14 day plan

The Gospel Centred Leadership

Day 9 of 14

NIV

Ephesians 6:10-11

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Reflection:  Fear and Pride

When idols launch their covert attack, their preferred weapons of mass destruction are fear and pride.

Fear and pride are primal emotions that are hardwired within. They are basic and instinctive emotions that trigger other emotions and behaviours as a means to survive or adapt to our surroundings.

There is an intricate link between these two emotions and our desires. We experience fear and pride if we have deficiency or surplus, respectively, of what we love.

If leaders crave comfort, their fear is pain and poverty, and their pride is pleasure and opulence.

If leaders seek for approval, getting rejected will terrify them and getting praised will satisfy them.

If leaders love preeminent status and respect, they dread the thought of being inferior to others and beam with pride for being superior to others.

Think of a formidable and hardworking Christian leader who always micromanages and must have the final say in every decision. He might believe in his head that God is sovereign over the future of his career and company. And that he works for the glory of God.

But functionally, he deeply believes that only the paranoid survives and thrives. He would do everything in his power to bring the company to the next level of success, even it means sacrificing his staff on the altar of growth and profit. He does that to feed his ego and validate his identity.

In what ways are your fear and pride turned against you, and how might you guard yourself with the ‘amour of God’?

Prayer:  Lord, our heart is the smallest battleground between you and the devil. Empower me with the sword of the Spirit, your holy word, to take a stand against the devil’s scheme that turns my fear and pride against us. In the mighty name of Christ, Amen.

Ephesians 6:1-24

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Final Greetings

21Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.

23Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.