I think there are just some things we can learn about leadership in general, and this is not just for men. Leadership is something that we can all, and should, know. These are things we can use at home.
Now the first thing I want to address about a leader is that he is a shield.
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psalms 3:3).
A leader should naturally be a protector. I think this is one of those things that go without saying, but some people may not know it. If I look at my dad, I see a protector—of what? –his family, his home. If I look at a pastor, I see him as a protector—of what? –his flock, his church. If I look at the Lord, I see Him as a Protector—of what? –His sheep, of His Bride, of His Church. That is what I see.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalms 28:7).
“Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield” (Psalms 115:11).
Jesus Himself spoke a little bit about sheep.
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:11-15).
That’s a Shepherd. That is a good Shepherd! He is protecting the sheep, and He is willing to lay down His life for them, which we know He did. And just as He wants to be our Shepherd, He wants us to be like sheep. To just follow His leading. When we are bucking it, that’s not what He wants.
Sheep will go anywhere you lead them, that’s what He wants us to do. He just wants us to follow His leadership. Because He is a protector—He’s the shield.
That same principle that can be applied in the home. The man is obviously the protector, he is the leader. But if somebody refuses to be led, there is nothing you can do about that. He can only lead if his will let him lead, if she will be led. It is the same with us and Christ—we have to let Him lead.
That’s the first thing I found, the next thing I found is in Nehemiah.
“Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them” (Nehemiah 9:12-15).
This passage is speaking of just how great the Lord has been to Israel.
“Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go” (verse 12).
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If He will lead you to it, He will lead you through it?”
In verse 12, it is speaking about how God led Israel by day as a cloud, and at night by a pillar of fire. He showed them where to go. He led them where to go. He didn’t just tell them where to go and say, “good luck!”
In verses 13 and 14 it shows that He’ll give you the rule book. It says that He “gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant.”
A good leader is going to make sure that you have a rule book. I’d say we got a pretty good rule Book. The best rule Book there is. This rule Book tells you enough that you need to know and tells you even more if you are willing to go digging. There’s plenty of things on the surface that you can get, but there’s also little things—like, finding out that Pharaoh died at the Red sea. You know, movies portray it that he stayed behind and his armies went into the Red sea. Which, I get. Exodus does not say that Pharaoh went into the sea. But you know where you find that one? You find that little tidbit in Psalms. Psalms will tell you that Pharaoh went in and perished with them. I’d say that is a good rule book, a rule book that will test you and see if you are willing to dig. Because you can’t make it through anything without a rule book.
We need a rule book. And a good leader is going to make sure you have a rule book—guidelines.
“And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them” (verse 15).
The thing I see there is that He’ll sustain you through whatever it is you are going through. Like I said, if he leads you to it, he’ll lead you through it. He’ll make sure you have the resources to make it through whatever He brought you to. He’s not just going to call somebody to preach and then never put them through any sort of situation where they’ll never ever do it. He puts everybody in the situations they need, but He’ll also give you the resources to get through it.
Now the first thing I want to address about a leader is that he is a shield.
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psalms 3:3).
A leader should naturally be a protector. I think this is one of those things that go without saying, but some people may not know it. If I look at my dad, I see a protector—of what? –his family, his home. If I look at a pastor, I see him as a protector—of what? –his flock, his church. If I look at the Lord, I see Him as a Protector—of what? –His sheep, of His Bride, of His Church. That is what I see.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalms 28:7).
“Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield” (Psalms 115:11).
Jesus Himself spoke a little bit about sheep.
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:11-15).
That’s a Shepherd. That is a good Shepherd! He is protecting the sheep, and He is willing to lay down His life for them, which we know He did. And just as He wants to be our Shepherd, He wants us to be like sheep. To just follow His leading. When we are bucking it, that’s not what He wants.
Sheep will go anywhere you lead them, that’s what He wants us to do. He just wants us to follow His leadership. Because He is a protector—He’s the shield.
That same principle that can be applied in the home. The man is obviously the protector, he is the leader. But if somebody refuses to be led, there is nothing you can do about that. He can only lead if his will let him lead, if she will be led. It is the same with us and Christ—we have to let Him lead.
That’s the first thing I found, the next thing I found is in Nehemiah.
“Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them” (Nehemiah 9:12-15).
This passage is speaking of just how great the Lord has been to Israel.
“Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go” (verse 12).
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If He will lead you to it, He will lead you through it?”
In verse 12, it is speaking about how God led Israel by day as a cloud, and at night by a pillar of fire. He showed them where to go. He led them where to go. He didn’t just tell them where to go and say, “good luck!”
In verses 13 and 14 it shows that He’ll give you the rule book. It says that He “gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant.”
A good leader is going to make sure that you have a rule book. I’d say we got a pretty good rule Book. The best rule Book there is. This rule Book tells you enough that you need to know and tells you even more if you are willing to go digging. There’s plenty of things on the surface that you can get, but there’s also little things—like, finding out that Pharaoh died at the Red sea. You know, movies portray it that he stayed behind and his armies went into the Red sea. Which, I get. Exodus does not say that Pharaoh went into the sea. But you know where you find that one? You find that little tidbit in Psalms. Psalms will tell you that Pharaoh went in and perished with them. I’d say that is a good rule book, a rule book that will test you and see if you are willing to dig. Because you can’t make it through anything without a rule book.
We need a rule book. And a good leader is going to make sure you have a rule book—guidelines.
“And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them” (verse 15).
The thing I see there is that He’ll sustain you through whatever it is you are going through. Like I said, if he leads you to it, he’ll lead you through it. He’ll make sure you have the resources to make it through whatever He brought you to. He’s not just going to call somebody to preach and then never put them through any sort of situation where they’ll never ever do it. He puts everybody in the situations they need, but He’ll also give you the resources to get through it.
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