Born to LEAD, a 5 day devotional on Youversion

By Debora Smith Pegues

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

With one targeted drop of a piece of an upper millstone from the top of a strong tower, the woman of  Thebez saved the lives of all the inhabitants of her city. Their adversary, the heartless, power-hungry King Abimelech was about to set fire to the door of the tower—just as he had recently done in the city of Shechem, where he’d burned 1,000 men and women alive as they sought refuge in a temple. This woman had no delegated authority, and she had no time to seek permission or approval from higher-ups for her proposed actions. She used her resourcefulness and threw down the millstone piece that crushed Abimelech’s skull. 

Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

Judges 9:52‭-‬53

Resourcefulness is the ability to find creative ways to solve problems. When faced with challenges, look outside the box for solutions. Confront adverse circumstances with ingenuity and passion. See what others do not and know how to connect the dots to embrace new opportunities. 

One benefit of resourcefulness that may be surprising is that it enhances self-development, self-improvement, and self-worth. As you lead, resourcefulness helps you reflect on your current skills and determine if there are any you need to strengthen or develop. All these involve the resolve and resilience of the human spirit. In the book Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, legendary basketball coach John Wooden says,

Resourcefulness is using our wits, proper judgment and common sense to solve problems and meet challenges. It is using initiative in difficult situations and involves inventing, creating, imagining, synthesizing, evaluating, classifying, observing and analyzing solutions to overcome the trials that life throws at us. Resourcefulness is dreaming up ways to meet our goals.

John Wooden had to be resourceful when he lived in a fraternity house at Purdue University. He had trouble studying because there was always so much noise, so he decided to start getting up at 3 a.m. to accomplish the task in peace and quiet. When he needed money, he had to put his resourcefulness to use again, selling food at football games and selling basketball programs during the basketball season. He says that most people would call this an entrepreneurial spirit, but he just saw it as being resourceful.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to ensure you are making the most of every situation:

• Is there another way to get what I want? If your current plan does not work, prepare a plan B.

• Is my desired outcome really what’s best? You may be going down a wrong path and need to course correct.

• Who else has the information I need? You may not have all the answers, but there is always someone who does. Find that person.

Resourcefulness is a mindset, and to be successful, you must embody characteristics such as discipline, dedication, hard work, confidence, and willingness. If you don’t know the answer, you must find out how to get it. As Ernest Hemingway said, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” 

In the Bible, we can look to the Proverbs 31 woman as the epitome of resourcefulness. She is described as a woman of excellence in whom her family can place their full confidence. She is a hard-working woman who takes initiative and possesses great strength and courage. She is resourceful with whatever is placed in her hand, skilled in using wool and flax to make clothing for her household. She is a woman of influence, managing her household, servants, money, and land well. The Proverbs 31 woman is both a shrewd seller and a shrewd buyer, and she plans to avoid unforeseen calamities. Most importantly, she fears the Lord, and the text says such a woman is more valuable than rubies.

Resourceful leaders find a way to achieve their goals. They are skilled in thinking creatively, generating ideas, and identifying alternative ways of accomplishing any given activity. Resourceful people are imaginative and can visualize how to achieve the seemingly impossible. Determination enables them to stay the course and emerge victorious.

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Author Deborah Smith Pegues’ advice on Biblical leadership is adapted from her book, Lead Like a Woman.

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Lead Like a Woman: Gain Confidence, Navigate Obstacles, Empower Others
By Deborah Smith Pegues / Harvest House Publishers

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Born to LEAD, a 5 day devotional on Youversion

By Debora Smith Pegues

Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.

Luke 22:26

Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term servant leadership, saying that it “begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” And although Greenleaf coined the term, Jesus coined the concept and explained it to his glory-seeking disciples: 

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, ‘In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called “friends of the people.” But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.’ 

Luke 22: 24-26

Jesus did not measure greatness by the number of people who served him but by the number of people he served. 

