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Leaders must have courage and strength of heart,

Bringing the people together, not letting them fall apart,

They should study, meditate and daily do God’s Word,

To stand up for what’s right even when it’s hard.

They must be willing to take risks and make tough calls,

And always remember that God is in control,

And be quick to rise up whenever they fall,

And be fast to make a turn in case they hit a wall.

Leaders are like architects who build a better world,

Their vision is clear and their plans are unfurled,

They must be brave and take risks if they want to succeed,

And never forget that their people are in need.

It’s not about the fame or the money you can make,

It’s about the impact and the lives you can shape,

Ask God for strength and wisdom, and never shy away,

Ask the Lord for a heart full of courage, to face each day.

KEY TEXT: 1 Chronicles 21:1 (KJV) – “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.”

Satan provoked David to do a census on Israel because David was the leader of Israel. He probably whispered in David’s mind and said, “Take a count,” David listened, not knowing what it would amount. David trusted in the magnitude of the Israelite army instead of putting his faith in the all-powerful living God. The Devil attacks leaders more fiercely than other people. He knows that those who are under one’s leadership will also fall if he successfully attacks the leader. For example, Joab was against the idea of David numbering Israel, but there was nothing he could do since David was king. John C. Maxwell says, “It all rises and falls on leadership.”

“Looking Constantly to Jesus—No man is so high in power and authority but that Satan will assail him with temptation, And the more responsible the position a man occupies, the fiercer and more determined are the assaults of the enemy. Let God’s servants in every place study His word, looking constantly to Jesus, that they may be changed into His image. The inexhaustible fullness and the all-sufficiency of Christ are at our command if we walk before God in humility and contrition.” — Manuscript 140, 1902 (November 6, 1902, Principles for the Guidance of Men in Positions of Responsibility), Ellen G. White.

Satan was against the whole nation of Israel because it was called by God’s name; he wasn’t against King David alone. When Satan wants to attack a church, he will not attack an unknown member of the church; he will attack the leadership of that church. If the Devil seeks to strike a nation, he will attack that nation’s leadership and provoke them to sin. If he wants to attack a company or an organization, he will start first by attacking the leader.

Leadership is crucial because when the Philistines saw that David killed their leader, they all fled (1 Samuel 17:51). Proverbs 14:34 (KJV) says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation.” We need leaders that will lead their followers to righteousness. The leadership of Jehoshaphat made the people of Judah defeat three armies (2 Chronicles 20) because he was a righteous leader who depended on God and not his own strength.

2 Kings 18:7 (KJV) – “And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth.” The leadership of King Hezekiah made the Kingdom of Judah prosperous because he practiced righteousness.

 “In the crisis, Hezekiah proved to be a man of opportunity. No sooner had he ascended the throne than he began to plan and to execute. He first turned his attention to the restoration of the temple services, so long neglected; and in this work he earnestly solicited the co-operation of a band of priests and Levites who had remained true to their sacred calling. Confident of their loyal support, he spoke with them freely concerning his desire to institute immediate and far-reaching reforms. “Our fathers have trespassed,” he confessed, “and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord.” “Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.” 2 Chronicles 29:6, 10.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 331.2, Ellen G. White.

“The reign of Hezekiah was characterized by a series of remarkable providences which revealed to the surrounding nations that the God of Israel was with His people.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 339.1, Ellen G. White.

After Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, the Devil approached Him (Matthew 4:1-3). You need to put on the whole armor of God at all times (Ephesians 6:11). The Devil usually comes to you with greater temptations towards the last days of fasting or after you have finished fasting. He can also approach you after you have done any tremendous/uncommon spiritual work, like ministering during a week of prayer or preaching daily at a camp meeting.

One reason why Satan does this is that he wants you to lose credibility among the people you are ministering to. Another reason is that he wants to steal your blessings or stop you from gaining more blessings. So, after Jesus had fasted, the Devil approached Him. The Devil knew that Jesus would do mighty work in this world, so he had to attack Jesus before He started His ministry. With the grace of God, Jesus overcame all three temptations from Satan, and in subsequent times, He overcame the Devil each time he came to Him, whether through the Pharisees or His disciples or any other agent used by Satan. As a result, Jesus Christ led perfectly by example and saved the whole world from sin.

1 Kings 10:27 (AMP) – “The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as plentiful as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland.” Also, the Bible says in 1 Kings 10:21 that silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. It was considered valuable before the days of Solomon and probably after the days of Solomon. This shows that God had made the Israelites so prosperous that a precious commodity like silver had little to no value.

