Open Heavens June 30, 2008

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Isa. 13-15

EFFECTIVE HEADSHIP?

MEMORIZE: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3)

READ: 1 Cor. 11:1-3

Deuteronomy 28:13 says you have a divine calling into headship. The head harbors eyes and ears. It also harbors the mouth. This may be viewed from different perspectives. It can be inferred that the head is expected to feed the organization he is heading, because food enters the body through the mouth. Some heads take advantage of their position and suck dry the organization, and at the end, they are head over emptiness. Some departments and churches face high labor (workers and ministers) turnover because their heads have no control over their mouths. When a leader uses his mouth to constantly degrade, disgrace and abuse his subordinates, he erodes his own power base, honor, and sensibilities. When they can no longer stand the insult, they begin to leave in droves. Some believers have driven away their destiny helpers with their tongues.

And some of such helpers will never return to perform their divine assignment in the lives and ministries of such heads. On the other hand, there are heads who use their mouths to feed the organizations they head with ideas, inspiration, hope, prayers, positive confessions and in the process build up a strong and virile organization. At the end, they prolong their headship over those organizations. As the head of your family, school, business, are you feeding it with destructive or constructive food? Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”. In the head is also the tongue.

The tongue is capable of life and death depending on the direction it is applied. One easy way to destroy an organization is to get the head to say the wrong thing. As a head, you must be very careful what you say. When provoked, some parents call their children or wards “goat!” If they continue this, they may gradually exchange their human instincts for goatee traits! James 3:3-5 says the tongue is the steering -wheel of the body. It has tremendous control over the body. Never speak evil of your family, church or organization. Make positive declarations. Only say what you desire to come to pass in the lives of your members. If they are weaklings, do not confess them as weaklings. Rather speak strength to them. Some pastors will say, ‘Our members are extremely poor!’ No wonder they are still battling with poverty. Confess wealth and prosperity upon them. And change their mindset through God’s Word. Back this up with prayers and they shall prosper.

ACTIONPOINT: God gave you human beings as children, not goats. If you use your tongue to change them into goats, you will have to explain how they became goats.