TODAY’S DEVOTION (Tuesday 14th December 2021)
Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.”
Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; we are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” So David received them, and made them captains of the troop. 1 Chronicles 12:16-18 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 346TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS.
This is the day has made; we shall rejoice and be glad in it. God has been blessing us with precious promises day unto day and has not allowed us to be given to the will of our enemies.
He has been speaking to us and gracing our hearts with heavenly wisdom through this platform. To him belong all the glory for eve and ever. Amen and amen!
The scripture of our devotional text is full of insights on one of the most precious need of leadership; loyalty. But I grew up to discover that it is not just leaders that need loyal followers, followers also need loyal leaders. A lot of followers have been disappointed by lack of loyalty from their leaders, just as leaders have been disappointed as well.
Yes, we are need loyalty in our lives to thrive as leaders, but Loyalty is not just a precious need of leadership. It is a precious need of all human beings, despite positions or status. It is the need of the small and great; kings and slaves, princes and paupers, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, saved or lost. It is a precious need of everyone regardless of spiritual state or status.
Men and women of vision need loyal followers. Husband and wives need loyal husbands and wives. Kids needs loyal fathers. Spiritual fathers need loyal spiritual sons. Spiritual sons also need loyal spiritual fathers. Loyalty is a general need for humans.
IT IS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF EVERY HUMAN ESTABLISHMENT OR BEING ON EARTH.
The Bible made it clear that it is also the key to Divine establishments. Heavenly purposes die when there are no followers who are loyal to the leaders of those purposes or leaders who are loyal to the followers of those purposes.
You will be good leader if you realize that even your followers need your loyalty. And you will be a good follower if you realize that your leader needs your loyalty. Any leader who do not know that followers need their loyalty will be a user and dumper of men and women.
People will be only important so long as they help fulfill his or her selfish interest, especially when it runs contrary to God’s interest. On the flip side, any follower who do not his leader needs their loyalty will betray the leader like Judas did and cause so much harm.
David understood the power of loyal people to a heavenly cause hence not in a hurry to appoint anyone who just display some forms of commitment to critical positions of the army of the LORD he was leading. He made sure that the Spirit of God truly process people and rest on them to serve before he appointed them to serve. The Bible says;
“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.” Proverbs 25:19 NKJV
Give an Elijah a band of loyal and faithful people and Jezebel, Athaliah and all their Baals, Asherah and Molechs will be no more. On the flip side, give a band of faithful men one loyal leader, and no work of darkness will be able to stop them in life.
Faithful people need loyal leaders, and loyal leaders need faithful people who will remain loyal to them no matter what. That is how god deigned life to be.
DAVID KNEW HE WAS HEADING TO WAR HENCE HE COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE AN UNFAITHFUL MAN IN THE TEAM.
What one unfaithful man will do in time of trouble could be more dangerous than what the Devil himself can do, because God’s power is swift at dealing with the devil but delegated authority will be required to deal with an unfaithful man. And most times the unfaithful know how to appear faithful, hence hiding themselves from the sword of delegated authority.
Unfaithful people are deaf to divine moments; they cannot sense when to show loyalty to those God has placed in their lives.
Unfaithful followers will withdraw when their leaders need loyalty and unfaithful leaders will also withdraw when their followers need loyalty. Jesus calls unfaithful leaders who withdraws hirelings. He said;
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
But a -hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” John 10:11-13 NKJV
There is need for every leader to have a righteous sense of ownership called identifying with, for those who are following them so that they can defend them as their own stock through unflinching loyalty and faithfulness when they need them.
We must understand that a band of faithful men and women with a hireling as their leader will never go anywhere in life. They will just be going in a circle despite their faithfulness. On the flip side, a faithful and loyal leader with a band of unfaithful men and women as followers will also be stagnant in life. He will be going in circles until he grows old and dies.
If Satan want to destroy a Heaven vision, he will surround it with unfaithful people who appear faithful. If God want to prosper a Heaven vision, He will surround it with tested and proven faithful men and women.
THAT IS ONE OF THE SECRETS OF THE SPIRIT REALM.
On the other hand, if Satan want to destroy and neutralize a faithful man or women, he will give him or her a hireling who looks faithful outwardly but disloyal and unfaithful inwardly as a leader. Most faithful followers are unconditionally committed to leaders who are not faithful and loyal to them. They are strongly committed to falsehood and all that has nothing to do with God.
I have also come to discover that if God want to prosper a band of faithful people, He will bring them under a faithful and tested leader who will be loyal to them. You will see your spiritual life growing and your faith taking root rapidly when God places you under such leader. Your commitment and loyalty will begin to make a giant out of our faith and unleashing your potential.
Oh, how we all need loyal and faithful people today; leaders and followers alike! You must make up your mind to be a loyal person to those God has placed in your life. You must be loyal to your leader who are doing the will of God, if you are a follower. And if you are a leader, you must be loyal to your followers who ate faithful.
One of the secrets that loyal people must learn, if you want to be loyal as a leader to your followers or follower to your leader, is the mystery of Divine moments. You must understand the moments God creates to exhume loyalty for your leader from you, or for your followers from you, if you are a leader.
You must understand the moments to step in and display your loyalty to your leader or your followers, if you are a leader.
Sometimes God does not create the moments, they devil does; he launches an attack against them that God will allow to prosper in other to test the loyalty of those around the leader or the loyalty of the leader to their followers. Howbeit, we must all recognize when our loyalty is needed.
Apart from a time of crisis, loyalty will always be needed at all times; especially when a Heavenly purpose need to made to prosper, promoted, protected or lifted high above limitations. It will take men with the Spirit of the LORD to show genuine loyalty.
David knew this hence not allowing Himself to be carried away by show of allegiance by the men of Benjamin who belonged to the house of Saul.
Remember, at the time, the house of Saul was collapsing for the house of David, hence making it Dangerous to receive any allegiance form those who roots are of the same tribe with Saul.
Our devotional text says;
Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them,
“If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.”
Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; we are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.
If you look at this scripture carefully you will realize that David was not in a hurry. He allowed the Spirit of God to lead. As soon as he saw how the Spirit proved them to be loyal and faithful followers, he made them captains of the troops. That is who leaders should behave under God. Followers should also behave the same. They should not commit themselves to leaders who have not proven not to be hirelings.
God sent this word this morning to request that you become loyal to a leader He has placed you under, and if you are leader; God wants you to be loyal to the followers He has given you to lead.
I pray that as you hear His voice this morning, you will begin to prosper even as you commit yourself only to faithful and loyal men and women who have been proven by time and by the Holy Spirit of God. Amen and amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
“But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John 2:23-25 NKJV