Follow The Leader

     This post is on the heals of my previous post, "Are you a Game-Changer or a Game-Player?"

     Follow the Leader...there has always been much debate over whether or not Leaders are BORN or MADE.  Well, I'm not going to attempt to debate or answer that question herein.  The purpose of this blog is to advise you as Followers to choose your Leaders wisely and as Leaders to choose your Followers wisely.  

     It is true, at varying points of our lives we all will have the opportunity to be a Leader and the opportunity to be a Follower.  Moreover, we may find ourselves in the position of when those two roles overlap and we may be both a Leader and a Follower at the same time.  This is largely dependent upon what is going on in our personal and public lives.

     As a Leader, remember your role is to be a visionary and a missionary.  You have to know how to convey the VISION coupled with carrying out the MISSION.  The vision and the mission are not the same but they do work hand-n-hand.  Because your mission carries out your vision, this will help you to strategically plan and act.  Any assignments and/or tasks you take on should only support the Call of God on your life, which was/is revealed through the VISION.  In short, if the mission does not support the vision then it is not your assignment.  Don't follow the crowd!!  Everything that might be a God thing may not be YOUR God thing because you have your own assignment. 

     As a Follower, do not feel as though your contributions do not matter. You MATTER!!!  Every Leader, good or bad but preferably GREAT, needs Followers and not just any kind of Followers.  A Leader's followers are those who subscribe to the Vision of the Leader because it lines up with the vision God has given the Follower for his/her personal life.  There is something that God has called you to be the Leader of, but it is connected to who you are currently following.  Keep focused and stay connected!!  Follow your Leader as they follow God.  You literally have to experience pushing someone else's Vision in order to have your Vision pushed.

     The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not," (KJV).

     In closing, chose your Leaders and Followers wisely.  Look for those who:

• Reverence God and Respect The Trinity
• Exhibit Godly Wisdom
• Demonstrate Holiness, Righteousness and Faithfulness
• Walk in Love
• Extend Grace and Mercy

     "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," (John 14:27 KJV).

© Yvette L. Allen-Tatum, October 29, 2012

Are you a Game-Changer or a Game-Player?

     Are you a game-changer or game-player?  Game-changers, as their title personifies “change the game."  The game is not dictated to them, they dictate the game.  So, what makes these standout people?  They can see the future.  No they aren’t fortune tellers nor are they psychics; they pay attention!  They are the ones most aware of their surroundings and who surrounds them.  I know it sounds like I just said the same thing but I didn’t.  Listen/read closely.  Being aware of your surroundings is more about your physical presence or your tangible surroundings.  For example, what is the current price of gas, current price of milk, was that building there last week, what shifts are you seeing in various industries, what companies are hiring vs. those that are laying off, what shifts are you seeing on wall street, main street and your street?  Being aware of who’s around you is simply just that.  We’ve all heard the saying, "Those who start with you may not end with you."  This is truer than you can possibly imagine at this point in your life.  But perhaps more important is the fact that even while you are midstream – you haven’t even made it or arrived yet those whose started with you, your ride-or-die people are nowhere to be found.  Game-changers do not always foresee this change in the game because it is not necessarily a game-change but a change in the players of the game.  You see game-changers follow a cloud whereas game-players follower the crowd. A word to the WISE, every now an again you have to get your head out of the clouds to check the status of those around you.  Everyone saying I got your back, DOESN'T!

     Don’t get me wrong, both groups are needed.  There’s even a difference between game-changers and leaders just like there is a difference between game-players and followers; but that’s another blog.  But now, onto game-players.

     Game-players, as I alluded to earlier follow the crowd.  The good thing about game-players is that they go hard for whatever crowd they are following.  When they are supporting you, mind you their support of you is limited to how well you play the game, they’re all in; but oh!!!  When they are no longer supporting you, they are definitely ALL OUT!!  Ouch if this is YOU!!!  Here’s the negative about game-players, they lack vision. Remember, God already warned us in His word what happens to people without a vision:  "They perish." (Proverbs 29:18).  They can never truly support your vision because they do not have one for their own lives.  This is another defining moment in the life of a game-changer and somewhat of a downfall.  A game-changer not only has to know how to play the game and play it to win, but understand the balance of being a leader alongside being a game-changer so that those who are following you know why they are following.  Again, this comes back to the point that game-players have to have a REVELATION (vision) for their own lives.  How can they subscribe to yours if they don't have one for themselves?  This is why they follow the CROWD and not the CLOUD.  Beware, if it looks like you are losing they will drop you like a sack of hot potatoes.

     So, what’s the moral of this story?  The Rules of Engagement are about balance.  You need to be both a game-changer and a leader; hint, hint you have to catch my next blog about Leaders and Followers.  Always be aware of your surroundings and who's surrounding YOU!!

© Yvette L. Allen-Tatum, October 29, 2012

Beware of Manipulators

"You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment."

 The Message Bible Galatians 5:7-10

What does this Scripture mean and where do I begin with my thoughts as they relate to this Scripture?  I was seeking out a Scripture to describe what happened to me and what can easily happen to any of us.  You can be well on your way, your planned course of DESTINY, and someone will come, cut in on you and throw you of course.  How does this happen?  It can happen in many different ways and there are many different people who will cut in on you.  The BEST way to keep this from happening is to keep yourself COVERED in PRAYER.  YOU, ME, WE have to literally BATHE ourselves in PRAYER.

So, who is this person that cuts in on us?  It's someone with a "Manipulative Spirit".  Not that I have experienced everything in life that there is or ever will be to experience, nor have I attained all the knowledge that there is to attain; but after careful reflection this is who I found the perpetrator to be - a manipulative spirit.  Then, as I begin to share my experience with others, people began to open up and share similar experiences with me.  The common theme in all our stories was the same; we all had someone with a manipulative spirit to cross our paths.

People with a manipulative spirit are very sharp and cunning; they are literally wolves in sheep clothing. 

 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. ¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ¹⁹ So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.  

Matthew 7:15-20 NLT

But Fear Not!!  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind," 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV.  There's no need to walk in fear.  The key is PRAYER.  Prayer opens up the door, the spiritual door for us to be keenly aware of our surroundings.  Prayer builds up our spiritual muscles too.  The more we pray, the greater level of discernment we're able to walk in; which means a greater measure of VICTORY!!  The enemy is already a defeated foe, we just have to walk in it.

Be not discouraged and be not dismayed!  Jesus the Lover of Your Soul has sent you The One, The Comforter, The Holy Spirit to guide and lead us into ALL TRUTH!!!

So what is the purpose of this post?  Well, besides giving myself the opportunity share my thoughts in a public forum; the purpose of this post is to not only warn you but to encourage you, as well.  Although these things can happen, "Fear Not!"  God will not be mocked.  His purpose and His plan and the DESTINY He put in you will be fulfilled.  Remember, The Call of God on your life is greater than any outside force trying to maneuver against you. "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. ⁵ Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. ⁶ But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception." - 1 John 4:4-6 NLT.

Check your PRAYER barometer!!  If it's running on low pull-in for a fill-up.  It will be worth your while.

Yvette