Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “character development”

08 Apr 2024

When God Says “No”

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” … And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. … And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Mark 14:35-36, 39, 41 ESV

Three times Jesus asked His Father to change the plan. He asked in faith. He asked specifically. He asked personally. And implied, not stated, His Father said, “No, Son. We are going ahead with Plan A tomorrow. You will die on the cross as a sacrificial atonement for the sins of the world.”

When God says “yes” to our requests it’s an easy acceptance. But, when God says ‘no,’ we must submit ourselves to His loving, perfect plan for us – whether we agree with, understand it, and regardless of our feelings about His answer. This attitude was modeled by the Son in the Garden when He said, “….Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

David’s baby son was very sick. He prayed and fasted, asking God to heal his son. But in the end, his infant son died (see 2 Samuel 12:15-22). God told him ‘no.’

The demonized man who had been miraculously healed, begged Jesus to let him join the team. Jesus told him ‘no’ – go home and tell your family and friends what God has done for you (see Mark 5:18-20).

James and John asked for Kingdom seats on the right and left of Jesus. They were told ‘no’ – those seats were already taken by someone else (see Mark 10:35-40).

Paul asked the Lord three times to heal him and remove his ‘thorn in the flesh.’ And three times God told him ‘no,’ that ‘thorn’ will remain with you for the rest of your life (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

When God tells you ‘no’ regarding something that seems so ‘yes’ to you, what will you do? Will you rage against the Almighty, shaking your fists? “How dare You not agree with me!  Explain yourself!” 

Will you shrink back, become despondent, and bitter towards your Maker? The clay questions the Potter, “What are you doing? I demand an answer that makes sense to me.” 

Or will you surrender your plans, desires, and your feelings to Him who is good and all He does is good. Will you be able to trust Him with everything – yes, everything? His grace is sufficient for all things.    

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , ,
07 Aug 2023

Taking a Pause

After 11 years and over 500 weekly blogs regarding Kingdom leadership, I’m going to take a pause in publishing these blogs until later in the fall.

Should you be interested in reading more of these thoughts, click on the tab at the top titled Tom’s Materials and there you will find a free download of 100 of my most popular blogs titled – A Primer for Kingdom Leaders.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , ,
24 Jul 2023
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Believing God for the Impossible

“Look at the nations and watch–and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 NIV

When God invites into a journey of faith and affirms His will for us by giving us His promises for our life and leadership, a question often arises in our hearts and minds. “How can this be, Lord?”

Note what Mary says when told by Gabriel that she would be the mother of the Messiah. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:37) Gabriel’s response was to point her to the One who had made the promise, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 ESV)

We are to focus our hearts and minds upon the One who makes the promise – the One whose power and faithfulness stand behind all He says. Focus on the One who cannot lie and who does not change. And let Him take care of how it will all work out. He will surprise you!

In fact, if you can try to imagine how God will work, it’s almost certain that He will not choose that way to answer you. For He does “above and beyond what we can ask or imagine.” You can even imagine how He’s going to do what He’s going to do!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Have you been focusing on ‘how’ God will answer instead of focusing on who and what He has promised, leaving the ‘how’ to Him? Trust Him to figure out how it will all work! He’s really good at doing the impossible!

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17 Jul 2023

Do Not Hold Back!

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” Isaiah 54:2-3 NIV

The context of Isaiah 54 is the promised restoration of Zion and the Lord’s people. The Lord encourages His people to prepare the “tent,” make sure that it is large and accommodating, for the Lord has promised to fill it with many people. Why would He have to exhort them so? What would cause them to think too small, build too small, and be short-sighted in their preparations for the Lord’s actions?

In observing Kingdom leaders’ actions, I would suggest the following reasons as to why we don’t believe God and thus, don’t prepare well for God’s promised blessings:

1. Lack of faith and trust – God is talking about a future that is known and assured for Him. But for us, it is unknown and looks very insecure. We now have a choice to make. Do we trust God, His promises in His Book which are backed by His character and His power? Or do we choose to trust in what we can see, know, experience and trust in our own logic? And all the while we frame it under the argument of being ‘prudent’ or ‘realistic.’

