develops Your Belief System Part 2
You know, here's something else I thought was interesting: what is the object of your faith? You see the object of your faith determines the strength of your faith!! Write this down, the source of your faith determines the quality of your faith!! Where did you get your faith from is the question. If your faith fails under a little stress, a little problem, a little surprise, a little sudden thing that happens--then I want to know where did you get your faith from? What is the source of your faith? Where did it come from? Do you know why we become disappointed in people no matter who they are? It could be a spouse, a parent or a child, a pastor, or a politician--it could be anybody, even a good friend. The reason why we become disappointed in them is because we had faith in them and so our faith was as good as they were at the time and when they changed our faith in them changed. So where did you get your faith from? Is it coming from the people and the situations you are in? That's an important question because wherever you get it from is the source and the quality of your faith.
Objective of faith, the object of your faith determines the quantity or the size of your faith.
We have two things. You get quality and quantity. How much faith do you have? In other words, how big is your faith? That depends on the object of your faith, which you have your faith in. When you get married to someone that marriage is 100% faith. It is not love. It is faith and that's why many don't stay together. Because we put our faith in the person and that's how strong your faith is. Remember the source of your faith is the quality and the object of your faith is the quantity. How much faith should I have in this woman? How much faith do you have in this man? The answer is none. Why because if they are the source and the object of your faith--then they control your belief system. And so you hear things like I can't believe you anymore. What they mean is I lost faith in you. Well if you have put your faith in The Most High and The Most High is the one who you depend on to keep this relationship, then if anything happens your faith doesn't move. Because it was never in the person.
Object of your faith determines the size of it. In other words your faith is as big as the Yah you have it in.
Now here's the problem with the Yah you have it in-- you don't know enough about that Yah you have it in. While you claim that you know the true and holy Yah, The Most High and that's why the Bible says you must study. You have to get to know The Most High for yourself because the more you learn about The Most High, the bigger your faith becomes!!!
Object of your faith, your faith is as secure as what your faith is in. Where’s your faith? Is your faith in a church or in The Most High? Is your faith in a relationship or in The Most High? Is your faith in a priest or a pastor or is it in The Most High? Then your faith will only be as secure as what you have it in.
The stability of faith is determined by the stability of its object. The reason why you don't put an anchor in sand is because when the currents come and the winds blow there is instability so you cannot trust the anchor.
Do you know a miracle is a temporary act of The Most High? So don't trust miracles. I think that's one of our problems in the spiritual relationship we have in the kingdom of The Most High--we somehow measure The Most High by what He does. And so when He doesn't do something our measure changes it's sandy. How stable is your faith? It's as stable as the object it is in. Don't even trust the works of The Most High.
What is your faith in? That's an important question and sometimes we think we already answered it. Is your faith in Dr. Jeanette? You better check it!! Is your faith in this ministry? You better check it!! Where is your faith? What is it in? Is your faith in the blessing The Most High gave you last year? Where is your faith? Well here's an answer I thought was interesting--it's answered by Yahusha in Mark chapter 11 verse 22, Yahusha said these words have faith in The Most High. Either book He caught fish for them, He healed Peter's mother-in-law from fever, He paid their taxes from the mouth of a fish, He raised Lazarus from the dead, He walked on the water, He stopped the winds for them, He said don’t have faith in none of those things--have faith in The Most High!!! That's the only thing that is stable. That. Is. It. We are running a race, you know and sometimes we forget that. We think we're just here to get presents from The Most High every day. This is no party. This is citizenship in a country on a planet that is very adversarial toward the kingdom. Don't forget we are in a fight. We are in a race!! We are not in a great big celebration where everything is good. Hasatan has not left the earth. I just thought I'd remind you that demonic influences aren’t gone from the planet yet. You will overcome the world after a fight. And so you're in this race--what's the fight?? I thought I would read this again--this is important, first Timothy chapter 6 verse 11 says but you man of The Most High everybody's a man of The Most High woman of The Most High and include all of us. So if you claim to be a man of The Most High woman of The Most High that means a citizen of the kingdom of The Most High!! If you claim to be one who belongs to The Most High, then He says flee from all of these conditions and circumstances--pursue righteousness. What is righteousness? Right positioning, right standing with The Most High. Because The Most High’s character, image and faith are necessary! Love and endurance are all necessary, gentleness all necessary. Why because you got to fight. What's the fight? Fight the good fight of faith verse 12 , look at that you're not even fighting hasatan. What is this point? You think you are fighting hasatan--He says the fight in the kingdom is for your belief. Hasatan, is really not your ultimate enemy. Your ultimate enemy is doubt. His job is to get you to doubt what The Most High told you. So the fight is to come up after you've been under the water of life for a long time. When you hit the surface will you say I still believe?! Can you live that way? I lost everything, I lost everyone and I still believe. It is then that you won!! You don't lose when you lose the blessings. You lose when you lose your faith! Because your faith will always get back the blessing. So Hasatan says I have to get rid of this faith. If I can destroy their faith, I have won. So Paul says, fight the good fight of faith. Next verse says what--take hold of eternal life. It doesn't just come to you. I know you have eternal life He said but you have got to fight to keep it because Hasatan wants you to believe that you aren’t living according to His principles. If I am walking His function, order and life--why is this happening to me?? This is what we say. Or we are saying why am I losing?? And The Most High says this doesn’t have anything to do with that. Do you believe it even if it happens? What a faith The Most High has given us. It's powerful, faith. Paul gave us a couple of hints here write them down:
Faith confession will be tested. That's very important. This is the key in the kingdom.
