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hey everyone
welcome back and thanks for tuning in
for this week's leadership class
of all the books i've read
this short two-hour read called a tale of three kings sticks out to me as
one of the most profound reading experiences that I've ever had
maybe because it was the first book I ever read
cover to cover
without being able to put it down
it's also because it significantly shaped my view
on leadership
the book tells the story of Absalom and his attempt to overthrow his father
David
as king and i find it extremely relevant because
we find ourselves
as aspiring leaders wondering how are supposed to handle
our relationship with our leaders the people who
perhaps occupy the positions that we want to hold someday
I'm a big supporter of
personal ambition and
personal vision
so i don't see anything wrong with wanting to have a higher position one
day
but the story is Saul
David
and Absalom
shows us that there's a right way to go about it
and a wrong way
you know that Absalom didn't go about establishing his leadership the right way
because at the end of the story
he ends up dead
and david is still king
David on the other hand also thought he was supposed to be King
while Saul was still on the throne
he had a
prophetic word has been anointed by a prophet
but he went about establishing his leadership in a much different way
in fact
david never enforced the
word of God about his calling
he let
God enforce it.
and that's the lesson of Absalom
it's not our responsibility to establish ourselves in our leadership role
we need to show up. we need to develop ourselves as leaders. we need to be diligent
with everything that is placed in our hands to do
and then
we need to trust god
and we NEVER
try to build our leadership following
by taking down another leader
you never know…like Absalom
the leader you're join after may fact be God's choice for that position
Here are some quick keys to help you
number one
be diligent
it's easy to feel powerless sometimes when it comes to promotion
since the bible says that
"promotion comes from the lord"
it can feel like your role
is just to sit around and wait for god
that's not entirely true though
the bible also says the 'whatever your hand fins to do, do it
with all your might!"
that same bible makes it very clear that the lord
is a rewarder of faithfulness
your promotion to greater leadership is not just a waiting game...
it's a faithfulness game.
what are you doing with the influence God has already given you?
Here's the second one
honor
other leaders
Absalom sat at the gate of the city as people were coming to meet with king david
he talked to all the king's people trying to win them over to his side
with his care his wisdom
all the while
tearing down David
he was trying to build his leadership at the expense of another leader
that's a sure-fire way to never
move into higher leadership
trusting god means
building up the leaders over you in the eyes of the people
honor them...
and god will honor you
dishonor them
and God actually takes it personally
Romans chapter thirteen says that "there is no authority
except from god
and those which exists are established by God"
so when we cross anyone in authority we're crossing God too!
not the best way to be entrusted with more leadership
here's the last key
be patient
you're developing
more quickly than you might think
when i think about all the things that are in my heart and all I want to do with my life
sometimes i feel like i'm
moving really slow
you may feel the same way
Try this exercise
Instead of looking forward, look backward
how far has god brought you in the last
five years…in the last three years
when i think about it from this perspective
two things always happen
first
i start feeling like god is totally moving
me much more quickly then I thought
second,
I become very thankful that He didn't trust me
with more leadership responsibility earlier
when i think about how much i've learned
and how much He has changed me
I am thankful
i wasn't placed in situations that O couldn't have handled previously
i find myself trusing God a lot more
knowing that He knows things i don't know about what i'm lacking
and He'll work those things into me, preparing me for the great future
He has for me
Alright,
check the discussion questions online and thanks again for stopping by!