Principles and Leadership by Brother Curtis Hansen

         Good morning. If you will, please turn to the book of Romans. We will be reading from chapter 12 starting at the first verse. This morning the message is going to touch on different types of leadership in the job setting and even in life. We will also talk about how if you are grounded in the word of God and following the principles laid out in the scripture, you will be a highly effective leader.

        I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

        2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

        Let's look at the phrase bodies a living sacrifice. You present your flesh, though it be carnally driven and minded, as holy and acceptable. The scripture tells us as believers to love all people. Yes, you love all people. We are not call to merely tolerate or accept all people but to love all of them. The words holy and acceptable unto God is your looks, appearance, presentation not only in the church but also in public. Demeanor, attitude, and body language all fall under holy and acceptable. You can have a super demeanor and attitude but the body language is key. Body language communicates 85% of what you may be going through at any moment.

        In verse 2, Paul writes not to be conformed to the world. You want to know something? God and the world have two separate ideas of what is acceptable in your appearance, demeanor, attitude, and body language. Changing the way you think is the renewing of your mind. The bible gives us different approaches to communicate with God in prayer be it as a father or a friend.

        The latter part of verse 2 is addressing the idea of leaning into God's principles rather than your own. As you get older, you have shifting ideas and certainties. What you believed in at 22 you have a different take at 33 because of life, circumstance, experience, all play in that period. Now, there are fundamental certainties which you should double down on with age and maturity.

        You can have a good leader with good values who raise people up. The virtue of patience is not a trial but a tool, a choice for you to use. A bad leader with good values will be a friend to you, but you don't need to follow them. You have the good leader with bad values. They will lift people up with their leadership yet they manipulate all their relationships and situations to their own benefit.

        The various leadership and value models are what compromises the working and adult world. Every person will find themselves in one of these four categories after a period of self reflection and analysis.

        You can be a good leader with bad values and not recognize it. The reason for that is you don't address the root causes of what makes you. There may be iniquity in your life which goes back generations you haven't come to terms with, nor confront.

        A bad leader with bad values will cause every person with any measure of sense to run to another job or environment. As we get older, we are needing to mature in wisdom. Immature people can only see all things through their own eyes and perception. What's it going to do to me? How will this affect me? Me is the root of immaturity. 

        A sign of maturity is being to step outside yourself and see all things from all perspectives. Rather than coming across a person or idea that makes you anger and close yourself off, you look into something from different perspectives. One of the hardest things a follower of Christ has to do is love every man as himself. Why? Because it's dictated in scripture. The people who give you grief, heartache, headaches, they should be equally loved as someone you hold dear in life. 

        There are three tiers of leadership in business. There is the high road, middle road, and low road of leadership. Those on the high road values others. On the middle road you seek values. You need repeated affirmation and assurance. Those on the high road give more than they receive. Those on the middle road give equal to all groups. Those on the low road will not give anything to anyone. Those on the high road treat others under them very well and respected. Those on the middle road merely maintains established status quo. Those on the low road treat everyone under them horribly. 

        3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

        It is so important for you to give people grace in your life. Whether it's a friend, a co-worker, or even a family member. You have to judge rightfully by biblical principles. What will help you in life day to day is faith. Faith in certainty laid out in scripture. 

        Ask yourself this question; why do I do the things I do?

        4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

        You are given gifts which you can develop into a skill and you can then apply it in your life. The bible shows us through dozens of stories and examples that humans are horrible. You are a steward of what God gives you. There are gifts which you need to seek.

        Let's speak briefly on love and building culture. You should build a culture in your life. This doesn't happen instantly. You have to build it, grow it, and over time your environment will change. How do you build your culture? It's in what we allow.

        Why do we do what we do? Is it for you? Analyze the relationships in your life. How do we get the behaviors which are toxic out of our life? To be productive? How do we keep some people in our life? How do you create a bubble for safety? How do you stay loyal? If you have a love for something there is retention and loyalty. If you can foster love, you will seek after it. Is your relationship with God fostered in love? Look at love. If love equals happiness how do we find love in what we do? There are things you love to do. Draw that love out in what you do to keep you engaged.

        Ask yourself today who are you? Is it your past experiences? Your environment in which you were raised? It is the decisions you make and whatever boundaries you have. Life is all in motion. You have to extract love out of your day.

        The last subject I want to speak on is about failure. You will fail in many areas in life. You've let people down. No vision in leadership is no risk. Try something new you face risk and failure. If you never do anything new you face irrelevance. All failures are not created equal. The more expensive the failure, the less likely it is to repeat it. Failure loses its punch in community. In a community we all share similarities to build up one another's understanding. Ideal timing is not coming. You pick it up and start with your first step. You're only a failure if you fail you learn.