Kingdom keys are principles. Yahusha said I will give you the keys, here's one of them. Never say in the kingdom of The Most High what you don't mean. But this sounds simple. You know one of the laws that The Most High gave Moses to give to the nation that He was building was in fact the Ten Commandments--which are used by our governments but they omit a few but they use most of them to run countries. You know like thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not bear false witness, you know thou shalt not commit adultery these laws are used to build many countries. Here is one that they do use: Thou shalt not take The Most High's name in vain. What does that mean? Yahusha explained it when He came to earth four thousand years after Moses. Yahusha was going through the laws, you know them. Do not commit adultery and do not covet all this stuff and when he got to this one He says--look do not take the The Most High name in vain. Then He explained it He says let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. He says anything more than this is evil. What He is saying is don't ever use “maybe” in the kingdom. Let me explain how deep this is. It has to do with faith. If you say yes, I will do this, or I believe this, that must be tested!! Are you getting this?? So keep your mouth shut!! Death and life is really truly in the power of your tongue. There is a key in the kingdom, the key says whatever you proclaim--must be tested!! The key word is must be, so you don’t talk, if you don’t want no trouble! It is a law in the kingdom. And yet here is the problem, you can get nothing in the kingdom, without saying it!! You shall have whatever you say!! The part they don’t add is that it is after the test. So you tell your friends--I believe the Most High for this thing, now it is out there. And then the next day, everything opposite happens! Now what are they gonna say about you now?! This faith thing is not working for you. This Yah ain’t working for you. You have to understand the system. The Most High normally talks to you privately, but you have to profess it publically. This is the deep part of the kingdom. He talked to Moses by himself at the burning bush on the back of the mountain. Then the Most High talked to Abraham, you are going to have a baby. Abraham has to now go back to that village--where all of those people know him, and say it. Now he is thinking no problem, I can say it because the Most High said it. He can do it in nine months. The Bible says that Abraham believed the Most High. Believing Ahayha asher Ahayah doesn’t guarantee an immediate answer--it does guarantee a test!! Let me tell you why you are in trouble right now, this is it, your mouth got you in trouble! You said something--and the principle of the kingdom is, that it must be tested!! Let’s prove it. Before this scripture Simon Peter says to Yahusha, I will die for you, I will never leave you!! I will not forsake you! I am with you. I will support you! That was Simon Peter just speaking all of this out of his mouth. I will never abandon you Yahusha!! Look at the words that He uses when He responds to him in Luke 22:31. Did you notice that the other disciples did not join Simon?? Why, they heard what Yahusha said. And the Most High said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [demanded] to have you, that he may sift [test] you as wheat. Now this is Yahusha, the Most High in the flesh. The maker of all things, including hasatan. He says look Peter, you just qualified yourself for a test. By the way, I am sure most of you know what a sift is. Or do you? Let’s look at that again, He says that hasatan has demanded to lay you out, and test every area of the statement that you have made. You claim that you ain’t never gonna deny Yahusha, that you ain’t never gonna forsake Him.
That you are never gonna abandon Him. That is a test that's going to test you right through the hole! Anybody felt like that lately? Do you feel like you are all by yourself? Are you asking yourself if the Most High has forgotten about you? Looking in the mirror you are saying how am I gonna make it through this?! The Most High says, hang on your mouth got you here! Let your mouth keep you here. Say I still believe!! 1 Peter 4:12 (KJV) 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
How did Peter know that, Peter spoke himself into it! He said, I have been there! Yahusha continues, Luke 22:32 (KJV) 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
When you are going through, still believe!! Believe what the Most High spoke at the beginning!! Fiveamprayer as a ministry is stronger than anyone’s criticism, stronger than anyone’s opinion, stronger than anybody’s presumption or assumption. This ministry is a result of a word the Most High gave! You can tell if something is genuine! It always comes out of the fire staggering--and then say, I am still here!! Even with the smoke rolling off of their clothes, they say I am still here!! That is faith, it says it doesn’t matter I still believe!! What destroys you?? Look at what Yahusha prays for our faith, not healing nor for hasatan to leave him alone. He prayed for His belief through the process!! That is why it is the most powerful thing that you possess! Yahusha says that if you can just keep that, hasatan has lost! Did Peter make it, look at the last part. He says to Peter when you are converted, strengthen your brothers. That means that you are not qualified to help nobody, until you needed help one time and you made it through. It is the test that allows the Most High to trust you, to help other people. Fiveamprayer, the divine destiny connection is about to move to a whole new dimension!! The Most High is coming through and checking everybody!! And if you are standing firm and strong, He says, I am about to trust you with something--that I need tested people that I can trust! Your personal life--the bigger the test, the bigger the assignment that is coming up next. So don’t be impressed by people who are always having a good time. Learn from those who have gone through the fiery furnace, the lion's den, who had boils all over their body like Job. Learn from people who have a story, trust people who have got scars.
