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1 Sam. 24:7-10 - David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave… David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground …. David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, 'Behold, David seeks to harm you'? "Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.' NASU
When you think of a leader you know personally I am sure they said something that resonates within your mind from time to time.
Real leaders have a plan they believe in and will stick with it regardless of the opposition. They are not willing to be persuaded to change their plan even by those closest to them when they are fully convinced their plan is the correct one. David proves to King Saul other people are lying about him and he is not the King's enemy. In the cave, David cuts off a piece of the king's robe. Then once Saul leaves the cave David goes out and calls to the king. Bowing down before him to show respect he shows him the piece of his robe and says, If I were trying to kill you, you would be dead, but those who say I am your enemy are lying and this proves it. David not only influenced his men he has an influence on King Saul. Look what Saul says, in 1 Sam. 24:16-17 - Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you."
Now there isn't any scripture to support my thoughts here and I am not teaching it as truth or doctrine. I am merely speculating when I say I believe David influenced his guys once again when he said, I am going out there and talk with the king. You don't have to agree with me on this point, but at least consider it. Can you hear those men? David, you must be crazy. Have you lost your mind? You should have killed him when you had the chance but no you didn't want to do what every other leader would have done. (What about you- Would you have killed King Saul in the cave, if you had been in David's sandals?) Saul wants to kill you. He has brought a 3,000 man army out to find us. We are stuck in a cave with no possible way to escape and you want to go out and speak with the king. Saul is a certified madman and you know it. We are all going to die. David, please rethink what you are about to do. Psalm 57 is a prayer of David's while he was in a cave. Was it this cave on this day? I don't know but what I do know is David completely believed God would answer his prayers and rescue him from the caves where he and his men have been hiding. David, as I mentioned earlier, goes out and addresses the king and the king rides home in shame. This my friends is Non-Traditional leadership at its best. You have a plan and you work that plan regardless of the opposition to that plan.
Think About These: An example isn't the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. A good leader inspires men to have confidence in him; a great leader inspires them to have confidence in themselves. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Prov. 24:16 - For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. NASU
Prov. 24:16 No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don't stay down long; Soon they're up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
I have included this verse from The Message translation also. I really love how he translated this verse. No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don't stay down long; Soon they're up on their feet,… I am sure we all have been knocked down by life, but the difference between us and others is we get back up and continue grinding it out until the victory is ours.
This is you. You are a God-loyal person and sure you are down now but you are not down for long because he goes on to say soon you're up on your feet. Identify what it is that has knocked you down in life. Is it a health issue, or a financial issue or a work issue? Know this, whatever it is that has knocked you down the fight isn't over. You will get back up on your feet and win this battle. How do I know? This scripture tells us this is what God-loyal or the righteous people do.
Whatever the reason there is only one thing for you to do, get back up, dust yourself off and continue in the fight until you secure the victory. You can do this because God's Word says you can. Think About This: “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength.” ― Theodore Roosevelt Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Nehemiah 6:1-4 - Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" 4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. NASU
One thing we must remember not everyone wants us to accomplish our goals. As you read the book of Nehemiah he was always fighting off some type of attack. The purpose of the attacks was to stop Nehemiah from accomplishing his goals.
After a few years of reading God's Word and seeing all the men of God who were trying to accomplish something for the Lord or His Kingdom, I noticed they were always under some type of attack from someone. I wondered why God didn't help them and clear a path for them, after all their goals benefited His kingdom. The life lesson I learned is when you establish a goal for the Lord's Kingdom and the devil places all types of obstacles in your way this is how you learn to grow in your faith and really rely on God to see you through this trial. We must never forget God is teaching us to depend on Him. If you do it all by yourself then you receive all of the glory, but if you accomplish the job with God you both receive the glory for a job accomplished.
When you set your goal you should know you will face opposition. There will always be some who believe God has sent them to stop you. The best advice I can give you is what I have learned from Nehemiah. Stay Focused! Don't Come Down! Remember You Are Doing A Great Work! Think On These: Remember the steam kettle! Though up to its neck in hot water, it continues to sing. Our Goal should be Service, not Success. A man with a burning ambition is seldom fired. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 9:59, 61 - And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." …. 61 Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." NASU
Then Jesus makes this eye-opening statement: "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Jesus is informing any future disciples if you want to be on His team you will have to pay the price. If you want to be a part of His team be prepared to endure hardships. When building a team you need people who are willing to endure the hardships they will face. You need people who are willing to pay the price even if they have to sleep on the ground. What your team doesn't need is people who want to give you excuses for why they can't do what you have asked them to do.
Jesus knew these two guys were never going to make it on His team. They were never going to be preachers because they were not willing to accept the hardships that come along with being in the ministry. They wanted the glory of speaking and having people listen to them. Years ago when my staff members would share with me some of the hardships they were enduring in the ministry I had one standard answer: "Welcome to the Ministry!" What were you expecting everything to go as you had it planned? Were you expecting everyone to jump on board and support you? Yeah, well that will not be happening in the ministry. When you are building a team choose wisely my friend. Think On These: Conviction is a belief that you hold or that holds you. Most failures are experts at making excuses. The most unprofitable item ever manufactured is an excuse. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 9:62 - But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." NASU
Please allow me to paraphrase what Jesus said, If you begin to plow a field keep your eyes straight ahead, don't be looking around. You can't plow straight furrows when you are looking all around. The person who stays focus is the person you want on your team. This person will not be distracted by what is going on all around them.
We watched the love of money change them, or the love of being popular, or the stupidity of thinking drugs was going to help them in anyway. If you want your dreams to come crashing down then lose your focus on what is important.
The one who is able to drive the car without texting. The one who puts their hand to the plow and doesn't look back. This person has the dedication to accomplishing the goal that is before them. Anything that tries to take them off course is immediately squelched and they are wise enough to know there will always be something trying to distract them from accomplishing their goal. So what is your goal today? What are you doing to fulfill your dream? Hopefully, you are making sure nothing distracts you. Take the advice of Jesus once you put your hands to the plow don't look back. Think On These: A man with a burning ambition is seldom fired. Too many of us shoot blanks when aiming at our goals. Enthusiasm is apt to breed more action than accuracy. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago MInister of God's Word Go To www.SeragosPumpUps.com to listen to Pump Ups on Podcast |
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