The Greatest Leader

Matthew 16:18- “…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

I asked one of my spiritual sons to name three of the greatest leaders of all time. I qualified the question by giving him the one word definition of the word leadership—influence. When he communicated his choices, to his surprise I told him that I thought that Adolph Hitler and Jim Jones were great leaders because of the influence (though negative) they had on others. But my choice as The Greatest Leader of all time is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.



Jesus’ initial followers were a diverse group—from a tax collector to fishermen to a physician. But His Leadership Ability changed their lives. Although Mohandas (Mohatma) Ghandi is accredited with being the father of non-violence, the leadership model originated with our Lord and Savior. I teach and preach that one of the greatest factors in successful leadership is the leader’s succession plan. I believe that the true measure of a leader’s success is not measured by how well the organization functions when he or she is around, but by the performance of the outfit in the leader’s absence. Over two-thousand years ago, Jesus established the church then left and went back to glory. Throughout history the church has overcome all types of opposition. Although she is often the brunt of many a joke, to her credit, the church is still standing. Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18)



Do your part in passing on Christ to the next generation. In doing so, not only will you crown Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but you’ll also confirm the fact that He is the Greatest Leader of all time.



Let’s Pray:

“Father, not only do we honor Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but we recognize Him as being The Greatest Leader of all time. Teach us The Awesome Traits of His Leadership, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10



Daily Confession:

Father, I thank You for making me the head and not the tail
Above only and not beneath
The lender and not the borrower
The conqueror and not the conquered
I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness
And for delivering my life from death and destruction
So that I shall live and not die to declare your works
I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body today
For by Your Stripes I'm healed
I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed
Because You're keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee
I confess that there shall not be any lack in my life today
For my God shall supply all my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus
Thank You that all things are working together for my good
And that You always cause me to triumph
This is the day that you have made
I will rejoice and be glad in it
In Jesus, Name, amen.

VARIOUS SCRIPTURES

When God created man, He placed him in the paradise of a Garden where he could enjoy anything and everything except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:16-17) The major consequence of Adam’s sin was our being eternally separated from God. But thank God for Jesus! Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, restored that which man lost at the fall and gave us back privileges that were forfeited by Adam. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Paul informed the men of his day that “…in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28) Peter boldly proclaimed to the hearers in the 1st century, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The authority we have over Satan isn’t in and of ourselves, but The Name of Jesus. Our Lord tells us in Luke 10:19 that, “…I have given you the power 'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.”

Let’s celebrate our God today simply because of the access we have through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Let’s Pray:
“Father, thank You for Jesus and the access we have through Him, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer:
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”


The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

God is Working Things Out

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

My in-laws’ home is a reminder of how God takes what looks like a bad situation and works things out for our good. Several years ago their home was completely destroyed by a tornado. Their place of residence was laid to ruins while they were inside. It’s a notable miracle that they’re still alive considering the way the storm came through the home. Although a great deal of their property and personal belongings was ruined, they had insurance so everything was replaced. The end state of their trial resulted in The Lord blessing them with a wonderful home that’s twice the size of the one they had. On top of that, they bought the home with a fair amount of equity already in it! What looked initially like a catastrophe ended up as a wonderful blessing.

Many times we’re unable to see The Plan of God amidst the things that we endure. But The Master has a way of working things out in a way that both favors us and gives glory to His Name. The challenge for the believer is to trust God when we don’t understand what He’s doing or why we’re having to endure the things we do. Our faith has to rise to the point where “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Let’s Pray:
“Father, we pray that we’ll know that You’re working out every detail of our lives for our good, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Lost In The House

“…what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?” Luke 15:8 (ESV)

Recently, I spoke with a young lady who was an active member of a church here in the city. Although she went to church faithfully, she confessed that she struggled living the Christian life. For whatever reason, I decided to ask her, “Are you saved?” Her response to this question was, “I was baptized as a child.” When I asked her did she remember confessing and accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, she responded, “No I don’t.” I led her to Christ and then explained the importance of developing and maintaining a relationship with God. Although she was an active attendee and participant in church, she was “lost in the house of the Lord.”

After that experience, I wondered, “How many members are in our churches, but are ‘lost in the house?’” “How many people are sitting in our pews but cannot recall accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?” Nestled between the parables of the lost sheep and the prodigal son in Luke 15 is the parable of the lost coin. Of the woman’s 10 silver coins, one of them was lost in the house. When the coin was lost, she lit a lamp and searched the house diligently until she found it. Because of the eternal significance of salvation, we must examine ourselves and others in our churches to ensure that they recall accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Regardless of your popularity, position, or pedigree, we are only saved by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord.

Let’s Pray:
“Father, we thank You for salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that if there are those who haven’t accepted You, let them accept You today, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer:

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10