The closer you get to God the more you will lose interest in material things. Material things lose value when one esteems spiritual things highly. Leaders who are close to God, who have esteemed spiritual things highly will not be greedy for material things. Thus, you won’t see corruption with them or any other economic malpractices. As a result, they will be selfless and the jurisdiction that is under their leadership will be richer. Solomon, during his early reign, had kept the commandments of God and walked in His ways. His righteous leadership was what brought all that prosperity that Israel experienced.

“In the reign of David and Solomon, Israel became strong among the nations and had many opportunities to wield a mighty influence in behalf of truth and the right. The name of Jehovah was exalted and held in honor, and the purpose for which the Israelites had been established in the Land of Promise bade fair of meeting with fulfillment. Barriers were broken down, and seekers after truth from the lands of the heathen were not turned away unsatisfied. Conversions took place, and the church of God on earth was enlarged and prospered.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 25.1, Ellen G. White.

Obedience to God breaks down barriers and opens doors. Therefore, when a leader is obedient to God, he will be of great usefulness to his followers as barriers that hinder the followers from prosperity, whether spiritually or materially, will be broken down. Through their unrighteous actions, like wanting to be bribed, many leaders have blocked foreign investors from investing in their countries. If they had not behaved selfishly, foreign investors would have invested, jobs would have been created, unemployment rates would have been reduced, and the economies of those countries would have grown. Their unrighteousness brought their countries down and also lowered them as individuals.

“Those who today occupy positions of trust should seek to learn the lesson taught by Solomon’s prayer. The higher the position a man occupies, the greater the responsibility that he has to bear, the wider will be the influence that he exerts and the greater his need of dependence on God. Ever should he remember that with the call to work comes the call to walk circumspectly before his fellow men. He is to stand before God in the attitude of a learner. Position does not give holiness of character. It is by honoring God and obeying His commands that a man is made truly great.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 30.3, Ellen G. White.

A man is made truly great not by the magnitude of the title he possesses nor by how expensively he dresses but by obeying God’s commandments. A man is not made great through dictatorship, a powerful, authoritative voice, or eloquent speech. A forced rule may make people obey you out of fear, not influence. Influence is more powerful when you lead by example. You should be the first follower of whatever law or policy you create in your organization, country, or state. This will cause obedience from the people to be seamless because they will strive to be like you and do as you do.

But when you don’t do as you say, it will cause rebellion and havoc among the people under your authority, which is one reason there are protests. This does not mean that everyone will want to follow your example since there are always people who, no matter what you say or do, will do things their way. However, it will have a more significant and broader impact than when you preach water and drink wine. John 17:12 (KJV) – “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.”

Through His influence and the power of His example, Jesus saved all His disciples except Judas. In other words, He saved the majority of His followers. The same will happen if you are a righteous leader.

“In the proverbs of Solomon are outlined principles of holy living and high endeavor, principles that are heaven-born and that lead to godliness, principles that should govern every act of life. It was the wide dissemination of these principles, and the recognition of God as the One to whom all praise and honor belong, that made Solomon’s early reign a time of moral uplift as well as of material prosperity.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 33.4, Ellen G. White.

When there is moral uplifting, there will be material prosperity. If all thieves, armed robbers, and con artists would seek God first and ask God to show them their purpose in life, wealth would increase in their various cities and nations. The number of prisons will significantly reduce, and the budget used to cater to them who are in prisons will be used to build the country. They will have a positive influence on people in society. People will look up to them and want to be like them, bringing more prosperity to the land.

Many people in flourishing careers were inspired by someone they saw succeeding in that career; some ended up being greater and having more impact than their role models. If all prostitutes would seek God and ask Him to show them His purpose for their lives, morality would increase, more marriages would be saved from failing, sexually transmitted diseases would reduce, there would be less mental and emotional damage among people, and the broken society that we have now would be significantly fixed.

Imagine owners of wines and spirits shops, nightclubs, casinos, and betting companies closing their businesses and following God’s purpose for their lives. In that case, the decadence in health and morality in society will be significantly reduced. And who knows, they may make more money following their God-given purpose than doing what they are currently doing.

Suppose all Christians would obey the fourth commandment, keep the proper seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), and acknowledge that God gives them the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). This will result to more material prosperity than they currently possess.

Clearly, we have seen that we are in great need of leaders who will lead the people to righteousness.

The Devil attacked David and attacks leaders to this day because when a leader gives an instruction, the instruction is believed to be more credible than when a commoner does. The commoner may be right and the leader wrong, but people will believe the leader more.

