The key in leadership is not to seek "influence!" but seek, follow & acknowledge the God who raises up & sets kings and leaders in place. First things first!

2. Speed

The second thing straight paths speak of is speed.

There is an Australian phrase which says, "As the crow flies!" You may be headed towards a destination knowing that it is four hours to get there if you fly in a straight line like a crow, HOWEVER the road takes eight hours because the road is narrow, windy & traverses hills & valleys. It would be great to fly!

There is no shortcutting God's dealings no matter how hard we may try. At undetermined intervals in our lives, God sets His magnifying glass on us & asks us to address issues of the heart including; attitude, character, nature etc. The desire to resist these dealings is strong & all too often the leader can seek a way out! The problem is if those dealings are avoided now, they will come around again and that feeling of going around in circles & having been here before is felt.

God's promise to us is as we acknowledge Him in all issues He highlights, He will help us to deal with those issues & we can then move onto new territory with Him & for Him. The quickest way through is the road less travelled, to allow God to have His way & then travel as the Crow flies. As proverbs says; "The way of the wise winds upwards!" - it does not go round in circles. Unfortunately, for the not so wise - it does!

Make a choice to acknowledge God in your difficult times!

3. Peace

During the period of the Roman Empire, the great "Pax Romana" or Roman peace was felt throughout the land. Because in part their armies could travel quickly on roads to dispel uprisings & defend from invaders, a great peace was to be had.

Gods promise to you as you acknowledge Him is Peace! In fact the prosperity that we read about in Proverbs 3:2 is "peace!" and again in verse 17 we read about the peace that comes through the wisdom of acknowledging God.

In John 14:27, Jesus the Prince of Peace promised to leave His peace with us. In fulfilment of that, the Holy Spirit who was given on the day of Pentecost is the great comforter for us.

In Philippians 4:7 Paul speaks about God's peace which bypasses the mind, is not based on circumstances, yet is real to us.

To acknowledge God in all your ways is to live with the Peace of God. To have lived with the Peace of God & to also have lived without the peace of God, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realise that Peace with God is the way to go!

Are you at peace?