God determines the times and seasons
“It is God who alters the times and seasons, and he removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. “(Daniel 2:21ISV)
The sun and moon were created to give light to the earth, to separate day from night, and serve as signs to mark seasons, days and years. Time, is a temporary interruption in eternity. It is a commodity that can neither be bought nor sold. The only thing you can do with time is use it. If you don’t use it, you lose it. If time doesn’t work in your favour, it will work against you. Time and seasons are instruments of measurement, assessment, planning and perfection. Time is an effective tool in the hands of God in planning and executing his plans. In time, everything that has a beginning must have an end. If God did not create time and seasons, there will be no end to terror, sickness, disease, misfortune, misunderstanding, quarrels, poverty and illiteracy, failure and disappointment, corruption and wickedness. In fact, there will be no end to evil.
If the earth was designed to be like heaven – a timeless realm, then, there will be no end to evil and unpleasant circumstances, poverty, sorrow and sickness will never end. Nothing will change. Change is impossible in eternity. Anything in eternity stays on. Time is a temporary interruption in eternity. It is an instrument in measuring, assessing, planning and perfecting the inhabitants of the earth. In time, change is possible. Anything you don’t want, can be eliminated. In time, nothing is permanent – no condition is permanent. In time, a failure can become a success. In time, a child can become an adult. In time, the sick can become healed. In time, the imprisoned oppressed, afflicted can become delivered and reign in life. In time, what you cannot see in your today can be seen in your tomorrow. You can take advantage of time and seasons to change your circumstance and put in place what you long to see that is not in existence. Use time, don’t waste it. Redeem the time and don’t let it slip through your hands. Make most of every opportunity and don’t let your God given opportunities slip through your hands. Eph 5:16
Change is inevitable
Therefore the most powerful realities on earth are time and seasons. The most predictable truth on Earth is Change. Change is inevitable. Everything in Creation will change, nothing remains the same. There are massive changes will take place in 2014 ,e. g. there will be political, legal, social, cultural, ideological , moral, religious, scientific, technological ,spiritual, climatic and environmental changes will occur in the nations of the world. Change is the greatest Challenge of our time. One thing is certain, the Scriptures make a distinction between the “temporal” and the “eternal.” Paul says that the things that are seen are “temporal” but the things not seen are “eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). “Time” clearly does not relate to God and man in the same way. In describing God, the psalmist declares: “. . . from everlasting to everlasting, you are God . . .” (Psa. 90:2). Eternity is endless, but time is measured by a “beginning” and an “end.” The Bible commences with these words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN THE AFFAIRS OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT
The book of Daniel in the Bible emphasizes especially the sovereignty of God. God is called “the living God,” “the most high God,” “the God of heaven,” “the King of heaven.” This sovereign God is in control, even of mighty human empires: “He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings” Daniel also emphasizes the certainty of God’s coming kingdom: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever”
Daniel was a man who had amazing character qualities. And God uses Daniel as the vehicle through which he reveals the unfolding of the redemptive plan of the history of the world. Now that's a monumental assignment. In chapter 1 we can see the circumstances that set Daniel in the right place. We have seen something of the quality and the character of the man that equips him to be God's very special man in this particular assignment. Daniel had an amazing commitment to virtuous and righteous character and he has set an uncompromising standard for his own life. There was a supernatural ability that allowed Daniel to have knowledge, skill and wisdom that a leader need, to get to the top. The God of Daniel is the God of sovereign power. He is the God, who rules nations; He has the power to remove a king, and replace him with another one. He has the power to crush the pride of earthly rulers. He is the God that reveals secrets. All the secrets of the universe are known to God. All the past, present and future are known to God. He can tell the destinies of nations.
We can learn a lot about leadership during the times of crisis. Only in these times of stress do we develop into the complete leader that God has destined each of us to become. In our text today Daniel is in one of those difficult situations and his leadership ability is a model for us to learn from. At certain times, God has used dreams to communicate with people. One of those people was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He had a troubling dream and it scared him in which God provided an overview of world events in the millennia yet to come. King Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605 to 562 B.C., greatly expanding the Babylonian Empire, conquering Jerusalem and deporting the Jews in the process. Daniel was one of those deported from Israel and granted an education in the king’s palace.
