POWER SHIFT – From Stewardship To Leadership

The journey so far:

It has been about power shift – Power changing hands from the hands of the abusers and corrupters of power to the hands of the Sons of God afore-prepared for the right usage of power.

For there is but one major purpose of power shift – it is that the benefit of the use of power in the respective offices of power may be evenly distributed. That the power and its associated blessings may flow right down from the head to the entire body, even all down to the feet.

To achieve this, we listed about four different power experiences for all believers that compel the shifting of power from the abusers of power to the users of power. But, then for the purpose of this edition of the Christian News, our focus has been on the first power experiences; which is “the power to become.”

And so, by the power to become, we set out to climb up the ladder of transformation by revelation of the word of God towards experiencing power shift.

It was first of all; the power to become – From redemption to adoption, then, from adoption to stewardship.

This final and concluding part titled from: “Stewardship to leadership” is the peak of the transformation experience by the power to become that qualifies the believer that has gone through the process, for the ultimate power experience.

May you experience the power shift in every sphere of your life.

From Stewardship to Leadership:

This is the promise of the Lord for you:

‘’And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail, and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath.’’ Deuteronomy 28:13-14.

Headship is leadership and it is a promise from the Lord. It is not a promise that comes to pass by merely wishing but that which becomes a reality by the process of making. ‘’And the Lord shall make thee the head.’’ The making of a true and upright leader is by God and it is achieved by the process of transformation through the power to become; from stewardship to leadership.

Becoming a leader without becoming a steward breeds irresponsible leaders. These are not leaders but raiders and robbers. We do not need raiders and robbers in charge of our resources and administration. We need right leaders with the right mind to be in charge, that there may be proper discharge of duties and welfare.

There is a vacuum in the world today of God-fearing leaders with the right conscience and the right state of mind. Servant-Leaders are scarce but master-Leaders are overwhelmingly in excess. No doubt, power shift is the need of the hour.

Master-Leaders must be discharged from leadership position and Servant-Leaders should be given their charge. However, it is a dangerous thing to put a man in charge of people’s affair that is yet to take charge of his own personal life.

But God has a plan and it is very clear from the text; that some people have been set apart in this present world for the peak of the mountain, they are not to be found at the bottom or the valley. The understanding that you and I are the object and the focus of this great heavenly agenda, will completely shatter and destroy the tail mentality; that the confidence and the boldness that leadership requires may be developed.

I said earlier that the making of a true and upright leader is by God through transformation by the power to become. Though God is not just the Creator of men; He is also the Maker of men. But there is no way God could achieve the transformation of the man created by Him without the full co-operation of the man. Transformation experience, beginning from redemption to adoption, to stewardship and finally to leadership requires the walking and the working together of man with his Creator and Maker.

At this point, we should know that our transformation experience from stewardship to leadership begins with us and ends with us. The divine factor is ever constant; it is the human factor that fluctuates because of the failure on the part of man to do the needful.

Our concentration then should be on what we must do on our own part to experience a change from stewardship to leadership.

Two things must be in place. These two things are the two positions that God has given to the man He created from the beginning. The two positions prepare the man for the leadership test. Meaning we cannot pass the leadership test without being established on these two positions.

The two positions are firstly: ‘’you are in charge’’ secondly, ‘’you must take charge.’’

You are in charge: To be in charge is leadership. And there is no way you can be in charge without first having the understanding that you are in charge. Man was created and appointed to be in charge. The understanding of this very fact is very critical to leadership.

You can only lead when you know and live with the consciousness that you are a leader. God made man in his own very image and said to him: ‘’have dominion over.’’ Now this is a very clear command from the Creator to the man he created; ‘’I have made you to be in charge and I hereby put you in charge by giving you your charge.’’

To have dominion over, is to preside over or to be set at the top by managing, administrating and overseeing the charge committed by his maker to his care. With this, I say that every man has the right of dominion but not everyone lives and walks in dominion.

Though God has appointed us to be in charge, it is necessary for us, having known that we are in charge to go ahead and take the initiative by taking charge.

Taking charge: Thinking about taking charge, the instruction from our Lord and Master comes to mind. He said to us: ‘’Occupy till I come.’’

This is very deep and requires a good understanding that we may receive the blessing of this instruction when we walk in obedience to the word of instruction.

The word ‘occupy’ means:

• Your position and working out your purpose and at the same time walking in purpose.
• Again to be occupied is to be gainfully and profitably employed. You do not just occupy space for the sake of filling up empty space. We occupy space that there may be the discharge or the release of spiritual, mental and physical effort right in the place we occupy in destiny. This is working within our capacity of employment. In other word, we are to deploy because we are employed. We are in place and in position to discharge duties as appropriate.
• Also to be occupied is to fully invest time, potential, gifts and talents into a profitable and meaningful venture. And there is no other meaningful and profitable venture than being fully occupied with the purpose of your existence.

With the combination of these three key definitions of occupation, we are set to take charge. Taking charge is to be in position suitable and prepared for the purpose I am to fulfill in life and at the same time function in that position by fully investing my time, potential, talents and gifts by which I am gainfully employed for deployment.

When you now have the understanding that you are in charge and walk in that consciousness that you are in charge by taking the initiative of your charge; certain things will begin to happen. These events are not meant to demote you but to promote you. Neither are they meant to destroy you but to make you.