Like teaching little children to walk, they struggle trying to walk. Then the parent will come a long and say come. The baby takes one step and then another then the baby falls down. What do the parents do? They get them up standing to try again. The parent moves back and then says to the child come. Why do the children trust the parent who says come? Because the fall was not as important as the parent’s call. Listen close now, the Most High is saying, come! You fall down and Abba says get up. Does He come to help you--no, He says come. So you have to dig inside and pull yourself up, because if He believes that I can still walk over there, then I am gonna walk toward Him!! That is called faith. Trust, that is what children have in parents. When you have been tested, then you can help your brothers. Fiveamprayer is a teaching ministry. The only way to test leadership is through trials. And if we are going to, teach and train leaders around the world. We are gonna have to have a story on every corner! Yes, we have been through that. O, we have done that. Yes we have been broke many times, you will be alright. Listen, you will never be blessed financially by the Most High until you have been bankrupt a few times. You gotta have faith in the middle of the bankruptcy. Job was totally bankrupt--everything was gone! What did Job say, even though He slay me...my trust is not in the wealth and the house. My trust is in the Most High! Where is your faith?? Write this down, the impact of the Most High’s works. This is very important to understand in living the kingdom lifestyle.
The goal of the Most High’s works is to place your faith in Him, not the works.
In other words the Most High will do something in your life so you can trust Him. But what we do is that we trust what He did--not Him!
We normally say, if He did it for you, He will do it for me! That is not necessarily true in the kingdom. That statement is true in religion, but thank the Most High you are delivered from religion and are now in relationship with Him! The Most High never did anything for Joshua the way He did it for Moses. So what He did for me, watch this, you can’t put your faith in what He did for me!! Put your faith in the Most High. He may or may not do for you what He did for me, but you still gotta trust Him! The Most High works so that you can put your faith in Him. The impact of the Most High’s works.
In John 2:11 This is the first of the signs and miracles that Yahusha performed at Cana where He turned the water into wine.
Therefore He revealed His glory. And then His disciples put their faith in Him! What was the glory?? The wine. But they did not put their faith in the wine, because Yahusha never again turned water into wine!! You know the Most High may not pay your rent right now. That does not have anything to do with your faith in the Most High!! He may let your rent run right to the last day. It may run over time to see what your mouth is going to say. The disciples saw the miracle but did not put their faith in the miracle but in Yahusha! Miracles are temporary, remember?! And they may never be repeated. When I was young I realized that Joseph died with the Most High in the house. The last time we hear about him, Yahusha is twelve years old. In the Hebrew culture, at the age of twelve boys were now considered to be a man. That is why he went to the temple to be tested. That was a test to become a man, called a bar mitzvah. In that culture He was now a man, and responded to His parents that I must be about my Father’s business. From that point on Joseph never shows up again. Mary lived all the way to His resurrection. His question was with the Most High in the house, how could Joseph be lying in a sick bed and eventually die? The answer, yes. He raised Lazarus, but He could not touch His own earthly father because his assignment was up. So who are you to say, someone died young?? Your faith must be in the Most High not His works. So as you go through this week and next month and next year and 2022 and 2024 and 2030--remember this message! That no test is allowed that doesn't come just to build your faith. It did not come to destroy, but to test your faith and belief in the Most High. This is your belief not in people but the Most High. This is not the faith in circumstances but in the King of kings! Nor your faith in the blessings, but in Ahayah asher Ahayah. What a wonderful thing to have faith in the Most High. To have faith in persecution. In Acts 6:5-6 it says the purpose pleased the whole group. The scripture here is speaking of Stephen, an interesting guy. He was one of the early disciples that they appointed. He was chosen as a leader in the local church. They chose him because he was a man full of faith. You have to be full of faith to be chosen in the body of Machaich. You can’t have people without a backbone when the pressure comes!! They chose him in leadership, not because he was educated but his belief in the Most High was so strong! Guess what that belief made him a member of the hall of fame.
