Leadership Intergrity (Part 6) - The Basic and Base

When I later announced the answer to be figure 1! It was then that I discovered that none of them even saw that number. Do you know why? Simple, they all “thought” that I was asking for the ‘biggest’ number. But that was not the question! Their minds were on the biggest, largest, greatest, you can name it. We’re being deceived today the outward
appearances and you know what? It always tends to cloud our sense of judgment! Creator will have to help us!

                                                             PHASE 06
THE BASICS AND BASE
The ABC of leadership is what we mostly not neglect and tag it: “It doesn’t matter”. Can any child start school, if he or she cannot prove his ability to recite or do the ABC at home? Have you seen any school admitting pupils who can’t even count numbers 1 – 10? You may think otherwise, but let me you tell that it’s only in day care that normally occurs – it’s normal there!

Primary School, No!
You must possess the basics before you’re counted worthy to join. Primary one! There are no basics or requirement in the world of ‘play class’ or ‘day care’. No! Even the nursery schools of today, they now require any child to have the basics! Tell me, and please be honest about this okay? How can a Youngman who does not even know how to greet his elders be appointed over an office in a society, or in the community. Who will even dare vote for him? *find out how important a base is to structural or civil engineering. Relate it to leadership foundation from the scriptural point of view. How have we (believers) neglected this?

ABRAM WAS TESTED

This man had never known the Creator, yet he possessed the basic quality needed to be called a leader. He lead himself, and his family (immediate wife) and he lead others. Jehovah called Abram (not Abraham now) to leave his biological father’s home to a land or to a place he never knew and was not pre-informed. That was the first and basic test he had! This man (Abram) never assumes the mantle of leadership out of the blues. He was first tested. He knew what he was doing. He believed in the ‘Person’ that called him from his father’s land to neither a place that had never been introduced to nor any of his relatives. What interests me is that Elohim never sweet-talked him into taking this long journey to the ‘unknown’ destination. There was no address, no intermediary, no third-party, no signed contract, no guide, no known face, etc. nothing whatsoever to point to his great destination. But what did he do?

OBEDIENCE
Take it or leave it, the Almighty cannot, has not, and will not use or partner with a disobedient person. However connected you are. To whomever you liaise within the ministry, once obedience vacates your heart, count Jehovah out of the equation. And once He is out, you can tell the rest of the story, can’t you? Please pay attention to this; whoever you find yourself under (may be serving under a general overseer or the likes), must of a necessity able to testify to the quality of your obedience. If that is not done, please don’t border to put on the shoes of leadership. Because it will be simply disastrous!
You must learn to obey. It is a must! We can’t as matter of fact overemphasize the subject of obedience, no! Abram – as matter of possibility was an obedient person, even in his father’s house, during the era of Idol worship or territorial district. *discuss this as a possible outcome of his lifestyle. Do you think Abram could have married his half sister, if he was an irresponsible and disobedient child to his parent? Site example from your past experiences!

Obedience brings a blessing, it never fails, it always hopes. I know this as matter of experience in the ministry; just daring to step out upon the promises of Yahshua Messiah, your life will never know sorrow, even in trying times the quality of your lifestyle will be different. Blessings will definitely be yours. I guarantee this; it never fails to bring the blessings down.

INTEGRITY
“Integrity is so powerful that it changes your identity progressively and with great impact for life. Don’t toy with it”. What I have on my mind as regard this subject of integrity cannot be exhausted on pages, gratitude to this man, who succinctly puts it this way: “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity. Without it, no real success is possible; no matter what; whether it is in an organization, a church, or ministry (I added); a foot ball field, in the army, or in an office”. Some among several other qualities of leadership, integrity seems to soar above the rest. How unwise for anyone to over look such quality.

Anything of a supreme value, a leader seeks after such. I believe you are wise. Let me even ask you this: 

• How can one live a life void of integrity, and how high does he hope to go?
• Do you think too much talk on this subject will suffice? 

Well, I’ll do my best to bring it close, and you’d better appreciate this. Without integrity in leadership, you will look like a religious bigoted ostrich, which buries his head in the sand, thinking it had escaped from the enemy while rump was outside for the world to see. George Washington once said: “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation (integrity, I add), for it is better to be alone than bad company”. Lot associated himself with Abram, and that brought a great deliverance in his life. The Abram you knew became Abraham because he was able to maintain his integrity in the family and to Him who had called him out of darkness into His marvelous light (the life giving light).

The sustained integrity of Abraham (not Abram now) leads Jehovah-GOD to call him “friend”. Yahshua Messiah, did the same when He told his disciples that He no longer call them disciples but ‘friends’. Integrity is so powerful that it changes your identity progressively. Don’t toy with it.

