KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
DON’T SINK YOUR BOAT
Article 1
By: Jim Kaseman
Galatians 5:16 Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Even though we are born again, Spirit-filled, tongue-talking, we can be flat ugly if we want to! We can do things ourselves to sink our own boat! We ran hinder our own success, we can sabotage our own walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, putting holes in our own boats. We can get in God’s way and not walk in the victory that is already provided for us. Let’s examine a few ways to sink our boat, and let’s patch some holes!
A POOR UNDERSTANDING OF PEOPLE
I Peter 3:7 says for husbands to dwell with their wives with understanding, so that their prayers will not be hindered. This principle applies to all of us. We can hinder our prayers by not walking in understanding with one another. Understanding people and getting along with them is not just a matter of prayer but of practical work. Be nice to one another, be tender-hearted, kind. That will affect you spiritually, because what Christianity is all about is a relationship with God and with each other. It’s time to get ourselves out of the way and see others’ interests before your own. Help meet other people’s needs. Then the law of sowing and reaping goes into effect, and we’ll have much more doing it that way than if, because of fear, we try to hang onto our “rights”.
BLAMING OTHERS FOR OUR FAILURE
II Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” In other words, look to yourself as to whether or not you are walking in the Word. At some point we have to accept responsibility for our own lives. We cannot continue to say, “If only I had a different wife, different children, different pastor, different job, different company, different world…” I don’t care If you Mink you are totally pure, righteous and holy, I can guarantee that if there is problem in a relationship, you both contributed to it. Don’t be so condemned about changing everybody else. If you stomp your foot on the bottom of your boat, insisting you are blameless, the only boat that will sink is yours! Take a good look in the mirror and take care of that person. Let God take care of the other people and we’ll have a glorious time.
LACK OF PURPOSE, GOALS OR VISION IN LIFE
Habakkuk 2:2 says to write the vision so that we may run with it. If you take the attitude that “whatever happens, happens,” I can just about prophesy what will happen… NOTHING! If we are going to walk in victory, we are going to have to have a goal. One real good way to sink a boat is to row aimlessly until it falls apart. Proverbs 29:18 says not to go charging into battle without a plan. James 1:5-8 indicates that in order to have stability in our lives we must become single-minded, have a purpose for living, have a goal, have a vision. You will not have a good marriage accidentally! You cannot develop relationships with a magic prayer. There must be a definite goal and a plan for getting there or it’ll never come to pass.
LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
Hosea 4:6 For lack of knowledge God’s people are gone into captivity, or perish or they are destroyed. Until I received some knowledge from God’s Word and faith came, I was not born again. So we see the danger of lack of knowledge. Clear, balanced understanding of God’s Word is like our navigational map to tell us where the sand bars and reefs are, and how to avoid them.
On the other hand, Mere is a very real danger in too much “knowledge.” If you take one or two subjects in Me Word and get into excess with It, it is guaranteed that you will end up in false doctrine. You cannot build your life with Jesus on one area of the Word. We need the whole counsel of the Lord, accurate, full knowledge, for real success. A balanced faith walk is taking the principles of faith and applying them to every area of life.
SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH NEGATIVE PEOPLE
II Corinthians 6:14 “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” There is a principle here that works for all us as believers. There are some people calling themselves Christians, some even professing to be Spirit-filled, and they are walking in darkness. They’re spitting poison out of their mouths, gossip, unbelief, doubt, turning people against God’s Word. If you hang around these people long , enough you’ll be dragged right into it with them. If we take our boat into their muck, the acid reaction will eventually eat right through the sides of our boat. If we are going to walk in the victory that God wants us to walk in, we’d better be walking with people who believe the same way we do. We can stay in love with those we disagree with, even those in false doctrine, but we cannot stay in close fellowship with them and not be dragged down. We need to be led by God’s Spirit and know where we fit in the Body.
EXPECTING AND TALKING FAILURE
This is the kind of person on whose tombstone you will see the words, “I told you so!” Thinking and talking and acting negative. Don’t anchor your boat in low tide…when the high water comes, it will be sunk! Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God tells us that He has set before us life and death, and He tells us to choose LIFE! How obvious! The most positive Being in the universe is God. Negative thoughts, attitudes and words are death-producing, and are against God’s Word. We don’t want anything to do with them. Let’s be like God…positive.
UNABLE TO LEARN FROM OTHERS
Philippians 3:12-13 Paul knew that he had not “arrived” at perfection. He never got to the place where he knew it all. He always maintained a teachable spirit. This walk in the Spirit is an on-going process. We might as well get it settled that it takes WORK. Your walk with the Lord will never level off. If you are not working to go on with God, you will go downhill. The unteachable person has three “I” problems. They think they are INFALLIBLE, always right, argumentative. They are INFLEXIBLE. “I don’t care what the Bible says, that’s not what my grandfather taught me.” And they are INSECURE. But if we keep a teachable spirit we can grow. Let’s don’t sink our boats by refusing to listen to someone who has already traveled the waters!