One night, Nebuchadnezzar awoke frightened by a dream. The problem was that the king could not remember his dream. He called all the advisors together for a meeting. He ordered them to tell him both the dream and its meaning, threatening to kill them if they couldn’t. When these men answered that no one could tell the king his dream, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that all the wise men in Babylon be killed. Daniel, one of the captives the Babylonians had taken from Jerusalem, was among those who were to be slain. This was standard procedure in a culture that placed a high importance on dreams and their meaning. However, he added an unprecedented requirement: “Tell me what my dream was and interpret it”
When Daniel learned about the danger, he told the king’s captain he would interpret the dream if the king would give him time. Daniel asked his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to pray with him. Daniel then waited for God to reveal the dream and save the lives of the advisors. God answered his prayer, gave him a replay of the dream and the interpretation. He went to the king with the interpretation and averted disaster. The dream featured a huge, glorious statue of a man. Its head was “made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay” Then a rock cut “not by human hands” hit the foot of the statue, and the whole image “became like chaff on a threshing floor,” while the rock “became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth” Daniel’s interpretation, given to him by God, explains that the statue represents a series of kingdoms, each less glorious than the one before, as indicated by the decreasing value of the metals. The first four kingdoms have been identified as the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman Empires. This identification has come from the workings of history matching further prophecies. Daniel already said that Babylon, specifically Nebuchadnezzar, was the head of gold. Babylon fell to the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. Greece became the successor to the Medo-Persian Empire. The “iron” empire can only be Rome. As we now know, four of these kingdoms have come and gone.
Daniel then said that the last empire, which was made of iron and clay, would be a divided kingdom and would be part strong and part broken. They shall not cleave to one another. In the days of this empire, God will destroy it and set up an everlasting Kingdom. Now we KNOW that God has not destroyed this part iron and part clay kingdom as of yet, because God has not set up His everlasting kingdom, YET. So this part iron and clay, 10 unit (10 toes) empire, is in our future and you WILL find out ... That it is Antichrist's. King Nebuchadnezzar was shocked that Daniel was able to not only tell him his dream but to interpret it. He fell to the ground and worshipped Daniel. He said I now know that Daniel's God is the only TRUE God. The king was pleased, and as a reward he made Daniel and his friend’s rulers in Babylon. When God granted Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king’s dream, it launched Daniel’s long career as a political leader, trusted advisor, and well-known prophet. He was clothed with divine knowledge, divine wisdom, divine intelligence, and supernatural understanding. Daniel was ten times better than the so-called wise men in the Babylonian kingdom. He never compromised his godly standards although he reigned in the midst of Babylonian. He was blameless in all his ways. Daniel positive character traits extinguished the diabolic schemes of his fervent opponents. He never allowed his detractors to dilute his focus.
Leading through crisis and understanding of times.
A Burning Question what should leaders do in times of crisis? There is no political answer to the problems in this nation or the world. It takes a real life crisis to test our leadership. Leading through crisis demands we focus on the root not the fruit In all honesty the deepest roots of this situation began with God. Daniel went to the king and asked for time to seek out God’s help. It is hard to focus on the root of the problem when the fruit is falling all around you and hitting you on the head, but the ultimate solution lies in the root. God was in control of this crisis and it was to in Him that the solution would have to originate. Bible says “…men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel, should do. (1 CHRON 12:32) This is a crucial time – When 11 tribes of Israel were without a leader, without guidance, and a model to follow. This tribe was distinguished in Israel because they understood the times. It is a tragedy to live in ignorance of the time that you are living in. An understanding of times will help you to know how to live and fit into Gods agenda for the now. God is a planner, and no planning is done without a time frame. God times everything. Therefore, it is important that you and I understand the times that we are in per time. This calls for diligence in searching out the Programme and timings of God, especially for our lives.
It is a time for special understanding. It is a time for real discernment. What did they understand? They understood the times when things normally took place. They also knew when it would be time for specific event to take place. They were able to interpret God’s written word by recognizing the significance of past events and applying the lessons to the present and the future. It was a crucial time because it was destined that David should be king over all Israel – The men of Issachar would understand what God was about to do, and would be a wonderful help in establishing the new kingdom. David needed such men during this crucial time in Israel’s history. The men of Issachar would see to it that David would not fail to accomplish the task of integrating the entire kingdom under his reign.
It is time for Indian people and leaders to humbly seek the face of the creator of the universe to ask the right questions. Why did God create India and everything in her? Why the vast natural and human resources? Why the poor mismanagement, and blind and corrupt leadership? God definitely had something in mind while creating this great nation. He had a purpose and a good plan for the people of India. Lies within that purpose are the needed visions India needs to change her story. We have leaned on our understanding for far too long yet we are still not where we should be by now. It is time to go back to our roots. India and their leaders must get rooted in God. People who are deeply rooted in God are committed, courageous, fruitful, and exemplary. Trees require roots and branches. A tree must abide in its roots before it can bear fruits. Trees draw strength, values, and virtues from their roots. God is our tap root (Genesis 1:1). His Word is our secondary root (John 1:5; Rev. 5:5). It is our connectedness to the Root that determines our greatness in all facet of life. A tree which is not connected to its roots is a dead tree.