These events are set up for your leadership test, just like the three Hebrew boys (Medrach, Shedrach and Abednego) in the burning furnace, Daniel in the lion’s den and Joseph in the pit and in the prison. The situations and events were divinely set up to launch them into the leadership position and power in the society. The following are some leadership tests required for your raising after taking charge, because you know that you are in charge.

The Leadership Test:

• The Ability Test – ‘’The potential factor’’. Your abilities are those gifts and talents that you are born with. They all make up your potential. To what extend can you function with your gifts and talents? How far and how well can you exercise and deploy those gifts in contrary and unpleasant situations? Just as Joseph interpreted the dreams of the king’s butler and baker in the prison.
• The capacity Test – ‘’the delivery factor’’. Your delivery capacity depends on the measure of your capacity. Whereas your capacity will determine your output, but what determines your capacity are the knowledge and skills acquired and developed over time. In addition to knowledge and skills, the strength of character is also very necessary when considering the human capacity to deliver.

The strength of character is your perseverance, your resilience and your endurance capacity. All of these work together towards the increase of your capacity to deliver. The capacity test is permitted in order to test your capacity that responsibility in leadership position may be according to your capacity.

• The attitude test: ‘’The personality factor.’’ How well you relate with people determines how much you can get from them. Your attitude will either draw people close to you or drive them far away from you. The attitude test is very significant in leadership, because with a negative attitude in leadership, failure is imminent. The attitude test covers inter-personal relationship with colleagues and everyone connected with the visions of the objective as well as your personal development. Challenges will definitely arise and difficult situations will surely spring up. Do we have the right and positive attitude which sees the mountain of problems as the ladder to higher ground and not as a barrier to our progress?

The attitude test will reveal where you belong; whether the Joshua-Caleb group of “we are well able to possess the land” or the group of the ten remaining spies of “we are not able to possess the land.”

• The occupational test – ‘’the management factor.’’ Everyone is divinely endowed with at least a talent. The major factor to be considered in leadership is not about the multitude of gifts and talents but in the usage. The parable of the talents was given by the Lord Jesus Christ in order to establish the occupational test in leadership.

In the parable, the proportion by which the Lord distributed the talents among the three was in accordance with their abilities. He gave five talents to one, two talents to another and one talent to the third person. When the first two have proven that they are capable of doubling up what they have by trading with it, they were given more. In other words, the management ability of their personal talents has increased because it was put to use.

The man with the single talent failed because of his wrong conception and mindset. With just a single talent, which you have taken time to develop and master you can rule your world.

Apostle Paul’s advice to young Timothy goes thus:

‘’Neglect not the gift that is in thee… Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them: that thy profiting may appear to all.’’ 1 Timothy 4:14-15.

• The divine test – ‘’The spiritual factor.’’ When the Lord confirms you as His servant, it simply means that you have been proven and approved by the Lord to be in charge and to execute leadership responsibilities. Then the Lord can say concerning you:

‘’Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment’’….Isaiah42:1.

There are basically three classes of leaders and generally two classes of people. There are those who live, act and lead by carnal judgment; all they do originate from the fallen human nature dominated by lust and pride. Secondly, there are those who depend totally on the mental and intellectual power to discharge leadership responsibility. But the leader that God Himself has chosen and prepared does not execute judgment in the flesh, neither does he depend on his mental and intellectual power; he is expected to live, act and lead by the leading of the Spirit of God.

The key factor, the Lord is looking for in us is complete and total submission to his will. We lead as we are led by the Spirit of God in us. ‘’I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment.’’

The leadership Ladder: As we take up the charge of leadership because we know that we are in charge and in dominion; then we gradually experience the leadership test: [the ability test, the capacity test, the attitude test, the occupational test and the divine test].

Your rise on the leadership ladder is according to your rating. And you are rated by your performance in the various leadership tests. As you continue to grow and develop through a series of challenges and experiences encountered; there is a gradual transformation from stewardship to leadership.

IN CONCLUSION: There is a general desire for leadership role. It is a natural human make-up, for God has given unto the man He created the role to lead in creation. But we get it wrong when we take leadership role only to being appointed as the head over some group of people, and not by living out our role in creation by the manifestation of our gifts and talents.

When you simply play your role, you will definitely rise and your rising will draw people to you. Then you become a leader not appointed by man, but by God through the divine process.

Leadership role and leadership test go together. Roles are divinely designated and assigned according to the individual ability, capacity, mental and emotional attitude exhibited in the management of whatever has been committed to our charge.

‘’Power Shift’’ is a reality and the Creator is in the business of putting right everything that is wrong and contrary to his original agenda and plan. You and I are tools in the hand of the Creator to achieve these divine goals.

Power is the means by which the Creator of man determines to all these done through man. Beloved, it is time for us to lay hold of power and reign with Christ by taking charge of our charge. Power must change hands from the abusers of power to the users of power who will maximize power for the benefit of the human race and to the glory of God on earth.

But the journey into power must be from the very fundamental and goes all the way through the process of ‘’the power to become.’’ It is the power to become – From redemption to adoption, then from adoption to stewardship and finally from stewardship to leadership. May the reality of these be fulfilled in your life as you submit your total man (spirit, soul and body) to the Lord.