The effectiveness of a servant leader is not measured by rank or position, rather it’s measured by the legacy the leader leaves behind. All leaders should ask themselves, “Does my leadership cause personal and professional growth in others?”

Servant leaders submit themselves to others voluntarily and not under compulsion. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, cast out demons, and chastised the Pharisees when he deemed necessary. He was a strong leader. Servant leaders give selflessly without expecting anything in return. 

Servant leaders seek to know the following of those they lead: What are your aspirations? What are your key motivations? How can I help you get from here to there? Because servant leadership embraces self-giving without self-glory, it is an ideal leadership style. Let’s look at a few of the benefits and cautions of this style.

Benefits of Servant Leadership

It’s Not About Just One Person: Many leaders focus on their best interests rather than on the needs of the many. However, servant leaders make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization as a whole rather than just one or two people.

It Improves the Work Culture: Many of us have worked for different companies during our careers, and we can attest that some work cultures are more pleasing than others. When the person at the top is a servant leader, it affects the atmosphere and the people who work there in a positive manner. 

It Promotes Customer Retention: Customers often do not know what’s going on behind the scenes in an organization, but they can feel the effects of poor leadership. When employees are unhappy, they pass that on to the customers they serve. In the same way, when employees are happy and love what they do, customers naturally want to do business with them.

It Promotes Innovation: Nothing is more disheartening than to feel that your ideas don’t count. For this reason, servant leaders keep an open mind when their subordinates suggest new ways of doing things. They don’t agree just for the sake of agreeing, but they genuinely consider and embrace those things that would enhance the organization as a whole.

It Keeps the Ego in Check: In a traditional leadership role, the person in charge makes all the decisions, communicates what needs to be done, and then takes credit for the completed project. On the other hand, servant leaders give credit where credit is due to help others reach higher standards of performance.

Whenever you feel like elevating yourself, remember the example of Jesus. Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus was

… being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Philippians 2:6-7

His mission was not to be served but to serve.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

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Lead Like a Woman: Gain Confidence, Navigate Obstacles, Empower Others
By Deborah Smith Pegues / Harvest House Publishers

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Born to LEAD, a 5 day devotional on Youversion

By Debora Smith Pegues

Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind?

Job 38:36

We’ve all experienced that moment in time when we were certain of something that we could not logically be sure of. We just “had a feeling” that something was not right or that something was going to happen. That’s intuition—a gut feeling when “something” inside puts you on alert. 

Intuition and discernment often work hand in hand, but they are not the same. While intuition refers to a gut feeling or a hunch, discernment helps you wisely recognize and use your intuition when you need it. When looked at this way, we see that intuition isn’t just a reliance on flighty emotions but is grounded in intelligence. Intuition can cause unnecessary fear or worry, and discernment can help you reel in those emotions and not let them incapacitate you.

How to Develop Your Intuition

• Recognize it. Be on alert to recognize when you are having an intuitive moment. If you find yourself thinking about someone more than usual, and they call you up shortly thereafter, it was likely your intuition at work. 

• Silence your inner critic. Many times, we try to rationalize away our intuitive thoughts, thinking we should be more logical and rely on facts. The next time you have an intuition about something, don’t analyze it or argue with yourself about it. Give in to it and see what happens. Realizing you were correct will enable you to have more faith in the process the next time.

• Embrace your creativity. Creative activities such as painting, drawing, writing, and crafts allow your mind to flow freely. They can put you in a mindset that allows you to be more open to new ideas and insights.

• Take notes. Carry a small journal or notebook (or use your electronic notes on your cell phone) to record your thoughts, gut feelings, and hunches. Sometimes, we have such reactions throughout the day, but then we forget about them. Writing them down will allow you to review them at your leisure and remember fleeting, but important, feelings that occurred throughout the day.

• Get physical. Go for a walk or a run or even take a shower. Often, taking a break from the daily grind frees our minds to mull over problems and come up with solutions. 