It is impossible to rightly rule a nation without God
It is impossible to rightly rule a nation without divine guidance and protection. It is a common knowledge that the function of a product is dictated either by its manufacturer or its manual or both. God is the manufacturer of the universe and everything in and under the Heavens. Therefore, it is impossible to rightly govern a Nation without full dependence on God and His word. George Washington, the first president of USA, said ‘‘It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. We certainly cannot be smarter and wiser than our Creator. Whatever God does is forever but self-induced successes of human beings are shaky. Look at the history of the most powerful nations like Egypt, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman Empires. Where are their powers? They all vanished from the face of the Earth. It is our time but we must humbly go back to our roots if we really want to attain anything of lasting value. God is readily ready to listen to us when we call upon Him in this chaos moment. “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2Chronicles 7:14 India needs both healing and visionary leaders to realize her full destiny. This is the time!
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Helen Keller, probably the most recognized blind person who has ever lived, once said, "What would be worse than being born blind? She said “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” No wonder the wise king of Israel, Solomon, stated in his book of Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). This means that where there is no revelations of God and the future, people throw off self-control, personal discipline, and restraint. “Vision is everything. “Vision is the source of personal, corporate and National discipline”. King Solomon’s statement therefore captures the significant role vision has in our individual, corporate, and national lives. “Nothing noble or noteworthy on earth was ever done without vision. No invention, development, or great feat was ever accomplished without the inspiring power of this mysterious source called vision”. Vision makes the unseen visible and the unknown possible. It also makes suffering and disappointment bearable. The problems hampering our nation’s advancement call for new visions. When the right leader and the right timing come together, incredible things happen. Only the right action at the right time will bring success. No leader can escape the Law of Timing”.
A TRUE LEADER
TRUE Leadership can change the mindset and mentality of the followers. Leadership can create action where there was hesitation; courage where there was cowardice; optimism where there was cynicism, and strength where there was weakness. A leader can create a spirit of hope where there was despair. True leaders do the right things at the right time. Leadership determines the mentality, the destiny, the attitude, and the commitment of the followers. Nothing changes without effective, sensitive and righteous leadership. Leadership is the cause of all our problems and also the solution to all our problems. You can only lead people to the degree of the future that you have gone yourself. The act of leadership is taking people from where they are to where they have never been before. The result of true leadership is discomfort and change.
The most important source of leadership is vision.” Leadership never ends; only leaders end. Leaders should focus on developing future leaders; we must not just focus on change immediately but focus on those who will bring about change in the future. The reason for followership is leadership. You follow a leader so that you too can become a leader. Leadership is the capacity to influence followers through spiritual insight motivated by a divine passion, generated by a Godly vision, produced by a delightful conviction, ignited by a celestial purpose.
True leaders are people of uprightness. Besides, they focus on how to overcome the real challenges of the society they lead. Such leaders selflessly and passionately design and implement strategic blue prints to meet the real needs of the people they serve. Joseph in the Bible is one of the greatest leaders of the Old Testament, second perhaps, only to Moses. What separated him from others was his absolute integrity and trust in God, regardless of what happened to him. He is a shining example of what can happen when a person obeys God completely. In his youth, Joseph was proud, enjoying his status as his father's favorite.
One day Joseph had a Vision, and he went to go tell his brothers. He said, "Guess what? Last night I had a strange vision. We were tying up bunches of grain out in the field when suddenly my bunch stood up, while all of yours gathered around and bowed to me." The brothers looked at each other in disgust, but Joseph continued. "Then I had another dream that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me." This made the brothers dislike Joseph even more. A few days later Joseph's father asked him to check on his brothers. They were in the fields quite a distance away. So Joseph went to find them.
When the brothers saw Joseph in the distance, they made a plan to kill him. So when Joseph came to them, they took off his beautiful robe and they threw him in an empty well. A little while later a group of people came by that were wanting to sell some things in Egypt. One of the brothers spoke up, "Why don't we sell him to these people, this way we never have to see him again, and we don't have to kill him." The other brothers liked this idea, so they sold him to the people who were going to Egypt. The rest of the brothers took Joseph's beautiful robe and dipped it in animal blood and took it back to their father. When the father saw this he cried, "Some animal has killed my son." And he cried for many days, so much that nobody could comfort him. Now Joseph had started out as a slave, but the Lord was with Joseph and He helped him do everything right. Taken to Egypt, Joseph was sold again to Potiphar, an official in Pharaoh's household. Through hard work and humility, Joseph rose to the position of overseer of Potiphar's entire estate. But Potiphar's wife lusted after Joseph. When Joseph rejected her sinful advance, she lied and said Joseph tried to rape her. Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison.