Many bad habits and beliefs have been adopted because people in positions of influence advised them. Some affluent and highly educated or popular people have deceived the world that there is no God, and people have believed them. Followers who were once steadfast in God have ended up backsliding because of listening to counsel from such.

A Ph.D. holder in nutrition studies may give wrong nutrition advice, and people end up believing him because he has the highest academic achievement in that field. Satan knows this, so he uses men in positions of significant influence to kill, steal and destroy, as that is his main aim (John 10:10). He does this because he knows that such people are highly trusted. People who lack knowledge of the Truth (the Word of God) cannot discern between what’s right and wrong when listening to the advice of such people.

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) – “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Satan used the serpent to deceive Eve because he was the cleverest of all animals. Ellen G. White writes that the snake in those days was the most beautiful of all creatures.

Daniel 1:3-4 (KJV) – “³ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; ⁴ Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”

King Nebuchadnezzar chose the best among the children of Israel to work in his palace. The Devil works the same way. He takes the best that God has made to work for him. Most popular world musicians were made in church. The church fostered their musical talents and skills, giving them a readily available platform to practice. After their skills got enhanced, they left the church and sang for the world. The Devil takes the best that the Lord God has made the way he took the serpent to tempt Eve and the way he took Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through King Nebuchadnezzar. The Devil does this because he has nothing to give.

Satan owns nothing because he has not created anything and cannot create anything. To show God’s power, God can take the worst and make them the best. This is something that Satan cannot do. Genesis 2:7 (KJV) – “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Dust of the ground that we step on, God used it to make such a glorious creature, a human being. In your organizations and corporations, you don’t have to hire the best talent for your organization or your corporation to thrive. If you genuinely believe in the power of God, you can hire the lowest in the field and make them the best. Luke 1:37 (KJV) – “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”

The Israelites trusted Moses to lead them to the Promised Land. If Moses led them to the wrong path, they would still follow because he was their leader. Luckily, Moses led them in the right direction because he always strived to obey God even though he sometimes became impatient and fell into sin. Through the leadership of Moses, the Israelites reached the land of Canaan while Moses was denied entry by God. There are some privileges we enjoy now because of the sacrifice of some leaders in the past who didn’t get the chance to fully enjoy those privileges as we currently do.

1 Chronicles 21:7 (NKJV) – “And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.” God struck a whole nation because of the sin of its leader David. The opposite is also true. God can bless a country because of one leader’s righteousness, just like He blessed Egypt when Joseph was the leader.

“Christian Leadership—Praying Leadership—The path of men who are placed as leaders is not an easy one. But they are to see in every difficulty a call to prayer. Never are they to fail of consulting the great Source of all wisdom. Strengthened and enlightened by the Master Worker, they will be enabled to stand firm against unholy influences and to discern right from wrong, good from evil. They will approve that which God approves, and will strive earnestly against the introduction of wrong principles into His cause.” —Prophets and Kings, 31, Ellen G. White.

“Worry is blind and cannot discern the future. But Jesus sees the end from the beginning, and He has prepared His way to bring relief. “So much to do!” Yes; but who is the chief worker? Jesus Christ your Lord. He offers to lighten the loads we carry by putting Himself under the loads. Abiding in Christ, and Christ abiding in us, we can do all things through Him, who strengtheneth us.” – Christian Leadership, Page 77.2, Ellen G. White.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for making me a leader and bestowing upon me this solemn responsibility. Please give me the grace to serve You and the people under me so that your name may be glorified. Let me exercise a righteous influence because righteousness exalts a nation. Please give me the gift of discernment to discern what’s good and evil because sometimes truth and error seem so close and are challenging to determine. Guide me in my decision-making, and help me always to make blessed decisions. We pray this trusting and believing in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

Read & Reflect
Read aloud 1 Chronicles 21:1 and briefly discuss how Satan targeted David as a leader. Highlight that leaders are primary targets and must stay close to God.

Look in the Mirror
Look into a mirror (or phone camera) and quietly ask yourself:

• What kind of leader am I?
• Am I courageous, humble, obedient, and faithful like Christ?
• Am I leading by example in my home, school, workplace, or church?

Write a Commitment Note
On a sticky note, write down one leadership quality from the lesson that you want to improve (e.g., “Courage to speak the truth” or “Obedience to God’s Word”).
Then write a short personal commitment:
“With God’s help, I will…” (e.g., “…lead my team with integrity,” or “…pray before making big decisions.”)

Stick & Pray
Stick the note on the mirror or a visible surface at home. End with a short prayer, asking God for strength to be a righteous leader who reflects Christ.

Author: Mark Alex   

Email: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com 

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