EXCEPT FOR TWO THINGS
I got this from the writings of great Charles Jones; this is what he said, and I went to relate it to the statement I made about Abraham’s integrity and how it positively affected the life and the destiny of his nephew – Lot. He said and I quote: “You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now, Except for two things: I. The kind of people with whom you associate with. And II. The kinds of books you read”. Listen, men of integrity will never lead you to the land of repose and regret! You will always stand out when you live and emulate the lifestyle of the men and women of integrity; especially those you desire to encounter day-after-day in this side of eternity.

Abraham had a background – his family life. Many believers over look this fact, until they hit a great rock and bounce back to regret in painful tears. I hope this will not be your lot; but you’ll have to stand and stand upright in your ministry. Please do allow me, I want to talk more and more on this subject of integrity as it connects to our family lives and the potentials – leadership potentials that are buried deep down the rubbles of our daily character and lifestyle. I like what Thomas Fuller revealed about others liking you, here:
“Be a friend to thyself and others will be so too”.

The question and the truth is that; how many people are really friends to themselves? When you do ‘things’ that will mar your reputation and reduce your prestige; how are you a friend to yourself? When you criticize and mock others baselessly, what good are you doing to your own self. Let’s stick to the golden rule. *ask yourself the matter and the subject of the golden rule, what is it and how does it relate to leadership? Mike Murdock: remarked, when comparing integrity with a man’s product. Here is what he revealed:
“your integrity will always be remembered longer than your product”. I think I love this, you think the same? He also went on to tell us two kinds of people that we’ll always encounter in our daily living.

Two kinds of people in your life; there are in everybody’s life:

• Those who already know that you have something they need, and
• Those who do not yet know you have something they need”

Only men of integrity will see and agree to the first. But you need to be wise. Anon said: “Integrity cannot be proved, it must be discerned”

People of integrity don’t have a point to prove. I often hear people saying things like: ‘I’ll prove to him what kind or stuff I’m made of’. If you are truly a person of integrity then that is needless; don’t try to prove anything. If you have to prove it, then it’s not actually there! If there is anything more exciting than integrity in the world of leadership, it is letting your life, and helping others discover for themselves the path of integrity.

REVELATION OF INTEGRITY
Revelation, in any field of life, distinguishes us from the crowd even ideas that seem to be common, once you have a revelation of that thing you become unique in that area. Hope you get my point here, right? I have something to say as regards this powerful and most important ingredient in the leadership arena.

WHAT REALLY IS INTEGRITY?
Integrity: is moral soundness, completeness, a person who’s blameless and without fault – faultless. To the rest of you that don’t understand the above very clearly; please listen carefully: If you find yourself in a state whereby what pains others pains you, and you can’t just afford to allow or let that uncomfortable ‘thing’ happen to them; even if it will cause, a little inconvenience and you really know and you’re ready to let people go free or take away the pains off them; having a sense of complete, sound morality and unselfishness in your approach, then you’re the man!

Now let’s go a little deeper here. From the Hebrew Root-word; there are actually four words in the Hebrew term that reveals the same meaning and it all relates to the term integrity:

• Tom – complete.
• Tummah – complete or whole.
• Tam – complete.
• Tamim – whole.

Now, according to insight on the scriptures: the Hebrew terms relating to integrity (above), have the root meaning of that which is “complete” or “whole”. Tamim, is used several times to refer to physical completeness, or soundness, and freedom from impairment; for example, regarding sacrificial animals. But more frequently these terms describe moral soundness or blamelessness”13. Now, how does this relate to GOD Almighty? I always like to ask this question. “When applied to Elohim, Tamim may properly be translated ‘perfect’ as in describing Elohim’s activity and works, His way, knowledge and His law – they are just perfect. All these divine qualities and expressions manifests such unmatchable completeness and fullness, are so sound and free from defect, or fault that they clearly identify their source as the one true God”13.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTEGRITY IN LEADERSHIP
Why talk too much on integrity and leaving the subject of leadership aside? Does it sound like a question you’d like to ask now? I really can’t write down all I have to say on leadership in this one book. Just want to coordinate myself and put down that, which will not be too cumbersome or ambiguous. Tom: this Hebrew term simply conveys the idea of honest motives, innocence as to wrong intention. But generally also reveals or rather the term describe unswerving devotion to righteousness. Biblical usage and examples emphasize an unbreakable devotion to somebody or someone – a person who deserves such magnitude of respect and with a deep sense of loyalty. In this case Elohim God, and to His expressed will and purpose as the course of vital importance13.