The scripture continues, a man full of faith and of the Ruach HaQadesh, and Philip, they presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. You lay hands on people who have two things, the Ruach HaQadesh and a lot of faith. Not talent but faith! When the going gets rough the talented leave. Is your faith in the Most High no matter what?? Here is a little note on Peter, Stephen’s faith did not prevent his stoning. But gave him courage in the face of trial. He was the first disciple to be stoned--killed in the road for Yahusha. He was a man full of faith, what happened to you? Ask Stephen?? If you are following the Most High how can He allow them to stone you?? That is His prerogative. What? Why?? It is for His glory!! How come you ain’t in the Bible, because you have not be stoned!! Let me tell you what is so great about Stephen, you know the text. It says that when they threw the stones on Stephen--big rocks were hitting him everywhere. It says that before he died he said Father forgive them! Then it says that his face becomes bright. For he had seen the glory of the Son of the Most High. He died with glory in His face. That he died with a smile. Can you die with a smile while rocks are being thrown at your face? This man’s faith was stronger than rocks! And it was from his death that the congregation was multiplied. It says that the congregation scattered and grew. All this was at the death of Stephen, the Most High used Stephen’s death to give everyone else a purpose for living. If he could die for that thing, I could live for it, they say! Maybe The Most High take them through some things so that others believe that they can do it too!! It is not so good for you while you are going through it. You ask Him to use somebody else as the example. You really don’t have to use me. He says, no I chose you because I believe that you are full of faith.
The Most High will only allow you to go through something--if He believes you can handle it. The Most High will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to overcome. Not everybody could handle what you are going through--because they are not qualified yet. So go through! Because Abba thinks a lot of you! He believes you can handle it. So stand steady!! Stand firm, don’t be discouraged. Walk, run, stand and stagger out of the fire--shout with all of your might--I STILL BELIEVE!!
Friday, June 23, 2023
LEADING WITHOUT LEADERSHIP
Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Leading Without Leadership
Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
The Torah Testifies.............................
*****
The prophets proclaim...............
Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.
The writings bear witness.............
2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword
CHAPTER SIX
Leading without Leadership
Your attitude is more powerful than your reputation.
Imagine that you have been walking along an isolated road for two days with no food or water and the sun is blazing down on you. Suddenly, you notice a well in the distance. Even though you are tired, you run with anticipation because you know that your thirst will be quenched. When you reach the well, however, you see a rope dangling over the opening, but no bucket. Deep down inside the well is what you need to satisfy your thirst and sustain your life, but you have no access to it.
This is a picture of humanity cut off from its life-giving Source. The leadership spirit exists deep down inside the makeup of every person because we are made in the image of our Creator and have an inherent dominion spirit. Yet we can’t fully manifest this gift in our lives because we don’t have the resources to access it. We have lost the Spirit of the Creator, and we have lost our awareness of the leadership spirit as well as the mind-set that enables us to exercise it effectively. Humanity’s lack of connection with the Spirit of the leadership spirit has led to a loss of true leadership in the world.
THE IMPACT OF THE DISCONNECTION
Let’s look more closely at our dilemma through two related illustrations. First, water is potentially a source of power. When it is harnessed, it can be used to run machinery, such as in a water mill. For this to happen, however, (1) you have to have access to the water, and (2) you have to have the machinery in place. If you are unable to harness the water or you don’t have the proper machinery set up, then the mill can’t fulfill its purpose. It’s the same with the spirit of leadership.
THE LEADERSHIP SPIRIT EXISTS DEEP DOWN INSIDE THE MAKEUP OF EVERY PERSON.
The loss of the spirit of leadership is also like buying a new computer that has all the hardware to enable you to run programs and carry out their functions but then not having any power source to run the computer. Suppose, then, that you discover a power source and plug it in. The computer is powered on and ready to go, but you still need software for it to be of practical use to you. You have the knowledge of what the computer has been designed to do, and all the components of the hardware are ready for use. The potential is there, the ability is there, everything the manufacturer put into it is there, but it’s almost as if you don’t own a computer because you can’t do anything with it.
These two examples illustrate the two-pronged nature of our problem. First, even though our potential as leaders is still within us, we’ve lost our connection with our Source of purpose and power. Second, even if the connection were to be reinstated, unless we obtain the right “machinery” or “software”—that is, unless we discover how a leader is meant to think and operate (the spirit of leadership)—we still won’t be able to fulfill our potential. Simply put, the leadership spirit is the inherent hardware, and the spirit of leadership is the software necessary for the hardware to function. I’ll be talking about these two crucial concepts in the next few chapters.
THE GREAT LOSS
In the Bahamas where I live, we are located in an area called the “hurricane zone.” From time to time, we are subjected to the uncontrollable force of nature as the phenomena of the elements conspire to remind us of our vulnerability. During the hurricane season of 2004, when the monster hurricanes named Gene and Francis followed each other on a path right across our archipelago, I remember how helpless I felt. My wife and I made all our preparations and then sat waiting for the long-announced arrival of the category 4 and 5 storms. During one of the storms, the winds bore down on us like a living monster and shook the battened-downed windows. Suddenly, the electricity went out, and we were left sitting in darkness.
I reached for the flashlight and surveyed the room. Then I took a walk through the darkened house and checked everything to make sure the shutters were holding. As I examined the rooms with the flashlight, I noticed the many items we had accumulated that had become so important to us, but that now were completely useless: the large-screen television, VCR, CD players, air conditioners, computers, printers, and other high-tech “toys” we had purchased.
I stood there in the dark for a moment and thought about all the power, potential, benefits, pleasure, and untapped functions trapped in each of these items that were completely useless and unbeneficial to me at that moment. They existed, but they could not contribute to my present situation and life. They were filled to capacity with possibility, but they could not deliver. Why? Because they were cut off from their source, their power supply.
