FOR JESUS’ LOVE 9
Leadership Traits
By
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (August 4, 2017)
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (St. John 21:15-17, King James Version [Christ’s charge to Peter]}
Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, I just want to say, Thank you Lord. Lord, I thank you. I heard a woman say, the thing about trying times is,--- my dad told me, that it is time to do a whole lot of trying---get to trying. I heard a man say, I told God if he would give me time, I would give him my time. There’s a whole lot of praying going on and I love it when the universe speaks out to the people echoing the voices of pain, retribution, heartache and malicious intent---the wailing caught me as soon as I closed my eyes immediately going into a vision seeing prosperity of a man and a woman riding down a long country road in a chauffeured limousine but I awoke---got up, for when the people pray like that, change is coming down the pipeline. To pigeon hole your future might not reveal what went down the rabbit hole, therefore, practicality outweighs pie in the sky every time you analyze it.
I recalled another vision I saw when God opened a window and poured out blessings of stacks of money, so today they said the Dow in the stock market never reached that high before yet there are folks impoverished and walking the streets of every city on this earth for they are homeless, jobless, broke down and cast out for all to see and hear their stories, their journey and how much dust is on not only their shoes if they have a pair of shoes but on the hardened feet that are worn out from the struggle of going to and fro, never getting anyplace at the right time to receive a blessing. I heard a woman say they are talking about me. I am more than sure they talked about Rahab, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus. I say, God bless you. Thank you, Christ Jesus for being so good to me. For I tried and stayed.
My heart broke out in both joy and relief from the fear--- the dread of captivity. Lord, save me. Lord saved me from all sin---your sin, my sin, the sins of the people, the sins of the world. Save me, Lord.
Now, God’s business is always in need of tending to and not just any old body is anointed enough to take care of the Master’s business but He that saved us, for by the blood of the lamb was the price paid
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for the saving of souls. God looked for a good man, a good and proper man. Do you know who that man was to free a certain people---His people, from bondage, from slavery of more than 400 years? What about you? Are there any people in need of freedom, right now?
Sometimes you are so deep in your struggle you do not see that it is also another’s struggle and you do not seem to be quite able to stop praying for as soon as you stop praying the issues of life in the struggles of life stack up higher and higher against you. You think to yourself, I need prayer right now but I need prayer always for no one stop quick fix prayer will do for my blood runs hot with the passion of God’s love at war against my own trials and tribulations. I need you, Lord---divine intercession. I need the great intercessor to pray for me. I need my Holy Ghost spirit to pray for me.
Don’t stop, I heard a woman say and my shoulders that drooped for a moment straightened up and my feet that ached with pain felt light---not burdened down. And my bruised up knees that I avoided kneeling down on placing my weight on, bent down and prayed not feeling the weight of sin coming against me in muscle aches and pains. Lord, I thank you. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I think your people, the people of Israel just walked around in a big whole circle going down to Egypt in the time of famine coming up out of there by the parting of the Red Sea sojourning in the valley of Mount Sinai for 40 years only to cross the River Jordan under blessings and curses to go in the land of Canaan. And, I say, Lord, Lord, please see me through. Let me not spend generations of time walking around in the circle of life. I want to be free. I want to stay on the straight and narrow.
I got my mind made up---lead me, Lord, for only you will. Why do we need the leadership of Moses when we live in grace under Christ Jesus? You know folks always looking back---well, you can not go forward without looking back to the leaders of the past. What about a Job kind of leadership rich in patience?
What about Abraham---a family man kind of leadership? What about Jacob, a man of power kind of leadership? When the people looked since God sent His son, Jesus, God told the people, I am well pleased. You see they did not know they needed a Jesus with grace kind of leadership---today’s world calls it a faith-based organization. How many are working under the Office of Christ---in the church---in the one body in need of leadership for your conscious is weak? Do you need a King Saul goodly young tall man so envious plotted to kill David kind of leadership that favored public opinion above and beyond what God said?
What about a Jezebel womanly leadership that built a grove filled with her gods---inanimate statutes to turn God’s children against him---give them another choice kind of leadership---show them who she worshipped in defiance against Elijah, God’s prophet kind of leadership? When a man is chosen of God, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directed his steps” [Proverbs 16:9, KJV]. I heard a man say, Leadership is not just someone standing up in a crowd—it takes something to be a leader. The mettle—the fiber of someone’s conscious in Christ Jesus must be an asset of their leadership traits for a person to withstand the pressures of leadership.
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Leadership is just not all show without substance of character. Respectfully, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” [Proverbs 16:7, KJV]. Howbeit then do we follow those lacking in character not in the righteousness of Christ Jesus? Accordingly, Proverbs said, “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right” [16:8]. Christ be with you. Amen.
