Even Solomon, who was renown for his wisdom, had counselors.   He tells us that, “Where there is no wise guidance, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prov 11:14).  Good advisors make us accountable, help us make wise decisions and set us on the path to success.  When we heed prudent counseling, our vision is sharpened, our plans are realized, our relationships are balanced, and life’s discipline is enhanced.

Solomon’s counsel to us is, “Get all the advice and instruction you can, and be wise the rest of your life” (Prov 19:20).  And for those who balk at the idea of listening to those more experienced, he tells them, “It is a fool who thinks they need no advice” (Prov 12:15), and “their lack of discipline leads to poverty and shame” (Prov 13:18).

There is one mentor I would like to encourage you to consider developing a relationship with.  His moniker is “Wonderful Counselor” and His reputation is unparalleled.  He mentored a team of 12 misfits and turned them into world changers.  He makes his serves available to you with the offer that, if you need wisdom just ask.  He promises to share it generously.  He ready to impart a wisdom for the whole of your life.  His name is Jesus Christ and He’s standing by, waiting on your call.

Peter’s road avoided immediate danger and had immediate benefits.  Jesus’ road had some severe potholes.  Jesus felt the tug to take Peter’s route, but His choice to ‘stay on the path’ yielded greater benefits and, let’s face it, changed the world.

As you make difficult choices and decisions this week, choose the path of self-sacrifice over the path of self-preservation.  It is not as attractive and does not yield immediate benefits.  It generally proves hard; but staying on it will strengthen your character, reap lasting rewards and change your world for the better!

What does it take to excel?  Well, “excel” is at the root of the word excellence, so to excel, our performance on every level must be excellent!

The notion of being excellent is to “rise above.”  Before you apply that to you ‘rising above’ everyone else, let me ask, “Does your work rise above others?  Do you exceed expectations in what you do?  Do you give the best of yourself in your relationships?”

One sure way of excelling is to heed the counsel of the Apostle Paul, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Col 3:23)  When you hold yourself to a spiritual standard, everything you do is guaranteed to be excellent.

The wise King Solomon said that “The borrower is the servant to the lender.”  Yes, God is concerned about your debt, because when our lives are overwhelmed with it, we lack the freedom and abundance God wishes us to walk in.  His concern with out debt and its devastating effect on our lives and our future is the reason He instituted the Year of Jubilee.  This was a year when all debts were cancelled and people were given the opportunity to come out from under its oppression and start fresh.

If debt is overwhelming you personally or professionally, because Success is Spiritual, I believe God has a Jubilee for you.  I believe that if you are faithful in handling whatever debt you may have, God will give you a debt reduction plan.  He did it for a widow whose sons were on their way to debtor’s prison, in the Second book of Kings, chapter four.  He can do it for you.  Ask Him for wisdom in overcoming your debt and remain in consistent obedience to whatever He tells you to do.

Note: This is a wonderful site for financial wisdom: www.josephsangl.com/

That’s the way it was for David, just before he took out that giant, Goliath.  His brothers, yes, his own brothers, told him that he couldn’t do it.  They ridiculed his desire, and demeaned his effort.  After all, he was the ‘baby,’ which in itself implies a certain inferiority.  The truth of the matter was they couldn’t do it!  So they tried to saddle David with their limitations.

Do not let anyone who has never slain their own giant tell you that you cannot slay yours.  Do not let anyone make you live by their limitations, their fears or their lack of dreams and desires.  If you do, your life will be just as meager as theirs.

YOU CAN!!!

In other words, if Pharaoh released them to truly worship, they could never be slaves again. 

But before God could call the people into worship, the leader had to learn to worship first.

Moses spent many of his long days herding sheep in the desert regions of the Sinai mountains – the same area where he would later receive the 10 commandments.  Because of his responsibilities he only viewed it as a work place and failed to recognize it for what it truly was.

Moses was on the Mount of the Lord (Ex 3:1), standing on “holy ground.”  But he was so busy in his work that he didn’t see it as a place of worship.  He was consumed with business and missed the presence of God.