MAN IS A POWERFUL CREATURE FULL OF DIVINE POTENTIAL WHO HAS BEEN CUT OFF FROM HIS POWER SUPPLY.
I then saw a true picture of mankind: a powerful creature full of divine potential, talents, gifts, abilities, untapped capacity, creativity, ingenuity, and productivity, who himself had been cut off from his power supply. Now, he walks the earth living far below his intended privilege and capacity, victimized by his ignorance of both his Source and himself.
The loss of our Source of purpose and power has led to a myriad of negative outcomes because of the confusion that inevitably resulted. The following questions have been asked by countless generations since Adam declared independence from his Source:
Who am I?
Where am I from?
Why am I here?
What am I capable of doing?
Where am I going?
These five questions summarize the essence of the human struggle and are what I, over the years, have called the questions of the human heart. They control everything that each human being does and are the motivation for all human behavior. All our social, economic, spiritual, and relational activities spring from the pursuit of answers to these questions. Until they are answered satisfactorily, there can be no personal fulfillment, and life will have no meaning. These questions address the five most important discoveries in the human experience: identity, heritage, purpose, potential, and destiny. They are the heart of the leadership struggle, and when answered, they give birth to true leadership.
WHAT DID MAN LOSE?
During the hurricane, as I looked at the computer sitting on my desk, I noted that the plug was still in the wall socket and that the physical casing and all its parts were still present. I also knew with reasonable certainty that the hardware and software were still intact. Again, the only thing that was missing, which prevented its function and operation, was the electrical power flowing from the source. Everything the manufacturer had promised that the computer could do was not able to be fulfilled or experienced because there was no power.
Man was created to function attached to Yah; he could fulfill his true potential and maximize his full capacity only through this connection. The key to effective and successful living was the indwelling Spirit of Yah—called the Ruach HaQadesh. The Ruach HaQadesh, therefore, is the key to true leadership. The Spirit is the critical component in every human’s existence because he is the only hope for our rediscovering our true identity, self-image, self-worth, significance, self-esteem, and destiny.
WITH THE LOSS OF THE SPIRIT OF Yah, WE LOST OUR LEADERSHIP AWARENESS.
Again, with the loss of the Spirit of Yah from our spirits, we automatically lost our leadership awareness. Each consecutive generation since the fall of man has wandered farther and farther away from its leadership power. There is no true leadership without a reconnection to our Source, and only the Ruach HaQadesh can reconnect us. He gives us our consciousness of the leadership spirit and is also the Source of the spirit of leadership.
A ROYAL SLAVE
The story is told of a prince who was born into a great royal family. When the prince was five years old, his father the king took the boy with him on a journey to a far country. During the journey, their ship struck a reef, and the entire crew and passengers were thrown into the angry waves.
During the turmoil and rescue effort, the little prince was saved by a native from a nearby island. The king was unaware of the rescue, and the little prince was now separated from his royal family. He became a member of the village and grew up unaware of his royal heritage. He learned to think and live like the natives and accepted this lifestyle as his own. In his poverty and simple life, he was not aware that he was from a wealthy family of high status and was heir to the royal kingdom of his father. In effect, he became a slave to the culture, customs, and standards of the community in which he found himself. He was a royal prince living under impoverished conditions. He did not know who he was, where he was from, why he was born, what he was capable of, or his rightful claim to be king. He lived his life vastly below his inherent privileges, not knowing the answers to the crucial questions of his life: his identity, heritage, purpose, potential, and destiny.
Knowing the answers to these fundamental questions gives a human being meaning and purpose. Without the answers, life is nothing but an experiment. This results primarily because of man’s disconnection from his Source and manifests itself in the loss of humanity’s original selfconcept or image, self-worth, self-esteem, and sense of significance.
As I said earlier, every activity of man is a result of his attempt to find the answers to these questions. It is the reason we engage in the great human experiment of trying to find a sense of identity through our relationship to the world around us. I think that this may be why mankind seems to have an insatiable desire to explore space. It’s a passionate search for where we fit in the scheme of the universe. It’s a manifestation of the deep human search for significance.
This is also why we study primates. We are seeking to discover our true origin by finding perfect connections to other beings with which we share the earth. Unfortunately, this search will never be satisfied. We cannot know who we are by relating to creation because creation is not our source—the Creator is.
IN HIS SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE, MAN USES CREATION AS THE CONTEXT FOR HIS SEARCH.
It is interesting that, in his search for relevance and significance, man continues to use creation as the measure and context for his search. However, it is essential to understand that we can never discover our value or purpose by studying the creation but only by a relationship with the Creator. Yah created the earth and everything in it for mankind and then gave humanity dominion over it. Everything in creation, therefore, get its significance from Yah and from us, not the other way around.
