Leadership in Context

Soldiers defend and expand, are risk takers, train and trust others, use the best tools, and they follow orders. Soldiers believe that the value of the objective is greater than the inconvenience on their life. 

God promises to give us dreams and visions and is the initiator of them. When He gives them, they aren’t about the person who receives them, but about the One who gives them. Dreams give a picture, not just information, and they require a response. When God gives us a dream, it brings clarity and not confusion.

When God gives a dream to an ungodly person, it’s so they seek out a godly person and God’s name can be exalted. Think of dreams as spiritual gifts, and spiritual gifts are to make things more clear–not less clear. Dreams should make things clear to those who are walking with Him.

When we try to hold onto things, it turns to worms. When we sow things, it turns into treasure. You will never give what God has graced you to give if you only give what is left over because the core culture of giving is not giving what’s left over; it’s giving off the top. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visi...

Sometimes God wants your honey, not your money. He wants your heart. God adjusts your heart by adjusting your treasure. Your money doesn’t belong to you. Everything that passes through your hands belongs to God. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com/CoreCulture

Managers do the best with what they have to maintain what is happening. Leaders define a place and create a process to help people move ahead. When you see a group of people that have gifts but aren’t giving all, check if the clarity of the destination is burning in their hearts. It’s clear vision that propels us forward.

We each have the ability to be equally committed, even though our gifts are different. It’s not about equal gifts; it’s about equal commitment. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com/CoreCulture

When God looks at you, He doesn’t see a half-empty cup. He sees what you do have. Your job is to figure out what God has given you in Christ. Stop measuring yourself by what you don’t have. God will empower you to use what you do have! You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com/CoreCulture

You cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ and follow Him if you are always thinking about yourself. Giving is about not putting yourself first. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com/CoreCulture

If you develop a strength in one area, it's a lot easier to translate it to another area. People who get free in the area of giving are able to allow that grace to flow over into other areas. Giving is an avenue for grace to abound. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, CORE CULTURE–the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com/CoreCulture

Giving is one of the tools that God uses to drive the world out of us. Our money is not ours; it’s His. Therefore, what we do with it is up to Him. You can order Pastor Keith’s latest book, Core Culture, the tremendous strategy of generosity that launched the church by visiting NRPastors.com backslash core culture. 

Out of the Macedonian church came an emergence of generosity. No one gave at a greater cost. That was the core culture of the Macedonian church. They were givers. What a heritage we have. This should be the core culture of the church. The understanding of generosity is what caused the church to multiply. God wants us to be givers. Let’s be more like the Macedonian church.

One of the concepts of Kingdom finances is looking at the mission rather than the need. As we put the mission first, there is a godly contentment that comes. God does not want to raise up need-meeters; He wants to raise up givers. If you are not free to be a giver, you will never be satisfied or content. You can order Keith’s newest book, Core Culture: the Tremendous Strategy of Generosity that La...

You can’t be offense-proof, but you can be offense-smart. Offense is the cheese in the trap. Don’t let the enemy pull the string. Learn to forgive quickly and move on. Be a leader who lives offense-smart.

Don’t let people’s problems become your problems. When you do this, you lose your objectivity. When you hold on to offense, you are allowing someone else’s sin to dictate the flow of your heart and ultimately your obedience to the Lord. We are in the forgiving business. The fragrance of forgiveness is what helps keep our hearts healthy.

You will lose your leadership equity if you lose heart. When you are tested, you find out what you believe. We can lose heart as we look at outward circumstances. Speak what you believe, not just what you see or feel. This is how you maintain hope, how you don’t lose heart in what you are doing.

The mind of a leader is that they are accountable to God and accountable to themselves. 1 Timothy 4 outlines God’s prescription to leaders: Be in the Word, do not neglect your spiritual gifts, be inconvenienced, pay close attention to yourself, and persevere. As you do, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. 

Self-leadership is leading the most important person in your life—you. Show yourself an example to those who believe. A model is better than a message. Great leaders are good models in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Eventually people will not hear what you say but will see what you do.

When you are leading something, you are trying to change something in order to change someone. If you are not changing something, improving something, then you probably aren’t leading but managing. Good leaders hear direction from God, they see what it looks like, and then they show it to others. 

Every human soul needs the possibility that what they are doing is not in vain. Hope says it’s possible. Hope doesn’t just say that God loves you, but that He wants you to experience that love and walk in that love. We are ambassadors of hope. It is an honor to stir hope in someone. Be a hope spreader today.

Today Keith gives a recap on his most recent trip to Ukraine. He had a team of 16 medical missionaries, 8 Romanian’s assisting in translation and trip logistics, plus a few more. The team spent time preaching, giving medical assistance to those in need, feeding over 1,000 people, and sharing the hope of the gospel. We have not forgotten the people of Ukraine; we are committed to make history into...

The Holy Spirit dwells inside us and gives us power to overcome being led by the flesh. We should be believers living our lives based on what we believe, not on what we feel. In order to do that, we need the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

You are the steward of your feelings. We have to be led by what we believe and not what we feel. There are times in life when what you are feeling doesn’t line up with the Truth. You have to choose what will you believe–feelings or Truth. You have to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Just as we have had passions for the world or our flesh to have its own way, the Holy Spirit that dwells in us has His holy passion to have His way with us. The Holy Spirit is jealous for our attention. When we humble ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to reign in us, we will have victory over our own passion for our own way in our heart.

How does Truth work? First you are a believer, then you continue in the Word, then you are a disciple, THEN you know the Truth. The only way to truly know the Truth is through that process. When the Truth gets on the inside of you, not just around you or preached to you, then the Truth sets you free.