Now certainly God does not want us to ‘throw away’ our minds or ignore sound thinking when we lead others (see Proverbs 3:5-6). But, having done our due diligence, where do we place weight in our decision-making? Are we trusting in ourselves or in God?

2. Fear that limits risk taking – Notice how many times in the Scriptures the Lord says, “Don’t be afraid…” Yet fear is a normal response to a perceived threat. It can be lifesaving in some situations. But we are called to faith, trust, and courage in response to threats. The issue is what controls our actions – our fear that can paralyze us or faith that acknowledges the threat, but chooses to act in faith.

Note what God promises in the passages that follow the above in Isaiah 54:4-5:

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”

Will you choose to trust God and prepare for His promised help and blessing? Or will you choose to trust in your ability to see and what your current resources tell you is prudent?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , ,
10 Jul 2023

Let Go and Let God – Really?

There is a dynamic tension that Kingdom leaders face in how much do I, the leader do, and how much do I let God do? This tension is manifested in leaders being people of action – we are not satisfied with the status quo. We want to make something happen! And yet, for those who lead in the Kingdom of God there is a balancing pull to not take control and depend solely upon yourself and your own abilities. Wanting to see God’s hand and power displayed through our leadership. One extreme might push us towards frenetic business, trying to make things work the way we hope. While the other extreme calls us to a passiveness that sits and waits for God to show up and do His God-like stuff. Neither seems correct.

When tempted to passivity, I’m reminded of the truth in Colossians 3:23 NIV – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… We are called to work with our whole hearts on whatever we endeavor for we are serving Christ our Lord by this work. Thus, laziness or a half-hearted effort is not honoring to Him who died for us. Yes, work and work hard when you do. Give it your all!

But when you do work, remember this in Proverbs 21:31 NIV – The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. Yes, we engage in our work initiatives with all we have, holding a standard of excellence worthy of the King of kings. But we leave the outcome of the battle with Him. He is the one who determines the results. Should my efforts go well, I thank Him. Should they not, I thank Him by faith that He is doing something good that I do not understand at this moment. I trust Him regardless of my outcomes.

Our human fears and insecurities will tend to push us to want to take control and try to assure an outcome. Yes, we give lip-service to God, but we are really trusting in our own strength and abilities to effectuate and outcome. We shy from fully committing our way to the Lord and by our actions communicate that God needs our help.

God says this – The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 NIV

And again, He says – He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV

So, it’s a both-and, not an either-or course. Yes, we work. And yes, we trust in Him. Just don’t move off the center to trusting more in your own efforts than trusting Him to work on your behalf.

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26 Jun 2023

Wholehearted Obedience

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. … He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. 2 Chronicles 25:1-2 NIV

Beware of half-hearted obedience! You may be compliant on the outside, but your hearts are far from what the Lord desires. Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for their hypocrisy, ” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'” Matthew 15:8-9 NIV

Obedience to God is a matter first of our hearts and then our actions. These two must be aligned for wholehearted obedience instead of half-hearted obedience.

Amaziah was a king of conflicting values. There were times during his leadership when he obeyed God. Yet, there were other times when he rebelled and disobeyed. Thus, the author of 2 Chronicles says of him, ‘he did what was right, but not wholeheartedly.’

The word ‘mediocre’ comes from two Latin roots which literally means, ‘half-way up the mountain.’ A half-hearted obedience is one sets off for the summit, but settles for half-way to the top!

Is your leadership ‘mediocre?’ Have you settled for half-way to the summit?

Do you find yourself struggling with wholehearted obedience to God?

It’s never too late to change your heart and obey wholeheartedly the direction the Lord has given.

Do it today!

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19 Jun 2023

Beware of Lighting Your Own Fires

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God. 11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:10-11 NIV

All Kingdom leaders have times when they do not know what to do, how to do it, or when to execute it. When leaders arrive at these pivotal moments they have a choice to make. They can choose to trust in the Lord and rely upon God to show them the way forward or they can trust in their own thinking/logic/experience and reap the consequence.