How true is that of us as leaders?  How often do we miss the worship of God doing the work of God?  How often do we miss the presence of God because we’re consumed with the present? 

God had to set a bush on fire to get Moses’ attention.  Then He had to invite Moses to stay awhile in His presence, “Take your shoes off.”

The greatest leadership responsibility is to spend time in the presence of God!  Without that all of our efforts are hollow.  It’s in worship that we are equipped for work.  It’s through time in worship that we are envisioned for leadership.  It’s in genuine worship that we discover our design.  And it’s only through worship that we receive directions for our destination.

Of all that Jesus taught his disciples, His lesson on rest is seldom reiterated.  He imparted this lesson, after his disciples had been working so hard that they didn’t even take the time to eat.  You’ve been there, huh? 

Even though what they were doing was, simply put, supernatural – creating awe and wonder, Jesus brought them back to earth by telling them to take a break and get away.  Actually what He said was “Come apart.”  And that’s exactly what you need to always make time to do, “Come apart” before you come apart.  (Mark 6:30-32)

The Bible says they took a little cruise to a private resort.  Jesus taught these ambitious, hard workers the value of rest.  Actually, it was a lesson He learned from His Father.  You have heard of the Sabbath, haven’t you?  At least one day a week, take the time to rest.

Don’t feel guilty when you slow down to rest.  Rest is not just a good idea.  Rest is a God-idea.

Because of my conviction on “giftings,” I think that we’re born with our unique something in us, but it has to be “made” or “formed” for us to our unique somebody.

I believe that Moses destined to be a deliverer, and was born with Leadership in him, but because he had not been made, he went before he was sent and somebody got killed.  He turned into a fugitive instead of a leader.  God had to take the born leader and set him free of some things before He could be used to free a people from bondage. 

Just as I believe we have something in us, I also believe we have something in our hand – some ability, enablement, gifting, skill, talent, resource, whatever – that will be instrumental to our God-designed success.  But just as we have to be made, that which is in our hand has to be laid down, in order to come alive.

Moses doubted that he had enough to perform the mountainous task God was assigning him, and was arguing that point when God broached, “What’s that in your hand?”  “A rod,” Moses retorted.

In herding and watching over the sheep, in his skilled hands, that rod represented Moses’ strength, his power and his authority in guiding the sheep and in dealing with serious situations.  As this desert herder had become seasoned, this rod had become an extension of his arm, in guiding and protecting his flock.  This rod had come to represent his identity, his skill and his resources.

“Throw it away,” God ordered.  For the first time in his exchange with God, Moses didn’t argue.  He just did it.  He threw the rod on the ground. 

When he threw it down, God made it come alive.

Moses had to release his identity, his talent, his protection, his strength and his experiences – all symbolic of his ability and good works – in order for God to make them alive.  In other words, now his good-works would be transformed into God-works.

I’m convinced that you already have what you need to accomplish you purpose, to fulfill the plan and reach your destination.  But first you must submit to the process of being “made.”  Sharpen every skill and ability God has given you.  But, then throw them away.  You must be willing to release all that has come to be identified as an extension of your “right arm” and let it become an extension of God’s “right arm.”  Throw it down and let Him return them to you “Alive!”

I find this fascinating: after God brought Moses’ rod to life, from then on Moses calls it “the Rod of God” (Ex 4:20, 17:9), but God called it Moses’ rod (Ex 14:16; 17:15).  God told Moses, “Lift up your rod.”  When Moses did, destiny-type things happened!

You’ve got “it” in you and what you need to accomplish “it” is in your hands.  But, if your rod has not first been thrown down, nothing will happen when you lift it up.

Destiny’s tug on Moses was more of a confrontation than a confirmation.  Thinly veiled in his resistance to what was not just an outer calling but an inner longing of his heart to see a people delivered, was disappointment.  Moses had spent the last 40 years living in disappointment.

