Let me now go forth, O Lord my God, to the work of another day, still surrounded by Thy wonderful loving-kindness, still pledged to Thy Loyal service, still standing in Thy strength and not my own.
Let me today be a Christian not only in my words but also in my deeds:
Let me follow bravely in the footsteps of my Master, wherever they may lead:
Let me be hard and stern with myself:
Let there be no self-pity or self-indulgence in my life today:
Let my thinking be keen, my speech frank and open, and my actions courageous and decisive.
I pray for all who would be faced with any great decision:
for all who will today be engaged in settling affairs of moment in the lives of men and nations:
for all who are moulding public opinion in our time:
for all who write what other people read:
for all who are holding aloft the lamp of truth in a world of ignorance and sin:
for all who hands are worn with too much toil, and for the unemployed who hands today fall idle:
for those who have not where to lay their head.
O Christ my Lord, forbid that I should ever again live unto myself. Amen.
Image is everything; perception is reality. We have heard these phrases over and over until we have started to believe them. They are kind of catchy and seem to make sense, at first blush. My take of these two axioms of the business and professional world is that they are foundational lies of the enemy.
If your desire is to provide spiritual leadership in a Christian endeavor, don’t buy into these lies. They will absolutely block your quest. The devil is the source of these lies, not your marketing firm or the Human Resources office.
The priorities of Satan’s domain are antipode to the kingdom of heaven. Satan’s priorities are appearance, image, and glossy vitas–everything on the surface. God’s concern is always the heart–the reality of your life and leadership. When we restore and operate in God’s truth concerning leadership, we defeat the enemy’s systems and move forward into our destiny.
How is it we have so come to believe this lie that perception is reality? Perception is defined as the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses. That is exactly what advertising and marketers rely on, the premise that they can entice us to experience things solely through our senses. When they make us see and believe what they want and our sensual perception motivates our behavior as a leader, we are worldly, not spiritual. We are not depending on the truth of the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the truth is distorted by misinformation and appeals to the senses, perception can become reality, and the reality is we are deceived.
One of my personal sayings used to be, “you only get one chance to make a first impression.” While there is truth in this statement, it ultimately led me to put far too much weight on first impressions—and the result, I was swayed by the image people created. Honestly, I had been deceived into believing image is everything. But, image isn’t everything. When we look at the image a person portrays we are not seeing the real person beneath—the person who is going to be coming to our workplace every day.
All of us wear masks, personally and professionally. If we are spiritually healthy there is only a small disconnect between who we are publically (the outside mask) and who we are in our times of deep honesty. As Christian leaders we must not fall into the trap of the enemy and believe that image is everything. If we do, we become more concerned about the way Christians perceive our enterprise than the reality and substance of what it is–our branding becomes a greater focus than our integrity. When image is our priority, we are more concerned with what will entice the believer (customer?) to our church, non-profit, or religious undertaking, rather than what they will experience.
When image is everything, we use all the proper “buzz words”—community groups, vibrant worship, men’s and women’s ministries, singles ministry, exciting children’s offerings, and on ad infinitum. When image is everything, we become “theological correct” with our words. Words like sin, holiness, and denial of self are no longer in our message.
This past year, I did some headhunting for doctor positions for a close friend’s business. I would do my customary Facebook investigation, Instagram viewing, and other various social media searches, along with a couple of phone interviews. If I thought the person was a great prospect I would set them up with my friend, the Doc/owner. It was shocking to me number of people he rejected. It was a revelatory discovery for me that Doc would spend hours, sometimes half a day, with entry level prospects and potential doctors—he got past their outer mask to who they really are. He is not swayed by image.
My encouragement to Christian leaders is:
Be diligent to dig deep in your interviewing process and find people who will fit your particular spiritual culture. Don’t be swayed by outward beauty, physical appearance, or flashy resumes.
Focus on the delivery of what you promise in your branding and marketing. Reevaluate it thoroughly and often. Get independent, outside assessments. Be relentless in this endeavor.
Be careful in the overuse of Christian jargon and verbiage. If you are in the ministry side of leadership, don’t be afraid to use words that have substance and deep reality for the Christian life: words like commitment, honesty, faithfulness, purity, and righteousness. Be bold and fearless concerning the issues that everyone else seems to evade because they aren’t popular.
Spiritual success is achieved by being a spiritual leader, one who discerns God’s mind in decision making. Man always looks on the outward appearance; God looks at the internal core or heart of the matter. God isn’t concerned about the perception of your enterprise; He is interested in authenticity. It is a battle to live and lead in reality (truth). However, He has chosen you to do just this. Rely on the Holy Spirit; He will lead you into all truth.
In my heart’s most secret chambers You are waiting to meet and speak to me, freely offering me Your fellowship in spite of all my failures. I open myself to this peace of mind. I leave behind all my fretfulness, all unworthy desires, all thoughts of malice toward others, and all hesitancy in surrendering my will to do Yours.
In Your will, O Lord, is my peace.
In Your love is my rest.
In Your service is my joy.
You are all my heart’s desire.
Whom have I have in heaven but you?
There is no other I desire on earth.
In Your presence, O God, I think not only of myself, but also of theirs.
Be near to all of us this night and graciously keep watch over our souls.
Today is full of possibilities: it hopes for new beginnings. Please help me, Father, to not break the promises of yesterday. Let me see no person in distress and pass them by.
Where my deeds can help make this world a better place for men to live in, where my words can cheer a despondent heart or brace a weak will, where prayer can serve God’s Kingdom, there let me do and speak and pray.
Lord, give me courtesy: give me meekness: give me longsuffering: give me charity : give me chastity: give me the sincerity of speech: give me diligence in my tasks:
Lord, help me to not move forward today without your blessing. Don’t let the freshness of this morning, good health, or prosperity deceive me into relying on my flesh. Help me to depend on You–entirely.
Lord, I return to all You have given to me. Work today through my hands, O Lord. Use these weak instruments. Let Your purposes be accomplished today through me. But, let others see You, not me.
I pray for the poor this morning. I cry out to You to give them grace.
Fill up my hours today with Your deeds, unselfish love everywhere I go. Let all be to Your praise and glory.
Lord, help me to not move forward today without your blessing. Don’t let the freshness of this morning, good health, or prosperity deceive me into relying on my flesh. Help me to depend on You–entirely.
Lord, I return to all You have given to me. Work today through my hands, O Lord. Use these weak instruments. Let Your purposes be accomplished today through me. But, let others see You, not me.
I pray for the poor this morning. I cry out to You to give them grace.
Fill up my hours today with Your deeds, unselfish love everywhere I go. Let all be to Your praise and glory.
Lord, you are from everlasting to everlasting. I rejoice to know that all night I will be under your watchful eye.
Give me deep, refreshing sleep. Give me freedom from restless dreams. Give me control of my thoughts when I wake in the night hours. Give me grace, if I like awake, to think on You.
Psalms 63: 6 On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. 7 Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. 8 I cling to you; Your right hand upholds me.
Jesus, let my first thought today be of You. Let my first impulse be to worship You. Let the first words out of my mouth speak Your name. And let the first action I take today be to to kneel in prayer.
Tim Cameron Writings 