• Evaluate your dreams. Often our dreams are windows into our subconscious. Dreams help us process information and deal with stress or unacknowledged desires. They can reveal deep and symbolic messages that escape our attention when we are awake.

• Evaluate the past. There have, no doubt, been many times in the past where you had an intuition and didn’t act on it. You kicked yourself for not listening to yourself. Recall those times and allow them to bolster your confidence in the future.

• Pray. Most important of all, when we need to make a decision, we often have a choice we are leaning toward. However, we second-guess ourselves by going back and forth, unable to decide. In responding to Job, the suffering patriarch, God declares, through a rhetorical question, that he is the source of intuition. “Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind?” Don’t dismiss the concept of intuition as something mystical or magical. It is God-given. Simply ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as to when to rely on it. 

Christians should be cautioned that not all our inner thoughts and feelings should be heeded, for they can lead us astray. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” That “feeling” or “something” must be submitted to the Holy Spirit’s discernment for our next step. He is the fountain of wisdom and understanding that Jesus sent specifically to teach and guide us.

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Lead Like a Woman: Gain Confidence, Navigate Obstacles, Empower Others
By Deborah Smith Pegues / Harvest House Publishers

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Born to LEAD, a 5 day devotional on Youversion

By Debora Smith Pegues

The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

Genesis 11:6-7

After the great flood of Noah’s day, God ordered the survivors to scatter across the earth and repopulate. But they had different plans. They decided to settle in one place and to build a tower that reached into the heavens—making a name for themselves. Because the project was being done in complete disobedience to God’s command, he confused their language and they had to abandon their efforts. Lesson learned: If you can’t communicate, you can’t build anything—a marriage, an organization, or a team. 

Good leadership and good communication go hand in hand. Being communicative is being forthcoming in sharing or exchanging information. Communicating requires one to be skilled enough to clearly express ideas and information with a variety of people including superiors, subordinates, customers, or one’s peers. 

One of the most critical elements of being communicative is authenticity. It’s important to just be yourself.

Another factor in being communicative is being visible. Don’t hide behind emails, notes, or instant messages. Show up in person as often as you can. Allow people to get to know you on a deeper level. You will find them more responsive to your plans and requests when they can connect them to a human being.

We often think of communicating as only speaking; however, listening is a vital part of the process. When you are a good listener, others learn to trust and respect you, for only by listening can you gain an understanding of someone else’s perspective.

Regardless of your role as a leader—whether you lead a team, run a company, are an author or influencer, or are an entrepreneur—communication skills are vital to your success. We should never stop sharpening our skills so that the message we send is the exact message that is received. Try these tips to take your communication to the next level: 

• Be direct and simple. Don’t hide behind vague or complicated words. Simplify your message so that anyone who listens can easily grasp it. The apostle Paul was a highly educated man, but he wisely refrained from preaching above the heads of his audience.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

• Communicate frequently. Communicate as often as you can and through as many different mediums as you can. People often learn and consume information in different ways, so it’s a good idea to give them options.

• Encourage feedback. Always be willing to hear another perspective. When you give a directive or offer an idea, pause and allow the other person to respond. Remember the 80/20 rule: Listen 80 percent of the time and speak 20 percent of the time.

• Walk your talk. If your words and actions are inconsistent, you will lose credibility. Always remember that even when you are not speaking, you are communicating. Nothing will cause people to mistrust you more than not being a person of your word or displaying a lack of integrity in some way.

• Be a storyteller. Stories serve as great visual illustrations, and they’re likely to be shared with others. They breathe life into your goals or vision, so learning how to be a good storyteller will enhance your communication. It helps others vividly grasp the message. Jesus knew the power of a story. We learn in Mark 4:33-34 that,

Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Mark 4:33-34

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Lead Like a Woman: Gain Confidence, Navigate Obstacles, Empower Others
By Deborah Smith Pegues / Harvest House Publishers

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