Leadership Lessons 101 - Keep Your Word!

Have you noticed how many Christians, well actually, how many ministers seem to struggle with keeping their word?  I have!  It grieves my heart and it grieves the heart our heavenly Father as well. Why is this?

At the start of this year the Lord gave me a word saying it was time to recalibrate our moral compass due to deviation introduced through the magnetism of the world. Three days later God marked that message with a sign and wonder at the North Pole (click here). 

Bottom line, the world was losing its way because their moral compass was skewed.  It was skewed because they had a wrong worldview and I don't think that it is their fault.  It's the Church's fault because one of the roles of the Church should be to serve as a conscience for the nation they reside in. However, I lay the majority of the blame at the feet of those who stand in the pulpit.  We've failed to make disciples and to speak the truth.  

The Church lost her influence because of compromise in the pulpit.  Forgive me!  Forgive us for failing to make real disciples.  

It seems as it the world has become more successful at influencing the Church more than the Church is at influencing the world.   This is a leadership crisis.  We've failed to disciple people after our Lord Jesus Christ.  He was the Word made flesh in John 1:14.   Did you get that!  Jesus, was the WORD, made flesh.  He was in the beginning (John 1:1)​ and in fact Hebrews 1:3 reveals that everything in this world is upheld by the "word of His power."  Check this out! 

The Scripture Says:

---

• I will say the word and perform it. 
  
  • Ezekiel 12:25 For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord God.’ ”
• The word I speak will be done. 
  • Ezekiel 12:28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’ ”
    
• Keep your promises!  
  • Deuteronomy 23:22-23
    But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
    
• Do what you say and say what you do.
  • Matthew 5:37  But let your “Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
    
• In Hebraic thought this scripture refers to teaching which states that a righteous business man keeps his word even to his own hurt. 
  • Psalms 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
    

God Watches Over His Word to Perform 
Bottom line, we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ.  We are supposed to be developing His character.  God watches over His word to perform it and so should we.  

That is what "faithful" is all about.  If God did not keep His word, we would be without hope. 

Keys to Answered Prayer
Remember when all it took was a handshake and a man's word because a man's word was his bond?  Now consider what Jesus said in Matthew 18:18.  He said, "“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The key here is you mean what you say, and you say what you mean.  You perform what you say, when you said you would do it. 

Did you know that heaven watches over these things?  Jesus says in Matthew 12:36 that we will give an account for every idle word we speak.  An idle word is "unemployed."  It is not acted upon.  

If we do not keep our word, if we do not do what we say, when we said we would do it, over time you will develop a reputation.  You don't mean what you say or you don't perform it.  Or, you leave people guessing. Bottom line, you are "unfaithful."  You  cannot be counted upon.  

Proverbs 25:19 says, "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint."

It's Time to Rise Up, Not Lower the Standard! 
In order for the Church to regain credibility, we must begin to become like Jesus who was a beautiful reflection of our heavenly Father.  It is time for us to raise the standard to what the Word of God teaches.  It is not a time to lower it and comprise. 

Now I know some ministers who have struggled most of their life with keeping their word.  They are late to appointments, they may or may not perform what they said.  Yet, they seem to get prayers answered.  I submit to you to consider, I've seen ministers in great sin, yet God still used them.  Why?  

I submit, that God choose to use them in-spite of themselves not because of their great anointing or character.  God was moved by the hunger of His people whom the flawed minister served.  

I know this because I am a flawed minister whom I have seen God flow through in-spite of myself.  Never the less, I don't make excuses for my failures but rather I work on them.  How?  By doing exactly what we teach others to do.  I repent. I change my mind, and then work to change the actions. 

I judge myself by comparing my words and my actions with God's word.  I seek to be conformed to His image therefore His word is my standard to which I seek to rise to.  

For Example:

• If I struggle with always being late, then I introduce a discipline which requires me to die to myself and leave with enough time to allow for delays.  In my book, on time is at least 5 minutes early.  Do I always hit the mark?  No, sometimes I fail and when i do I:
  
  • Contact the people whom I am meeting with to let them know I will be late. 
• As I aged, I found my memory was not as good.  Therefore I've relied more and more on tools like calendars to help me keep my word. 
• What if something comes up and I need to change what I said I would do?  
  • Proverbs 6:2-3 says, " You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.
    So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself;  Plead with your friend.
    
  • Humble yourself and go to the people whom you have spoken to and ask if arrangements might be made to accommodate the situation.  Most of the time, they can. 
  • But if they cannot release you from it then remember Psalm 15:4.  A righteous man keeps his word even to his own hurt.  So do whatever it takes to keep your word. 
• What if I just forget and fail to do what i said?
  • First, acknowledge your failure and ask for their forgiveness and for forgiveness from our Lord.  Recognize that you just dishonored them, wasted their time and failed to be like Christ so you have dishonored Him.  
  • Second, seek to make restitution or to restore.  In God's economy, restoration always made things better than the original.  As God for wisdom as to how you might be able to accomplish this.  

For the More Prophetic Ministers
If you are one of those ministers who is very prophetic and loves Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God and John 3:8 which says, +The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" then I recommend:

• You can be fluid and flexible.  Just don't over commit yourself.  The scripture is very clear.  When you make a promise (promise = vow), when you give your word, then keep it (Numbers 6:2, 30:2-3, Deuteronomy 23:21 and Isaiah 19:21).  
• Don't say or commit to doing something you may or may not be able to perform.  
• Watch your words.  Remember, God watches over His words to perform it and so should we.  

I hope this has been helpful.  For those ministers who are part of KLI, this is the standard.  

Let me know what you think.