Today's podcast is entitled The Foundation of Accountability: Covenant Relationships. Our primary scripture reference and our platform for today is the covenant in 1 Samuel 18:1-3 established between Jonathan and David. We talked a little bit about Jonathan and David last week but today we want to go a little bit deeper with this theme.

A foundation may be defined as a stone or concrete structure that supports a building from underneath. The same is true for an idea, a principle, or a fact that is supported by what is underneath the idea, principle, or fact.

A Biblical covenant such as Jonathan and David made is a strong, solemn lifelong agreement between two parties.  This type of covenant was intended to last for generations where those who are a part of the covenant know that they are safe, secure, and confident throughout their lives.

If we cannot depend on anyone else, we can depend on and count on each other as the fulfillment of covenant relationships. This is how we make the world a better place and you make the world a better place one life at a time.

Dr. Gregory L. Cruell

Making A Difference Through Mentorship 

The Revised Standard Version of Micah 6:8 summarizes the intent of today's podcast. “He has shown you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

Responsible and accountable leaders desire to do good as shown to us by God in His word. Responsible and accountable leaders are required to be just, even when others are not. Responsible and accountable leaders are to be kind even when others are not. Responsible and accountable leaders are to walk humbly with God even when others do not.

When we are committed and determined to live by these principles and precepts, we eventually create a culture of change around us that makes the world a better place and we make the world a better place one life at a time.

Dr. Gregory L. Cruell

God Thinkers (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The focus of today’s podcast is The Strength of Servant Leadership. In Romans 15:1-3 in the MSG Bible, the Apostle Paul says to the church at Rome, “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” That’s exactly what Jesus did...”

Martin Luther King once stated, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" We help by serving people love. This is The Strength of Servant Leadership.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul declares, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

In this passage, Paul had received a thorn in his flesh because of the abundance of revelation that he had received. Paul asked God three times to take the thorn out and God said in essence….no!  And the reason that God said no is because He wanted Paul to know that His grace is sufficient for him; a testament of God's perfect strength.

In the Amplified Version of Exodus 3:14, God says to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!” At this point in human history, this name I AM THAT I AM for God is new to mankind. For the first time, God identifies Himself using His name that will be crucial in both Jewish and Christian understanding of His character and nature, or that which makes Him God. An example of God's perfect strength.

The entire theme of today's podcast is for us to see that God's perfect strength is in His name! Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it and are safe.” As you listen to today's podcast, there are principles and precepts discussed that will empower you for the rest of your life and ministry to live in The Perfect Strength of God!

Leadership many times is like a game of chess that requires strategic thinking and moves to defeat your opponent. In today's podcast, the strategy that we want to employ includes understanding purpose and meaning. When we consider purpose, we must also consider meaning. Meaning enhances and points to what is significant and beneficial. 

Purpose is related to meaning and meaning to a purpose or they are the opposite side of the same coin which can be summarized with the following three components: 1. Purpose 2. Beneficiaries of the purpose. 3. Meaning of the purpose. Accountability simply defined means that you and I have the ability to count, making a difference in the lives of people everywhere we go.

Principles and precepts of "Thinking Like God Thinks" grant us insight into the purpose and meaning of leadership which many times includes solving problems.  What problems and leadership will always have in common are people.

Cultivating, developing, and growing in emotional intelligence, recognizing being aware of, knowing, and controlling our own emotions, enables us to be aware of other people’s emotions that further enhances our ability to solve problems. How is this accomplished?

One path is the establishment of "purposeful relationships, authentic accountability" that becomes our "professional and spiritual responsibility." It has often been said, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

The strategy is the intentional pursuit of a mindset where we further discover purpose and meaning for the benefit of others and ourselves because we are made better leaders as we serve as Jesus served. This helps people to know how much we care (John 13:12-17). Making A Difference Through Mentorship.

Our primary Scripture reference for today's podcast is Romans 1:17 where Paul declares, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

To cultivate is to nurture and help grow. When you cultivate something, you work to make it better. To improve by care, training, or study. A person that is determined, or wants more of God is the one that is spiritually growing, cultivating their faith.

Moses wanted more of God so he says is Exodus 33: 18, “Lord show me your glory.” God responds to Moses request in verse 19, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” Then in verse 21 God says to Moses, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock.

As we grow spiritually, cultivating our faith we discover principles and precepts for standing on the Rock, a place by God Himself and "the just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).

A crisis may also be viewed as a turning point or a difficult or dark times when disasters are happening involving immediate, sudden and abrupt change. A crisis happens quickly, many times without warning, and leaders must be prepared to take steps to mitigate the possible consequences.

