Your Goliaths
Can you see your biggest problems as your biggest opportunities?
Can you see your biggest problems as your biggest opportunities?
Once a month, our church has an evening service that Kristen and I like to attend. I believe spiritual health is a big component of a leader being steady for his or her team (and family), so we make it a priority to attend this extra service monthly. Last night's service was a unique lesson leveraging the story of David and Goliath that I thought was great for business as well. For the below four points, think of Goliath as your big problems or obstacles.
Lesson 1 - Your Goliath will expose the enemies amongst you. Solving big problems in business often results in big opportunities on the other side. When you step up to defeat those problems, you'll be confronted by the naysayers who will try to ruin your confidence. Many times, these people will be those closest to you. Celebrate your Goliath moments because they will expose these people in your life so you can move on from them.
Lesson 2 - Your Goliath will bring clarity to your past. We all wonder how hard times make sense in our development until we are confronted with our Goliath. That's when everything becomes clear and we relearn to trust that God has a plan for us. All hard things can be used for good. Leaders must be tested so we can be trusted. As you struggle today, you are preparing for something special in the future. It won't be clear until your Goliath shows up and you are thankful for your past experience.
Lesson 3 - Your Goliath affirms your gifts. Did you know that Goliath was actually the underdog in this fight? David would have had the specialty of "slinger" if he was actually in the military. A slinger would have been in the artillery division and their mission was to destroy infantry from a distance. That's why Goliath continued to try to persuade David to come close to him. It was the only way he could win. Saul, trying to do the right thing, even allowed the situation to persuade him and put his armor on David. Luckily, David took a step back, acknowledged that his unique gift was as a slinger over hand-to-hand combat, and refused the armor. David defeated Goliath because he kept his distance and fought his battle using his own gifts.
Lesson 4 - Your Goliath requires spiritual health to win. The three lessons above are not easy ones to implement in your life. They require endurance, and endurance requires faith in something bigger than this world. Why else would you tackle a Goliath for others when it would be easier to turn away? There is big opportunity on the other side of big problems, but you'll need a source of strength beyond your own mental toughness. We are too quick to let ourselves down.
Use your Goliaths to make yourself a better leader!
Written by Schuyler Williamson
REALTOR. Leader. Veteran. Business Owner. Investor.
Weekly Email List: https://www.schuylerwilliamson.com/weekly-leader-note
God Bless!
~ Schuyler Williamson
Why Are You Angry?
Jesus’ anger revealed what He loves. His anger flowed out of His compassion for all of us.
The pulse of our current culture is anxious, jaded, and angry. It is hard not to feel like the world is unhinged. In our hyper-connected world today, we have amassed a digital nervous system. Our feelings are extended over a vast web shared with others all around the world. And all that just fuels our angst.
Anger is the defining emotion of our culture – in ourselves, our lifestyles, our society.
Even Jesus – who was without sin – experienced and expressed anger in His time on Earth. Though He was very discerning about when He showed that anger.
Jesus’ anger revealed what He loves. His anger flowed out of His compassion for all of us. In the Bible, we see Jesus was furious when He witnessed others hurting the people He loved and whom God created. Jesus was angry at death, suffering, harming of innocent children, and hindering God’s people from drawing closer to Him. His anger was righteous anger.
Jesus loves all people. We are all children of God. Jesus would not stand for the worship of God being pushed out by the collusion of man or the active prevention of people drawing nearer to God. He would not stand for any obstacles that blocked people from coming to Him.
Jesus commands us: love God above all else. And, love your neighbors as you love yourself.
Anger reveals what you love.
What makes you angry?
Something that threatens what you love.
What does your anger tell you about what or who you love?
Our anger reveals our will being thwarted and our love for ourselves being threatened. Reflect on your anger and repent on where your loves may have been misaligned.
Now, you may have justified anger. But do not let it control you.
We are fed a steady diet of rage and anger in society. We are controlled by fear and sin when we allow ourselves to be shaped by loving things. Don’t feed your digital nervous system by living on fear.
Jesus’ anger was a gift, the expression of His love for us. But the only way for our mortal existence to handle or survive our anger is to hand it over to God. Trust Him. He loves us too much to let indifference rule. Hand your anger over to God. You do not have the power to handle it alone.
I pray you allow yourself to be shaped by Jesus’ rhythms, priorities and love. May your loves be aligned with His, so He may help you to have the wisdom to know how to love people and the courage to show them love.
Matthew 5:22-44 ERV
But I tell you, don’t be angry with anyone. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. And if you insult someone, you will be judged by the high court. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell. “So, what if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that someone has something against you? Leave your gift there and go make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift. “If anyone wants to take you to court, make friends with them quickly. Try to do that before you get to the court. If you don’t, they might hand you over to the judge. And the judge will hand you over to a guard, who will throw you into jail. I assure you that you will not leave there until you have paid everything you owe. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind. If your right eye makes you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Any man who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’ But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, except for the problem of sexual sin, is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman is guilty of adultery. “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a vow, you must not break your promise. Keep the vows that you make to the Lord.’ But I tell you, when you make a promise, don’t try to make it stronger with a vow. Don’t make a vow using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. Don’t make a vow using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to him. Don’t make a vow using the name of Jerusalem, because it also belongs to him, the great King. And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your promise. You cannot make one hair on your head white or black. Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you say more than that, it is from the Evil One. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile, go with him two. Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly.
Forget Religion, Find God
We should NEVER allow our religion to interfere with our relationship with God.
In society today, people can often differentiate themselves by religion. And there are many ways to define the means by which people orient themselves in the world with reference to both ordinary and extraordinary powers, meanings, and values. Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them. Religion has been defined as a “cultural system” that formulates conceptions of a general order of existence which acts to establish powerful, persuasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations.
And while I must admit that I, too, gather in a Church among people of similar moods and motivations, I am reminded that despite different religions across this world, we are all a part of the same one community as children of God. Religion is just a man-made construct, in which man teaches ideas as if they come to him directly from God.
Truly, though, there is only one Teacher, and every one of us – every religion – is equal under God. We should NEVER allow our religion to interfere with our relationship with God. So many people feel judged by the religious; it should be the exact opposite when we go to church. All are welcome, and God is there waiting for us. If we wish to know God in our daily lives, we must seek and serve God, as He serves us.
God is good.
The Lord is good to everyone. He showers his compassion on all.
Psalm 145:8-9
The lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. Everything that is good comes from God. Remember that you have nothing to hide from God. He loves you compassionately and unconditionally.
Love well.
Love each other just as I have loved you.
John 13:34
Love each other as much as we can. Treat others with a deep, unconditional love - a love for humanity, for all mankind created graciously by God.
A pure heart encounters God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
God makes our heart pure. Look to God to guide you. If you strive to live your life with a servant’s heart, God will purify you day after day.
The greatest of us must serve the most. The humble shall be exalted. Wash the inside of the cup and the outside will be taken care of. Stop worrying so much about what you look like on the outside and look inward, as God sees you.
All believers will be filled with love that comes from pure heart, a clear conscious, and genuine faith.
- 1 Timothy 1:5
A clear conscious permits true worship.
Christ will purify us so that we can worship the living God. He will clear our conscious.
Hebrews 9:14
Genuine faith moves the immovable.
Have faith in God.
Mark 11:22-23
You must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. God will come to you when you offer up your true belief in him.
Written by Schuyler Williamson
