Pastor Chuck Pelham

Charisma has been defined as a magnetic personal attraction that draws others to the leader, making them feel better about themselves. Effective leaders do well to develop some level of Charisma.

The Greek word for Charisma means “gift.” Everyone posses a degree of charisma. The role of leadership is to give it away to others; good charismatic people are others-centered. They always have the interest of others at heart. In these chapters we find King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who failed to demonstrate charisma for the good of the people. Here are a few things to ponder.

1. They set out to selfishly build their own kingdoms (1 Kings 22:8)
2. They used people in order to get ahead; anyone was expendable. (1 kings 19:2)
3. The worried about image and lived under false pretenses. (1 Kings 21:8-13)
4. They got angry when they didn’t get their way. (1 Kings 21:4)
5. They pretended to be someone they were not. (1 Kings 21:25-27)
6. They abused the authority they had been given, (1 Kings 21:18-19)

Instead of using and developing charisma to lead people effectively they allowed their position to control people and to use them. To build charisma, you have to have the good of others in mind. Leaders who think about others and their concerns before thinking of themselves develop charisma quickly.

How would you rate your own charisma? Are other people naturally attracted to you? Are you well liked? Listed are hindrances to charisma…see if you posses any of these?

1. Pride: Nobody wants to follow a leader who thinks they are better than anyone else…arrogant leaders lose the respect of others.
2. Insecurity: If you are uncomfortable with yourself, others will be, too. Only secure leaders can provide a secure atmosphere.
3. Moodiness: If people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. Eventually, they won’t even approach you.
4. Selfishness: People can tell if you are using them merely to reach your own goal. No healthy person stays for long in such an unhealthy environment.
5. Perfectionism: People respect the desire for excellence, but loathe unrealistic expectations. No one wants to feel the program is more important then they are.
6. Cynicism: People don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining. Negative leaders repulse healthy followers.

When our heart is for the good of others we lead, demonstrate and model healthy leadership which is attractive. I want to encourage you today to lead with charisma not control and provide for others the “gift” of leadership that rallies people to a cause that’s greater than any one person. Blessings

Chuck Pelham
Sources;
John Maxwell, Thoughts on Leadership
Jack Hayford, Spirit Filled life bible

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In these few versus the prophet Micah is crying out against Samaria and Jerusalem for the impending punishment that the people were to endure. Because of his assignment from the Lord he delivers to them what God is about to do through His judgments. Then in versus 8-10 Micah shows the heart of a true leader when he begins to Mourn for the people he loves.

The more a leader matures, the more value and commitment they have on people. At the end of the day when all is said and done, leadership in not about strategy, marketing, organization, efficiency, or high quality products, it’s about people. Micah shows us his love for people by demonstrating when they hurt he hurt…even though they were wrong. The value he placed on people teaches us the following…

a. People are the churches most appreciable asset.
b. People skills are a leader’s most important asset.
c. If you are good with people, you can lead in a variety of contexts.
d. You can have people skills and not be a good leader, but you cannot be a good leader without people skills.

Great leaders not only have a connection with people but they genuinely care about and value people.

Chuck Pelham

Sources;
John Maxwell, Thoughts on Leadership
Jack Hayford, Spirit Filled life bible

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Throughout Israel’s early history God had made covenants of blessing with them but they were always conditional.  Blatant disobedience would mean that the pleasurable aspects of blessing would be replaced by punishment.  The fulfillment of the promise could always skip a few generations of disobedient Israelites.

We find here in this portion of scripture that Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things that she once possessed.  God had given His people so many possessions and for centuries they had enjoyed the conquest of the promise land.  But now here they are in our text and have lost everything because they had sinned gravely and had become vile.

Great Conquests must be supported by Great Character.  Whatever gains we make we can lose in a flash, unless we simultaneously develop character to support those gains.  We all have watched over the years many leaders fall morally…in the church and in secular society.  Mainly, because their charisma (gifts) exceeded their character (moral infrastructure)…their gift grew bigger than them.

It has been said, “nothing is so hard to gain, and so easy to lose, as a good reputation.”  In fact the bible teaches us in Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches…” fame and popularity is fleeting.  What is a lifetime and what we should give ourselves to is the constructing of our character.  Only then we keep the gains of conquest that God provides.

• Most people see the talents and gifts but equally important is the solid character and integrity.
• Most recognize the product but equally important is the process that develops along the way.
• Most recognize excellence in performance but equally important is the excellence in discipline.
• Most recognize external appearances but equally important is the internal stability and obedience.

