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THE ABUSE OF LOYALTY

By Billy Long
  Misguided Loyalty Loyalty carries the idea of fidelity and devotion. It is a good character trait, but its virtue, or lack of it, depends upon the object of its allegiance. Loyalty can be misplaced or misguided.  It is abused when being loyal requires a person to act contrary to conscience, integrity, or truth. Misguided loyalty often stems from an attempt to avoid disfavor, rejection, or accusations of betrayal from a leader who is unwilling to really listen, who refuses to acknowledge his guilt or face issues, defects, and errors in in his life. We should be loyal to our friends and our leaders, but loyalty does not remove our need to stay in the realm of reality and to speak the truth in love. Loyalty does not mean indulging the sin and weaknesses in those we follow or supporting the sin in our friends or fellow-workers. Loyalty does not mean never having a dissenting opinion. True Biblical loyalty does not mean closing your eyes to reality and failure to speak up in order to avoi
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MANIPULATION IN LEADERSHIP

By Billy Long
  Manipulation in Leadership Too often leaders are guilty of manipulation. Manipulation is unhealthy in any relationship and is a violation of trust. It involves the dishonest use of influence to get people to do what you want them to do and is an underhanded means of controlling people. Leaders use manipulation when they lack the ability to lead by inspiration, when they have ulterior or hidden motives, or when they are trying to get people to do what the individuals most likely would not do if they had access to all the facts. Manipulation involves giving partial truth and withholding information that would be necessary for others to make an objective decision. It means distributing information selectively, giving little twists to the facts, and sharing only that which would cause other people to respond favorably to the objectives being presented. Diplomacy and Truth Being diplomatic can “put a sweet face” on manipulation. Diplomacy in its positive sense refers to the ability to han
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Minister’s Prayer

By Billy Long
  Inspired by the Apostle Paul’s statement of his confident ministerial expectations, I read through the scripture and made a list of spiritual experiences that should describe God’s ministers. I cry for the Lord to do these things in my life as a preacher and teacher of God’s word. The list is shown below and should be every minister’s desire and prayer.      (1) To go forth in the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of    Christ. Romans 15: 29. (2) To know the Lord. Not superficially, but intimately. 1 Sam 3:7,     Ex 33:13, Philip 3:7-10.  (3) To have spiritual substance. So that our words are spiritual life   and have weight and are not just intellectual fluff. 1 Sam 3: 19-21,   Luke 1:8, 2:40, John 6:63.  (4) To have the Lord’s Presence. His manifested presence moving among us. John 15:20, Acts 5:32, 7:9-10, Exodus 33:13-16, 34:9.  (5) To actually feed the sheep. John 21: 15-17, Acts 20: 28.  (6) To equip the saints. Ephesians 4: 11-16.  (7. To strengthen the church. Acts 14:2
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CHARGES TO LEADERS

By Billy Long
I charge you to walk in a deep, abiding faith in the Sovereign Almighty God. This will produce the ability to maintain composure, rest, and peace in the face of pressure, problems, adversity, and conflict. It will prevent unwise and premature reaction, carnal grasping and impulsiveness.  Faith produces the grace to wait, endure, and persevere. It will help produce a security that will counteract insecurity which has caused problems for so many ministers and has hurt so many people. Faith in the Sovereign God is at the heart of our ability to face life redemptively. It is at the heart of Romans 8:28. “For all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  Psalm 31: 14-15, Daniel 2:20-21, Psalm 75, Heb 11.   I charge you to walk with purity of heart and motive, sincerely seeking God’s will and God’s interests. This will produce a clarity in your ability to hear God, and will produce peace. When you desire God’s will, you can rest kn
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SUBSTANCE...OR STYLE?

By Billy Long
  Religious people often substitute ritual and ceremony for real relationship with the Lord Himself. People who are short on intimacy with Jesus seem to find security in the outward forms. An organization can do the same thing. It is interesting that God gave Israel a portable tabernacle long before He gave them a stone temple. In Israel’s journey across the wilderness they had to follow the cloud of God’s presence that rested above the tabernacle. When the cloud moved, they moved; when the cloud rested, they remained still. The cloud did not rise or rest according to any rigid schedule of the clock or calendar. They could not prepare for movement by watching the clock, the sun, or the date. They had to observe and follow the cloud (Exodus 40:34-38). In the same way, Jesus Christ desires that the church and each individual in it be genuinely led by the Spirit in real spiritual growth where they can experience the riches and depth of what God intends for the true church. Sadly, too many
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SERVING THE ORGANIZATION OR SERVING THE INDIVIDUAL

By Billy Long
Excessive control by leaders is a problem some churches face. It can be rooted in wrong motives, not trusting people, and not trusting God with people. It can stem from a leader’s inflated opinion of himself, from a desire for power, or even from insecurity. Often it is used to hide flaws and lack of integrity within the organization or in the leadership itself.  The need to control is often manifested in the fear of delegating responsibility. When a leader is reluctant to release people to their various areas of gifting and ministry, he suffocates the unique creativity of the people God has placed around him. He gathers around him people who do not threaten him, people who will serve him and his vision while failing to develop their own. He will be unable to tolerate people of substantial gifting and charisma, the very people he could train to replace himself. As a result, the organization has to import or hire new leaders from the outside because of the inability to raise them up f
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LEADERS NEED LISTENING SKILLS

By Billy Long
"He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is a folly and shame to him."    Proverbs 18: 13.  Everyone needs listening skills. Jesus said we should take heed how we hear. This applies to God's people when they hear God's word and when communicating with one another. But it also applies to leaders, especially when they are approached by someone who has a problem or complaint.  Misunderstanding is a tool the enemy uses effectively in all levels of communication. It works to his advantage when we don't listen to one another,  The failure to listen when someone comes with a problem or complaint can hinder resolution and cause undue grief and conflict. People want to be heard and understood, almost as much as they want to be agreed with.   Here are a few principles related to listening.   Do not interrupt the person before he has finished.  Let him share all that is in his heart.  People, need to "drain" themselves of what's on their mind and in thei
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