In his article dated October 7, 2020, Anthony Pahnke an assistant Professor of International Relations at San Francisco State University states that the US is in the grips of a leadership crisis. The list of national crises is long: from racial injustice and climate change-induced disasters to a healthcare system in tatters and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has sent shockwaves through the country’s economy.

In sum, crises are the combined products of unusual events and shared perceptions that something is seriously wrong. A crisis further has the potential to cause anxiety, anxiousness and worry. A crisis can arise in financial matters. A crisis can arise within a marriage or a family. A crisis is that which you and I have little or no power to control.

What is important  to note is that when the crises fade, people always remain. Therefore, overcoming a crisis requires believing and trusting God which means as Paul stated in Romans 1:17, “the just shall live by faith.”Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us that life will be easy. This further speaks to what Jesus declares in TPT of John 16:33….

“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered or I have power over the world!”

It does not matter if it is a crisis in our national leadership, a crisis in our workplace, a crisis in our home or family, a financial crisis or health crisis, the just shall live by faith trusting and knowing that God gives us the ability to overcome as we continue to learn to "THINK LIKE GOD THINKS! (Isaiah 55:8-9)

In Luke chapter 17, the Pharisees or the religious leaders asked Jesus a question, when would the Kingdom of God come? Jesus answered in verses 20-21 (AMP), “The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, 21  Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].”Therefore, as servants of our King, people ought to be able to read our lives and see the heart of the King, the character of the King established in our hearts and lives reflected in our character as servants of the King. 

The word heart in both the Old Testament and New Testament is synonymous with a person’s character and the way that we think, or our mindset. Therefore, as servants of our King, people ought to be able to read our lives and see the heart of the King, the character of the King established in our hearts and lives reflected in our character as servants of the King. When we talk about a mindset, we can simply define it as a mind that is set on what the mind believes. 

A Kingdom Mindset realigns our minds that even in dark, difficult days, there is hope and healing. The pain that we feel is always the pain that God can heal encouraging all that we meet to “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.“8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” This A Kingdom Mindset!

The theme for today’s podcast is, "Taking the Spiritual, Making it Practical, So That It’s Natural, to Live Spiritual." We also see this theme in the mindset of Pierre Chardin French philosopher and theologian that is credited with the declaration that, “we are not human beings having a spiritual encounter, but rather we are spiritual beings having a human encounter.”

In the Voice translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul further undergirds today’s theme by declaring, “May the God of peace make you His own completely and set you apart from the rest. May your spirit, soul, and body be preserved, kept intact, and wholly free from any sort of blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus the Anointed.”

Taking the Spiritual, Making it Practical, So That It’s Natural, to Live Spiritual, may also be seen in Paul’s instructions to Titus in chapter 2, verse 7 in the Passion Translation. “Above all, set yourself apart as a model of a life nobly lived. With dignity, demonstrate integrity in all that you teach.”

There is no question that these are unprecedented times in our nation's history. We will never forget the year 2020 and the global impact of COVID-19. We will never forget weeks and weeks of protests around our nation due to the deaths of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and so many others, sparking once again the consistent undercurrent of racial insensitivity and racial inequality in our nation.

We will never forget hundreds and hundreds of Americans storming the very foundation of American democracy and values in an act of vandalism and domestic terrorism on January 6th of 2021.

Yet you and I as spiritual beings have the capacity to become an irresistible, compelling force that affects the actions behavior, and conduct of others, empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit functioning and operating in and through us, we can make a difference in the world in which you and I live. And you and I can never give up, and we can never give in. Simply because we are called to be "the light of the world" (Mt. 5:14).

Humility and Integrity: The Foundation of Authentic Leadership. A foundation is the basis on which a thing stands or is supported. The base on which something rests. Fundamental principles on which something is established.

Authentic carries the meaning of not fraudulent or counterfeit. Conforming to fact or that which can be believed or accepted; trustworthy; reliable and true. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines humility as "freedom from pride or lack of arrogance, a modest view of one’s self. Humility is further defined as reflecting or expressing a spirit of deference or submission. However, the Biblical definition of humility goes beyond this. Humility is an attribute and continuous emphasis of godliness.

Biblical humility is grounded in the character and nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus manifests humility from His birth until His crucifixion. (Philippians 2:3-5, 8) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Verse 8, And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

The Passion Translation of Titus 2:7 tells us, “Above all, set yourself apart as a model of a life nobly lived. With dignity, demonstrate integrity in all that you teach.” 

This kind of integrity and humility earns you and I the right to be heard as we "set ourselves apart as a model of a life nobly lived. With dignity, demonstrating humility and integrity in all that we say and do." Sharing these principles of humility and integrity helps us to make a difference in the world in which we live and you make a difference, one life at a time.