Character is what happens daily not in a day.  It’s never enough to just enter the land and have conquest but its God will for us to occupy what we conquer. 

Chuck Pelham

Sources:

Maxwell J, Thoughts on Leadership

Hayford J. W., “Spirit Filled Life Bible”

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Job 6 & 7

All of Job’s friends had their theory about Job’s troubles, but he simply asked them to check his life out and to point out any place where he lacked integrity.  Job felt so certain of the blamelessness of his own heart that he invited his peers to scrutinized him.  This takes a strong leader with strong character and a strong sense of security to do this.

I like the way C. S. Lewis said about this kind of quality, he said it was “Leaders with Chests.”  Lewis likened the properly ordered soul to the human body; the head (reason) must rule the belly (sensual appetites) through the chest (character and spirit).

The CHEST is the indispensable liaison between REASON and the APPETITES.  I call it the INTEGRITY CHECK.  Without a strong “chest” people would succumb to excuses, relativism, and compromise, Lewis went on to say that people with no character or integrity are (people) “men without chests”.

Job was able to invite his peers to check him out because he possessed the following;

-          Strong Security: He was emotionally secure enough to take criticism.

-          Clear Conscience: He kept a clear and sensitive conscience regarding sin.

-          Pure Motives: He refused to entertain self-indulgent motives.

-          Solid Character: He was committed to doing the right thing at any cost.

I encourage us today to be men and women who can lead with Integrity!

Chuck Pelham

Sources:

John Maxwell, Thoughts on Leadership

C.S. Lewis, quote

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Church in the Workplace

“While they were going out a man, who was demon-possessed and could not talk, was brought to Jesus.” Matthew 9:32

How many of us can remember that years ago, actually before my time, that it was not uncommon to have your milk delivered to your home. Doctors made house calls. And when you made a call to a company to discuss a problem, you actually spoke to a human being. Those days of personal service are gone, and if we are not careful, we will follow the same trend in how we share the gospel.

So often we are encouraged to bring people to church and of course we should.  Yet, we see no examples of where Jesus brought people into the synagogue to get them saved or healed. The miracles happened more often in the workplace because that was where Jesus could be found. Jesus had less response and found more resistance in the synagogue than in the workplace. He took the gospel to and modeled the gospel in the workplace. That is where the power of God was manifested. This is not to say we should not bring people to church, only that our priority should be to bring the Church into the workplace, not bring the workplace into the church.

Paul understood this when he said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).

Paul understood that it wasn’t words that impacted people; it was the power of God manifested through him.  When is the last time someone saw something happen through your life that could not be explained other than God working in your life? When you begin to see this happen, you will be modeling ministry as Jesus modeled it. You will be bringing the Church to the people, not the people to the church. I want to encourage you today to pray and ask God to make you a vessel of His power, not simply a vessel of words.  Allow God to use you were you are.  Your job is your pulpit…it’s the place where His power will be released to touch others.

Chuck Pelham

Sources

Hillman, Os, Faith & Works: Do They Mix?, Alpharetta, Georgia, Aslan Group Publishing 2000

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Hey Guys…some food for thought from my devotions.  Have a great day.

Proverbs 6:6, 9-11

King Solomon had plenty to say about a slacker (sluggard) or the habitually lazy person.  He makes a strong contrast between what I call the slacker with the ant, who works diligently during the summer to gather enough food for the winter (Proverbs 20:4).  He goes on to say and to describe the slacker as one who refuses to work hard during the growing season and so has nothing at harvest time.

Living here in sunny South Florida, we are an agrarian society with farming as our main industry and this is our harvest season.  I was reminded that there would be no harvest to reap if the farmers weren’t faithful at working hard when everything was out of season.  It’s because of their diligence in the out of season time…that makes the harvest what it is.  So in essence they are constantly at work in season and out of season.

I believe as the people of God we should be motivated the same way…the slacker in a physical sense does nothing for the world around them; they leave it unchanged.  The slacker in a spiritual sense is not any different; they leave the world no better than they found it, and perhaps a little worse.

When leaders become lazy and lose their diligence in doing good for God, they become spiritual slackers and worthless to the kingdom.  As I was thinking and writing this I thought that those thoughts were a little harsh until I read how Jesus put it in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.” (AMP)

The point being made is that there’s just NO ROOM FOR SLACKERS!  Wise leaders know their time is limited.  They know they have no way to retrieve misused or wasted time.  Jesus said in John 9:4 “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

Leaders must remain diligent in doing good and in encouraging others to do likewise.  So I encourage you today…keep doing the good work while it is day and while we have a chance to make a difference…let’s get after it!  Blessings

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