REFUSING TO TAKE THAT STEP OF FAITH
I’ve had people tell me, “I don’t know about this faith stuff…I’ve never had so many problems.” I think to myself, “What other choice do you have?” There are only two options: you are either with Jesus as a Christian or you’re out in the world at the mercy of the devil. Everybody on the earth has their problems, trials, and tribulation. The successful people in the world are those who have been willing to take a chance, take a risk.
Now as Christians, we use different terminology. It isn’t a risk because we are basing our step of faith on the Word of God. God does not lie. And when we step out by faith, according to His Word, we know it will come to pass. Fear will cause people to wait until everything lines up just perfectly before they take that first step. That’s not faith! Faith requires corresponding action. Our “boats” were designed with limited visibility. That’s when we have to trust our navigational system (the Word of God). If you really believe God, how come you’re not acting like it? Nothing will ever be accomplished in life without taking steps of faith.
UNDISCIPLINED LIVING
Just because we are Christians under grace and under God’s mercy does not mean that we don’t have to do anything. We cannot do whatever our flesh wants. It takes discipline to spend time with the Lord in prayer and in the Word. There will always be things to interfere. Galatians 5:22-23 says that one of the fruit of the spirit is self-control, temperance, discipline.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, it says that an undisciplined person is one who “beats the air” shooting in the dark, hoping to hit something. But Paul tells us in verse 27 that he disciplines his body, bringing it into subjection, lest when he had preached to others that he should become disqualified. It takes discipline, not only to manage our time and our energies and our goals, but how about our moods?! If we are walking in the Spirit, there shouldn’t be any devil, not to mention any person, that should be able to cause you to get into a bad mood. You have control over your mind, will and emotions. Recognize the temptation and don’t give in to it. Love, joy, and peace take discipline. But they are necessary for victory.
STOPPED BY FAILURE
Christians sometimes have holes in their boats because they allow themselves to be stopped by failure. Maybe they are believing God for something, and it doesn’t work out the way they thought it would. We need to understand that failure and mistakes are a part of our lives. Spiritual growth takes time. We start out as babies, go through the teen years into adulthood. But even as adults in the Lord, we won’t arrive at perfection in this life.
The attitude we have toward mistakes and failures will separate the successful people from the unsuccessful. People who are stopped by failure see it from a personal perspective with themselves as the victims. And the people who are not stopped by failure see it from a process perspective. They say “This is not a problem at all. I’ve learned something from this. Praise God when this comes around again, I’ll not make the same mistake. I’m growing, I’m learning. Victory is ahead.” Don’t be intimidated by failure! It’s all part of growing up.
We are coming into a time of great harvest. If we ever needed to be mature and take what we’ve learned and apply it to help meet others’ needs, this is the hour. This is what bringing in the harvest is all about. Don’t sink your boat before you complete the job God has for you!
(The above article appeared in the November 1990 issue of the Jim Kaseman Ministries.)
“RULES FOR SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP”
Article 2
II Tim. 4:7
1. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF (Phil. 4:13)
A. Love thyself.
B. Stand tall.
C. You are a very special person.
D. You are capable of achieving what God has called you to do.
2. REACH FOR THE STARS
A. Set high standards; expend all your energies to reach them.
B. Keep your sights high and standards high.
C. It will help you achieve more than you thought possible.
3. ALWAYS DO A LITTLE MORE THAN YOU’RE EXPECTED TO DO (Matt. 5:41)
A. Don’t try to get a way with a little less.
B. Go the extra mile.
C. It always pays dividends.
4. DO THINGS FOR OTHERS
A. Learn to be helpful
B. Be understanding.
C. Make people comfortable around you. They will love you.
D. People will do for you.
5. HONOR AND RESPECT THOSE OVER YOU (Heb. 13:7)
A. They have worked, sweat, and prayed for you.
B. They deserve your love and respect.
C. They have brought us to where we are; honor for works sake.
6. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
A. Be honest with yourself.
B. Be honest even if it hurts,
C. It means, do the right thing when nobody is watching,
D. You may kid most people, but you never kid yourself.
E. If you set high standards for yourself and stick to them, then you can expect others to do the same.
F. Few who betray themselves ever really are used greatly for God; they’re never successful.
7. GET INVOLVED
A. Try to make conditions better,
B. Cause poor conditions to be better because of your presence.
8. KEEP THE FAITH
A. Some will betray your trust.
B. Others will fail to keep their promises,
C. Circumstances can cause a leader to become sour or bitter.
D. You must always be the master of any and every situation; don’t let it master you.
1. Bitterness is a cancer.
2. It turns to hate.
3. It will destroy you.
E. Keep the faith – fight a good fight- finish the course:
9. TRY YOUR HARDEST
A. Never do less than what you are capable of doing.
B. You may fail; but satisfaction is in knowing you tried.
C. It’s sad to see someone talented fall short of his potential.
D. God expects you to perform up to your potential.
E. There’s something worse than having no talent, and that’s having one and not using it.
10. SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF (Phil. 3:14)
A. Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize.”
