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BIBLE AND WEALTH

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

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Matthew 5.14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Have you taken some time off to review the impact you have made on your world in 2013? If yes, then well-done. If not, then it is about time you carry out that activity.  Being the light of the world means you are a leader in the world. This comes with responsibilities to be executed.You are to provide direction, no matter how small it may seem, to the world around you. A lot of people are not having it easy and once the child of God shows up, solution must come! The direction you provide must yield positive results in the short term or medium term or long term. Every child of God is a leader.

However, it is our responsibility to function in this grace of leadership. King Saul in the good book was chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. Saul had all it took to function in the position of leadership because when God says you are able, then surely, you are able; but Saul failed and God had to choose David to succeed Saul. Saul failed because at a point, he thought he could do it all alone without God. For you to be a good leader, see yourself as being capable to lead, rely on the strength of God and the assistance of your team members.

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BIBLE AND WEALTH

LET THE WORD DWELL IN YOU RICHLY!

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Colossians 3.16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

How far you will go in life depends on the amount of the word of Christ in you. This is directly proportional to your level of faith and consequently the amount of impact you can make in the world. It is easy to give several reasons why we are not able to read the word of God. We may be too busy always with our work; sometimes reading the word may be boring; sometimes it may be difficult to understand what we read. In fact, several other reasons why we don’t read the word of God may exist.

We have to realise that the word of God is our spiritual food. When our physical bodies do not receive and digest food, they emaciate  and before long, our skeletons become so visible. As we ‘ingest’ the word of God, our spirits are built up to function according to God’s purpose. We are able to know that which we have to do for ourselves and the persons we lead. We are able to know what is right and wrong for us. In short, we are able to have a positive impact on the world.

How can we ensure that the word dwells in us richly? Firstly, we have to consciously have a bible reading plan and obey the plan. Secondly, we can download good messages from the internet onto any storage devices and listen in our homes or any appropriate places. We can also go to church to hear and practice the word of God. We can also listen to the word of God on some TV stations in the world. Not all messages that quote the bible are true. Some are lies and are meant to poison our spirits so let us be very careful.  Listening to the word and balancing it with other work related materials is necessary otherwise all our time will be spent on the word of God at the expense of other important things. But in all our balances, let us give priority to the word of God because that is the source of our lives. As we enrich our lives with God’s word, let us not forget to share with others because we are admonished to preach the word to other people who also need it to develop.

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BUSINESS

LEADERSHIP SERIES, part 3

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Part 2 of our leadership series discussed some of the styles of leadership. In part 3, we are going to discuss some of the qualities of a good leader.

The qualities of a good leader

What are the qualities of good leaders? How should they behave in certain specific circumstances? How should they deal with colleagues on the board of directors, staff and members of groups?

1.Empathy

Above all else, leaders must be able to place themselves on the same level as others. Leaders must be able to put themselves in the shoes of those they are dealing with. They must try to feel what the other person feels. They must be intuitive and able to make those around them feel important.

2.Communication

Good leaders must be good communicators. Not necessarily great public speakers. The important thing is to understand what people say and to ensure they understand in return. Good leaders are clear and precise when communicating.

3.Overcoming resistance and opposition

Everyone puts up resistance. Everyone has their own view of an issue or a problem. Sometimes, two people freeze into a symmetrical relationship. This type of relationship can go nowhere since both individuals are defensive and wish to impose their point of view on the other. We can represent this sterile relationship as two people with the same weight on a weight scale. Neither can make the situation change since they are both stuck with the same attitude.

What can a good leader do to solve this problem?

A leader seeks to go around these blockages and understand the other person. A simple way to avoid symmetrical relationships (where each individual sticks to their position) is to play a subordinate role.

This means adopting an attitude of respect and listening actively to the other. Take a look at the difference between maintaining the leadership role and taking a subordinate role.

Subordinate role You play a subordinate role when:-You have succeeded in identifying the points of resistance held by the other.-You understand that the other person may also be right on some points and it would be advantageous for you to profit from that.-You are respectful, understanding and willing to listen to the other person.-The leader knows how to be respectful and listen to others.-This approach makes it possible to break an impasse between two individuals.-This approach does not mean abandoning our ideas, but rather creating a favourable climate for discussing between individuals. Leadership role You play the leadership role when:-You feel that the other person is respectful and wishes to know your point of view.-You have enough confidence to reveal your approach or point of view.-You feel the other person may play a subordinate role in the discussion.-In a discussion, the leadership role may be passed from individual to individual.From this position, you can defend your point of view, and confidently express your opinion to the other.

References:

Comment déveloper votre enterprise, Banque fédérale de développment, Canada, 1986

Gestion efficace pour votre entreprise. Banque fédérale de développment, Canada, 1983

Animation et travail en équipe, Pierre Choquette, Economie rurale, Com 16277, September 1990

Construire ensemble, Notre leadership dans une économie en changement, Agropur.

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BIBLE AND WEALTH

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

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Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12). What is the fight of faith? This is a critical question for every child of God. In some part of the world, this scripture has been interpreted wrongly to mean that children of God have to carry whipping canes to church and whip the devil and other demons out of their lives. So during prayer, the whipping canes are used to whip the air followed by many incantations and it is presupposed that whatever spirit(s) was responsible for their retrogression was cast out. A lot of other ‘gymnastics’ are done by children of God as a result of this scripture and it is even worst in some parts of Africa.

The fight of faith is speaking in concert the specific word of God to specific situations in faith. Usually the challenge of the christian is the lack of knowledge (that is, lack of the word of God in us). The good book says that ‘my people perish because of lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge of the word of God always gives us the upper hand in the face of staggering opposition. A few examples of the fight of faith are as follows: if your body is giving you the signal of sickness, you tell your body that ‘body, I love you so much; you are the temple of God therefore sickness cannot cohabit with the presence of God-therefore I cast the sickness out of this body’. If your mind is telling you that you are insignificant, you tell your body that ‘ body, you are the light of the world and therefore you are very relevant in the affairs of this world’.

The fight of faith can be applied to medical conditions that doctors have done all that they can to resolve but have not succeeded in resolving. That is not to rule out the importance of medicine but to state that where medicine has declared that a condition cannot be resolved, the word of God can resolve including terminal medical conditions. The child of God is a superman! Let us see ourselves in that light and help the world to progress. God’s word is still potent and able to do so much for us. It is our responsibility to see ourselves in the light of God’s word and always enjoy victory.

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