Because we are unaware of our intrinsic leadership nature, however, the average person is easily influenced by anyone or anything that seems to be stronger than he is. For example, instead of our having dominion over the earth, the earth has become our dominator in certain ways. Some people allow themselves to become controlled by drugs that come from plants. Others are enslaved to money, which is in reality trees that have been converted to paper and made into currency. Still others are controlled by grapes that have become fermented. People’s lives are being destroyed by what is essentially vegetation. These are signs that we’ve lost our leadership awareness and ability. Imagine, sophisticated man with his immeasurable potential and intricate design being controlled by leaves and grapes. This is a tragedy and demonstrates how far we have been removed from our initial assignment of having dominion over all things in the earth.
I want to reemphasize that we haven’t lost our inherent leadership spirit. We have lost our connection with the Spirit of the Creator, through whom we have an awareness of our intrinsic value and our leadership spirit, as well as the power to put it into effect. Again, we can think of the Spirit of the Creator as our original “default” mode. If we lose our original mind-set, then we will believe whatever is put on our hard drive instead of the truth about who we really are. To use another analogy, the leadership spirit has been obscured by the smoke of our social and cultural context, and we have become victims of the hazy opinions of “experts” who actually know very little about our true selves.
We were not created to be enslaved to other people’s opinions, to our own passions, or to nature (creation). Yet man has become just like the animals because he now lives by instinct rather than discernment. This is why humanity as a whole has never regained its leadership awareness. Certain people—we saw examples of them in teaching two—capture glimpses of its truths and principles and apply them for effective leadership, but the full spirit of leadership is still not a reality in most people’s lives.
In essence, the royal prince is the leadership spirit trapped in the culture and customs of a world that hides and suppresses his true spirit of leadership. He is simply a royal slave who was designed to rule but has been trapped in subjugation—a leader trapped in a follower.
AN IGNORANT KING
Another result of the disconnect is that, while we were designed to rule, we have become ignorant kings. Not only do we not know who we are, where we came from, and what we are capable of, but we also don’t know how to use the resources that the Creator has given us.
Our brains are made up of millions of cells, but we tap only a fraction of our intellectual potential. Our bodies are intricately designed, yet many of us use our physical power and creativity to tear down rather than build up. We use them for violence, abuse, corruption, crime, and many other destructive things. Why would an intelligent, awesome creature such as the human murder his brother or sister, abuse his spouse, or commit incest against his own child? These things would be unthinkable to humanity in its original state. Yet, because of the disconnect, they have become a reality.
ALTHOUGH WE WERE DESIGNED TO RULE, WE HAVE BECOME IGNORANT KINGS.
Psalm 82 in the Old Testament gives an intriguing commentary on the human condition. In this psalm, the Creator is speaking, and he begins by questioning the assembly of “Yahs,” referring to mankind’s status as a being who, although not equal to Yah, has been created in Yah’s own image and likeness:
Yah presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “Yahs”: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are “Yahs”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.” Rise up, O Yah, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
The Creator asks, “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? [You should] defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy.”
The Creator then explains the cause of mankind’s behavior: “They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.” Darkness refers to their ignorance of truth, which results in evil actions. Because of their lack of justice, the very foundations of the earth are being shaken out of place. He adds, “I said, ‘You are “Yahs”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”
Some scholars say that the term “mere men” refers to mere flesh and thus means living from base animal instinct. Dogs don’t have complex cognitive abilities; they have instincts. The Creator is basically saying, “I didn’t make you like that. You’re not a mere animal. You are in the ‘Yah-class’: You are made in my image and likeness
and posses my nature and characteristics, and are therefore meant to rule with justice.”
Compare this perspective to much of human behavior, and you will see that mankind has degenerated to engaging in inhumane activities. Moreover, this description of what happens when humans are not in touch with their Source is a graphic illustration of our present-day leadership dilemma.
If you read the questions and statements in this psalm, you will recognize the parallel to today. “How long will you defend the unjust?” In other words, in your courts, the criminal gets off while the victim is humiliated. This is because you’re not in touch with yourselves. You can’t even see the wrongness of your way of doing things. You’re so corrupt; you go after money rather than righteousness or justice.
“How long will you show partiality to the wicked?” You give tax breaks to the man who is greedy while you burden the poor man with more than he is able to pay. That’s showing partiality.
“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless.” You don’t take care of the orphans. You fill your stomachs full of food but let children sleep under bridges.
“Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” You don’t look after people; you oppress them. All these questions are a demand for effective, competent, compassionate leadership.
He says that all this is going on because of the people’s ignorance of who they truly are: Yah’s image. That
is why I think the term “ignorant king” is very valid. It explains why the leadership in our nations is so weak and inept and, at times, brutal and heartless. It is because of our detachment from our Source. Our Creator says, “What are you doing? You are completely the opposite of what I intended.”
Mankind has become a kingdom of ignorant kings living under the mentality of an inferiority complex. It is from this context that many of our leaders emerge and attempt to lead us to a “better future.” We long for leaders who think like true leaders.