If you look closely at Moses’ excuses for his refusal to accept the responsibilities of leadership, juxtapose to how he had been prepared for such a moment, you will understand God’s anger with the man’s constant rebuttal.  Moses had been raised in the palace of Pharaoh, afforded an exclusive education (evidenced by his ability to read and write, his understanding of blueprints, etc.), exposed to the affairs of state, and was familiar with Egyptian protocol.  He had been taught Hebrew customs by his birth mother, and now had spent the last 40 years inside the culture of a third set of people that would serve as the transitional dwelling for God’s nation.  No one was better qualified than Moses for this task.  No one! 

But, first, Moses had to be delivered from disappointment.  His life hadn’t turned out as planned.  The disappointment that loomed large in his heart was so connected to his attempt to fulfill his destiny, that it now hindered his destiny.  You see, in Moses’ first shot at deliverance he killed an Egyptian.  Instead of his Hebrew brothers honoring his effort, they rebuffed him.  When Pharaoh found out what Moses had done, he became a fugitive.  So, instead of leading one group, he was now rejected by two groups.

This rejection fostered his disappointment, and his disappointment lead to him doubting himself.  So when destiny offered him a second chance, he declined.We can easily hear the insecurities in his confrontation with God, but listen closer… that’s disappointment:  “I had been trained for greatness, but now I’m herding sheep.  I would have sacrificed the palace to deliver my people, but now I’m a nomad in the desert.”

“Okay, here’s what I’m really thinking: I already tried to deliver them, but they didn’t want me.”

We’ve all faced disappointment.  When we do not get the desired outcome, we let go of our passion and hope.  As a leader, it’s disheartening to want more for a people than they seemingly want for themselves.  Disappointment causes us to discard expectations and can fester into insecurity.

Instead, disappointment must foster our character (Romans 5:3-5), and give clarity to our expectations.  We can’t let go of expectations when disappointed, we must simply adjust them. 

Moses’ initial desire was right, but his actions were emotion driven and lead to the murder of an Egyptian.  When he adjusted his expectations, realizing that Success is Spiritual, his actions became purpose driven and led to a military victory in the drowning of the Egyptian Army in the Red Sea.

Disappointment does not equal failure and must not quell passion.  Let it define character and give clarity to our expectations.  And remember God’s cure for Moses’ disappointment; “I Am with you” (Exodus 3:12-14).

God gave Moses 40 years of practicing leadership on sheep to prepare him for 40 years of leading His people.  Notice that the venue for his leadership for both the sheep and God’s people was an uncultivated place – the desert.  In that wide open territory, Moses the shepherd learned how to spot both pastures of nourishment and enclaves of danger, then set boundaries for the sheep.  But he had yet to learn how to set boundaries for himself, for he wandered onto sacred territory – which was both good and bad.

“Hey, don’t take another step.  This is My territory.  It’s Holy.  If you cross this boundary, leave your shoes on the other side.”  God was very clear, and He still is.  He has boundaries. 

Shoes carry with them the residue of every place we’ve been and everything we’ve stepped in.  Just as one took their shoes off at the entrance of a Middle Eastern home and had their feet cleaned, God says to leaders, “Don’t bring your stuff into My presence!”

We can’t truly be spiritual leaders unless we spend time in His presence, but we must know the boundaries for His presence.  God, through Jeremiah, defines them: “If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman” (15:19).  Before we can become His spokesperson, we must learn to take off what is not necessarily bad, but what has no worth, from our good intentions to our compromise.  Take it off!

Secondly, we must learn to set appropriate boundaries for ourselves.  Boundaries that will help us stay balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually.  To make these boundaries effective, they must be communicated.

We must communicate with our family and our followers the requirements of spiritual preparation and the demands of spiritual leadership, and teach them to honor those boundaries.

Then we must teach our followers to respect the boundaries of our family and our personal time.  Communicate appropriate times for calling.  Let your family know that you value time with them and you won’t bring work ‘stuff’ into their time.

Especially of great importance, we must set boundaries for ourselves, taking our days off, vacationing every year, and refusing to be a slave to the demands of technology.  Most importantly, we must recognize when we draw near the presence of God and, respecting His boundary, take our shoes off.