Those who trust in God and obey Him will not be forsaken or forgotten. He will lead you forward – in His way and in His time. Note what He promises in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) : Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. He will show you the path to take! Count on it!

But this promise comes with a caution to ‘not depend upon your own understanding.’ The word ‘depend’ or in the NIV it says, ‘lean upon,’ means to place your full weight for support in it. Thus, as we seek the path to take we don’t use our logic/experience alone to find the way forward. Don’t put your full weight upon this for God’s ways are often different for our ways. See Isaiah 55:8-9. Use your mind, but don’t rely solely upon it! Those who do trust in themselves, who ‘walk in the light of their own fires’ will reap the consequences. The law of the harvest cannot be avoided – we reap what we sow.

What choices are you facing today? What light do you have from the Lord? Are you obediently following?

What light are you creating by setting your own torches ablaze? Are you willing to forsake your own self-created light and repent in order to follow Him?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
05 Jun 2023

“I Am” All You Need

The Lord is continually seeking to remind us to depend upon Him. He states and restates that “I am” all that you need in life and leadership. Trust in me!

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:13-14 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live… John 11:25 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV

So, how is your dependence on the great “I Am?”

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
22 May 2023

Handling Leadership Success

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well… When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” … In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. … But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. … Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’ ” … The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known. 1 Samuel 18:5-7, 14, 16, 22, 30 NIV

Note the progression of David’s popularity. First he was exalted above his siblings when anointed by Samuel as a young man. Next he was honored in front of king Saul and the army when he killed Goliath. Honored by Saul with army rank, he now outranked his brothers! Songs were song about him and his success and it was obvious to all that God’s hand of blessing was on David. He found favor in the eyes of the king and married into the king’s family with its accompanying social status. And wherever David went he met with success. The result was, “his name became well known” and his personal power and prestige grew.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power.” With increased leadership success comes fame and personal influence. Others will want to be associated with you, for to be called your ‘friend’ is a plus. Your popularity opens doors and with leadership success comes more leadership opportunities.

Be careful how you walk! Be careful who you associate with! Be careful who you lend your endorsement to! For it is not your name, but the Lord’s name that is truly great! Be careful not to exalt yourself.

Remember Jeremiah’s counsel to his servant in Jeremiah 45:5 ESV, “And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not…”

And never forget Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:3 NLT, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

How are you handling your success, notoriety, popularity, promotion, and fame?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , ,
15 May 2023

God’s Leader Development Plan

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” 1 Samuel 17:32-37 NIV

What had prepared David for his battle with Goliath? David’s reply was that he had spent a lot of time tending his father’s sheep! Not exactly a promising resume’ on the surface of things. But it wasn’t actual care of the sheep that prepared him for this epic fight; rather it was the experience David had gained in fighting off the wild animals that threatened to kill his flock that prepared him. He had learned to defeat both lions and bears during his shepherding and so, he reasoned that this Philistine would be no more difficult to defeat.

For David’s reliance was not upon his skill as a fighter. Rather, he trusted in the Lord to help him defeat this threat. For it was “the Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear” and this Philistine is no match for the living God!

God’s training and development of Kingdom leaders is not the world’s path, for God is developing a leader’s heart and trust in Him. David was selected to replace Saul as king because of his heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). And now this heart-anchored trust in God would once again be demonstrated. Previously it was done in private. But now it will be put on display in front of the entire armies of Israel and the Philistines. Goliath was more than a match for David (Saul’s perspective), but he was no match for David’s God!

Your inner life – spirit and heart – will often be developed in private moments aside from the eyes of others. As you pass these private challenges, learning to trust in God’s empowerment and not your own strength, He will then bring you out onto a public ‘stage’ for all to see His might.

Don’t neglect the cultivation of your inner life – your heart and soul care, for these will often determine your service for the King!

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