MENTAL ILLNESS
The greatest impact of the disconnect, however, is what I call “mental damage” or “mental illness.” The essence of this idea is that we have become what we think we are. The most powerful thing that a human has on earth, in my view, is his thoughts. The mind itself only contains the thoughts, so the thoughts are more important than the mind. It is your thinking that determines your life.
WE LONG FOR LEADERS WHO THINK LIKE TRUE LEADERS.
It seems as if most of the human race is suffering from mental illness, and it is epidemic among the majority of our leaders today. It is probably difficult for you to consider that many of our CEOs, administrators, managers, religious leaders, educators, sports heroes, scientists, and lawmakers are suffering from a grave form of mental illness, but in light of what we were originally created to be, this is a reality.
Some of our motivational leaders are mentally damaged. Many of our news celebrities suffer from mental illness. Our state legislatures and assemblies, national congresses, houses of parliament, and supreme courts are incubators for the mentally ill.
I’m not referring to people in an insane asylum. When I use the term mental illness, I am not referring to the medical definition of being psychologically incapable of sound judgment in relation to what we call normal in our societies. In the context of our discussion, I am referring to the inherent mental defect in every human being that resulted from our detachment from our Creator-Source. I am referring to the confusion we all face with regard to discovering our identity, self-worth, self-image, selfesteem, and sense of destiny.
Men and women of every nation, race, culture, status, and socioeconomic context all seem to be doing everything imaginable to fulfill their deep internal desires to find purpose, significance, value, and worth. A study of our modern and postmodern societies will reveal that no matter how sophisticated we may believe we are, we are still haunted by a passion to know who we really are. Many have tried even destructive behaviors to make some sense of their lives.
• They have power without purpose.
• They have money without meaning.
• They have position without a passion for living.
• They have houses but not homes.
• They have children but are not nurturing their sons and daughters.
• They protect animals but kill unborn human beings.
• They pursue power at the expense of principles.
• They sacrifice integrity for temporary pleasure.
These ways of thinking and living manifest a strange form of mental illness, which we have come to accept as normal. I sometimes think that most people in insane asylums are actually saner than many of us because at least they generally believe their worlds. It’s the people who, deep down, don’t really believe in what they’re doing, but are doing it anyway, who are much worse off.
THE PERSON IN THE INSANE ASYLUM MAY ACTUALLY BE SANER THAN MANY OF US.
Isn’t it amazing that many of us go every day to jobs we hate, live with people with whom we have no relationship, complain about everything while changing nothing, keep doing the same things over and over again—but expect different results? We exaggerate our accomplishments, pretend to be more than we are, hide behind false images of ourselves, and believe our reputations more than our true characters. Are we sane?
The result of mental illness is self-hatred, self-denigration, self-deception (denying the truth about oneself, lying to oneself), fear (fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown, a general suspicion of other people, a distrust of Yah), ignorance of personal identity, ignorance of personal ability, ignorance of personal purpose, ignorance of a sense of destiny, and a mentality of survival (we don’t really live—we just make a living).
The only thing that mentally ill people are sure of is death. In everything else, they live in uncertainty. That’s why they’re so suspicious and distrusting of others. Yet this is the mind-set from which we cultivate our leaders. We need help. (By the way, the insane never admit to their insanity, so if you disagree with this analysis, then perhaps you qualify!)
King Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived, wrote this statement in Ecclesiastes, his book on effective living and the challenges of life:
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves....Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.
Here, the great leader Solomon warned us that the home, company, classroom, community, or nation that is under the leadership of someone who has a slave mentality is in great danger. His statement also implies that being in a leadership position, in itself, does not guarantee mental soundness. In essence, wearing a crown does not change your mind. Nothing is more dangerous than power in the hands of one who suffers from a sense of mental inferiority. The formula for oppression is power without mental soundness.
THE FORMULA FOR OPPRESSION IS POWER WITHOUT MENTAL SOUNDNESS.
Now, imagine such a person being in charge of your life! Since humanity as a whole is suffering from mental illness, the bottom line is that these are the people we elect as leaders. These are the people who rule over us— whether it’s as a manager, a supervisor, a company CEO, a judge, the chief of a village, a teacher in the classroom, a professor at a college, or the president or prime minister of a nation. They’re mentally damaged and yet in charge of tens, hundreds, thousands, or millions of people! This is what today’s worldwide leadership crisis comes down to.
WE CAN BELIEVE ONLY WHAT WE KNOW
Again, the cause of our mental illness is our detachment from our Source. Because we are ignorant of who we are, why we are here, where we came from, what we are capable of doing, where we are we going, and what our destiny is, our confusion produces mental problems. The alarming thing is that our mental state is the source of our attitudes because our thoughts and beliefs generate these attitudes.
The danger with this situation is that all we know is what we’ve learned, but all we’ve learned is not all there is to know. If what we’ve learned is not true, we will still live by it because we think of it as truth. We live and regulate our lives based on what we believe, and we believe what we’ve heard.
Our beliefs then become our philosophy, and our philosophy controls and regulates our lives and leadership.