Joseph must have wondered why he was being punished for doing the right thing. Even so, he worked hard again and was put in charge of all the prisoners. The Lord was still with Joseph in jail, and He never worried because the Lord was with Joseph and helped him do everything right. After Joseph had been in jail for some time a cupbearer and baker to Pharaoh had been sent there. One night each of them had a dream. They told Joseph about their dreams. God had given Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams. He told the cupbearer his dream meant he would be freed and returned to his former position. Joseph told the baker his dream meant he would be hanged. Both interpretations proved true. When the cupbearer was freed he forgot about what Joseph did. So Joseph stayed in jail for two more years. Until one day the Pharaoh had a dream, and nobody could explain it to him. The cupbearer then remembered what Joseph had done for him, and Joseph was brought to Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted that dream, and his God-given wisdom was so great that Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt. Joseph stockpiled grain to avoid a terrible famine.
After Pharaoh had told him his dream Joseph explained, "God is warning you. There will be seven years when nothing will grow and there won't be any food for anyone.""What can I do?" Pharaoh asked. "God has shown you what to do. There will be seven years before the bad years that will be very good. So good that there will be extra food for everyone. So you should save a little bit of each year’s harvest, that way you will have enough to get you through the bad years." Joseph said. Pharaoh believed all that Joseph told him, and put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. People came from all countries to buy grain from Joseph, because the whole world was in need of food. Some of those people were Joseph's brothers. When his brothers came, Joseph recognized them, but they did not know who he was. (It had been over 10 years since they had seen him).The brothers all bowed to him because he was an important person. Just as he dreamed they would at the beginning. After a few meetings with his brothers he could not keep it in any longer and Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father alive?" But his brothers couldn't answer him because they were afraid. Then Joseph said, "Come here. I am your brother, the one you sold! Do not worry, and do not be angry at yourselves for selling me, because God has put me here to save people from starving."So his father, his brothers, and their families came to live in Egypt with Joseph, and they had all the food they needed.
Joseph as a wise prime minister saved Egypt and the entire world from some possible nagging effects of a 7-year stern famine. His economic policies stood the test of time. Joseph remains the world’s greatest economic adviser, wise planner, and selfless leader. He was for example entrusted with the wealth of Egypt (the world’s then most powerful nation) yet he was never accused of misappropriation or corruption. He demonstrated personal integrity and transparency to their apex. Besides, Joseph never abused his authority. Although he had within his powers to for example retaliate the wickedness of his elder brothers, he showed mercy and sought for their welfare. Joseph preferred reconciliation to vindictiveness. He walked in the counsel of the Lord.
Daniel and Joseph were blameless leaders in the Bible. Firstly, they had personal knowledge of God, as a result, men of right spiritual sensitivity. Secondly, they acknowledged God’s presence in all situations. Thirdly, they completely relied on and looked unto God moment by moment. They for example sought God’s guidance before taking any step or decision. Besides, they obeyed the laws of God to the letter and spirit. In other words, they applied God’s word to their own lives and everything they did. In addition, they had forgiving and pure hearts. Moreover, they chose to serve their generations rather than seeking their personal welfare or lording over their people. Finally, they subjected their authority to God’s authority. It is worth noting that the qualities these exemplary leaders demonstrated can only be found in God. Education and much learning can never produce them. Technology is never a substitute to these indispensable qualities. No form of human training and teachings can cure sin, corruption, greed, selfishness, dishonesty and wickedness.
Human systems do not have the right force to promote law and order. Besides, no human-based organization can secure and maintain true world unity and peace. Charismatic leadership is never a substitute to character-based leadership. True leadership is in towels, not in titles. Jesus Christ’s models and principles of leadership cannot be sacrificed for human ideologies without multiplying our sorrows. His leadership principles and acts are undeniably the best. They are divine, reliable, workable and lasting. Joseph and Daniel used them. Throughout the pages of the bible, God and His inspired scribes have penned the stories of the men and women chosen to lead the chosen people. Some led well like Daniel and Joseph while others stumbled like David and Solomon. When we look closely at their stories, we can identify the characteristics needed for leadership. These men and women had faith and trust in God, humility, patience, courage, wisdom, kindness towards mankind, and strength. They were not leaders for the title, but called to take on the responsibility of evoking change for the common good. In essence, the National and religious leaders must be men whose character is unimpeachable, who are esteemed highly within their community. Such men are known for their wholesome life and untarnished integrity and men of good character and reputation.
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