B. Try to decide where you want to go and how long it will take.
C. Make corrections along the way.
D. God is not often in a hurry.
1. He said He was coming back and its been 2,000 years.
2. One day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day,
E. Time is on your side,
11. LOOK UP TO SOMEBODY (I Cor. 4:16)
A. Paul said follow me as I follow Christ.
B. Pattern your life or parts of your life after somebody you admire.
C. Don’t be reluctant to believe in those you admire.
D. Learn from their trials and triumphs.
12. BE KIND
A. Kindness costs nothing.
B. Have a kind word, a compliment, or a gesture.
C. People want to do things for kind leaders – forget others.
13. NEVER STOP LEARNING
A. Don’t be a know-it-all.
B. Learn to listen to others.
C. Continue to educate yourself in your field.
14. NEVER GIVE UP
A. You will encounter set-backs.
B. You will encounter depression.
C. Your spirit will be crushed.
D. But make your set-backs only temporary.
E. Fight Back.
F. Learn to defy hard luck.
G. Never stop trying – there is another way.
H. Fight a good fight.
I. Finish your course.
Well done thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many.
(The original source and/or publisher of the above material is unknown.)
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HUMAN RELATIONS
Article 3
By: Dr. Carl S. Winters
There used to be three R’s in education; reading, writing, and arithmetic –now there is a fourth R–relations–HUMAN RELATIONS. As a simple guide in human relations I have written the ten commandments listed below.
I. Thou shalt love people, not just use them.
The greatest thing in the world is a person.
The greatest thing about a person is his motive, and the greatest motive is love.
II. Thou shalt develop thy understanding.
“If every man’s care were written on his brow, How many would our pity share, who bear our envy now.”
III. Thou shalt compliment more than criticize.
You had better cover your neighbor’s fault with a cloak of charity. You may need a circus tent to cover your own.
IV. Thou shalt not get angry.
If you are right your don’t need to. If you are wrong you can’t afford to.
V. Thou shalt not argue.
It’s no use to win the argument and lose the people. Beware of the attitude which says: “In matters controversial, my attitude is fine. I always see two points of view The one that’s wrong, and mine.”
VI. Thou shalt be kind.
You had better be kind to people you meet on the way up, they are the same ones you meet on the way down. It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.
VII. Thou shalt have a sense of humor.
A sense of humor is to a man what springs are to a wagon.
It saves him a lot of jolts.
VIII. Thou shall smile.
No man is ever fully dressed until he has a smile on his face.
“Powder your face with sunshine, Put on a great big smile. Make up your eyes with laughter. Folks will be laughing with you in a little while. Whistle a tune of gladness, Gloom never was worth while. The future’s brighter when hearts are lighter, So smile, smile, smile.”
IX Thou shalt practice what thou preachest.
One example is worth one thousand arguments.
X Thou shalt go to school to the Headmaster of the Universe, the Master of men, the Secretary of Human Relations — namely, Jesus Christ. He is the greatest leader of men the world has ever
known.
(The above material was published by the Church Publishing House in Chicago, IL.)
RULES FOR MANAGEMENT
Article 4
1. Never belittle a director.
2. Never criticize a director in front of others.
3. Never fail to give your directors your undivided attention.
4. Never seem preoccupied with your own interest.
5. Never play favorites.
6. Never fail to help your leaders grow. Have their interest at heart.
7. Never be insensitive to small things.
8. Never embarrass people who may be just learning the ropes. Don’t jump in and do it yourself.
9. Never vacillate in making a decision.
TO MOTIVATE YOU MUST:
1. Communicate standards and be consistent.
2. Be aware of your own biases and prejudices.
3. Let your people know where they stand. Give each person significant attention.
4. Give praise when appropriate-avoid overdoing.
5. Keep your people informed of changes that affect them.
6. Care about your directors. Read suggestions and listen to comments.
7. See people as ends and not means.
8. Build independence into your people. Don’t keep a good person in a box tied up with strings.
9. Exhibit personal diligence. You motivate by example.
10. Be willing to learn from others.
11. Demonstrate confidence. Proverbs 12:12
12. Delegate, delegate and delegate again. He will find himself leading the pack. Woe to the leader who has to know every detail.
13. Encourage ingenuity.
(The original source and/or publisher of the above material is unknown.)
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