A society generally cannot produce a leader better than itself because that leader usually gets his or her beliefs from the society. Therefore, basically, we appoint people who are no wiser than we are to lead and guide us. Every society should constantly check the source of the information by which it is living.
A SOCIETY GENERALLY CANNOT PRODUCE A LEADER BETTER THAN ITSELF.
Where do our beliefs come from? The word belief in the Greek language is pistis.28 Pistis is the word that we translate as “faith.” Every human being has faith—all seven billion of us. Even the atheist has faith. He believes that there is no Yah, so he has faith in no Yah. The question is, where did our beliefs, or faith, come from? They came from something we heard, imagined, or were taught.
Our leadership today is a product of the thoughts of our leaders, and therefore the saying is true: “As a man thinks in his heart [subconscious mind], so is he.” When you want to study leaders and their leadership, do not study their physical appearance or demeanor. Study their hearts. Find out where they got their thoughts and ideas.
Hitler was simply the manifestation of the philosophy in his heart. He was a product of various influences, such as the teachers he had; the books he read; his family, friends, and associates; and his attitudes about his life experiences. His thoughts became his beliefs, his beliefs became his philosophy, his philosophy became his life, and, unfortunately, he lived out his philosophy with a distorted leadership influence.
The first-century leader Paul said that faith, or belief, comes by hearing something. We need to be listening to the words of our Creator. Why? Our hearing needs to be tuned to our Source so that our beliefs are based on original information, or truth. Again, the only one who knows the truth about a product is the manufacturer. Everything else is an opinion, an idea, or a suggestion. If we want leadership that is truthful, then our leaders must derive their source of belief from truth. Original information is found only in the mind of the manufacturer who created it.
THE LIMITED LEADER
There are three types of limitations in life. First, there are limitations that are imposed by external forces. Second, there are limitations that are inherent in the purpose and design of a created entity. Yet, most important, there is limitation that is a result of ignorance and faulty belief. This is the worst type of limitation because it is self-maintained and preserved. It is determined by us and not by others. In essence, what we do not know about ourselves is limiting us.
We are leaders, but we are limited because we do not know the truth about ourselves due to our disconnection from our Source. When Yahusha Hamachiach, the ultimate leader, was on earth, he taught certain things to reconnect us to the truth. For example, he constantly encouraged his disciples to do things beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. He kept moving them beyond the limits of their thinking because their attitudes were limited by their thoughts.
Leaders are limited by the extent of their knowledge of the truth about themselves and the world. The only one who knows the truth about all those things is the One who created them. We are not fulfilling our leadership potential because we are suffering the mental damage that results from our ignorance of the truth about ourselves and about creation. We have distorted beliefs because we have not been reconnected to the truth about ourselves.
The answer: We must somehow be restored to our Source. Regaining the spirit of leadership is about rediscovering and capturing the hidden knowledge about yourself and how to appropriate that knowledge in your everyday life. You are a leader by nature, and by design, you must discover the mentality that will set that leader free.
PRINCIPLES
1. The two-pronged nature of humanity’s dilemma is (1) even though our potential as leaders is still within us, we’ve lost our connection with our Source of purpose and power, and (2) even if the connection were to be reinstated, unless we could discover how a leader is meant to think and operate (the spirit of leadership), we still wouldn’t be able to fulfill our potential.
2. The loss of our Source of purpose and power has led to a myriad of negative outcomes because of the confusion that inevitably resulted.
3. Knowing the answers to the questions “Who am I?” “Where am I from?” “Why am I here?” “What am I capable of doing?” and “Where am I going?” gives a human being meaning and purpose.
4. When we don’t know the truth about ourselves, we are just experimenting with our lives.
5. When human beings try to find the meaning of life, they often seek to gain their identity through a relationship with the world around them. We can never discover our value or purpose by studying the creation but only by a relationship with the Creator.
6. One result of our disconnect with the Creator is that we don’t know how to use the mental and physical resources that he has given us. We use them for destructive things, such as violence, abuse, manipulation, corruption, and crime.
7. The greatest impact of the disconnect is that we have become what we erroneously think we are.
8. The most powerful thing that a human has on earth is his thoughts. It is one’s thinking that determines one’s life.
9. Confused thinking about one’s origin and purpose results in self-hatred, self-denigration, self-deception, fear, ignorance of personal identity, ignorance of personal ability, ignorance of personal purpose, ignorance of a sense of destiny, and a mentality of survival.
10. We believe what we’ve heard and accepted as truth. Our beliefs then become our philosophy, and our philosophy controls and regulates our lives and leadership.
11. Generally, a society cannot produce a leader that is better than itself because that leader usually gets his or her beliefs from the society.
12. Leaders are limited by the extent of their knowledge of the truth about themselves and the world.
13. The home, company, classroom, community, or nation that is under the leadership of a ruler who has a slave mentality is in great danger.
14. If you want to study leaders and their leadership, do not study their physical appearance or demeanor. Find out where they get their thoughts and ideas.
15. To restore the spirit of leadership, our hearing needs to be tuned to our Source so that our beliefs will be based on truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)