Women Arise 2024 – Day 2
Rev Faith Leong
Nehemiah 13:4-9
4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.
Limitation
Nehemiah 4:3
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”
Don’t Disqualify Yourself
Opposition / Confusion
Nehemiah 4:7-8
But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.
Distraction
Nehemiah 6:1-2
- Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Abrab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained – though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono.
- But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”
- Pray
Nehemiah 4:4 then I prayed
Fill with Holy Spirit
- Prophesy
Nehemiah 2:20
- Purge
Get Rid of Tobiah
I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room. Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God’s Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ps Dr Lew Lee Cho
Great God, Great Possibilities
Queen Esther
Esther 4
A kingdom that cannot be shaken
Esther 4:12-16
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
It is God that does the Impossible
We do the Possible
Spiritual Authority <-> Total Surrender <-> Submission
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
God by Design
Submission to God
- Embrace God’s Purpose & Plans
- Embrace the Past
- Embrace the Pain
God is Good
God is in Control
God cares
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to His purpose.
When we do the Possible
God does the Impossible
Sub-mission
Under a Mission (Purpose)
Embrace Past
Embrace Pain
Our Past is a Stepping Stone to someone’s life…
Painful Past to Glorious Future
Reconnected to Past back
Healing the Hurt!
You have been borne for such a a time like this!
Submitting to God
Coming to Your Destiny!
God will speak through you…
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ho Wan Leng
Strategic self-awareness and impactful leadership
Grooming NOT Cloning
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Equally Called!
Is the path to the top the same?
Internal Barriers:
Self-Doubt
Women often feel they have to make a choice between work and family or other factors
External Barriers:
Support System (or lack of one), especially with the long hours at work
Role of the Partner in Career Support
Less Access to Informal Networks of Influence – All Boys Club
Unconscious Biases
What other factors do you see?
What have you personally experienced?
Self-awareness is the first step to impactful leadership!
Self-aware
- Internal Self-aware
- External Self-aware
Internal Self-aware
How clearly we see ourselves and all that we stand for?
- Experience and power hinder self-awareness
- Introspection does not always improve self-awareness
How?
#1 What does the Bible say?
Identity Self-awareness Self-belief
- I am created in the image of God
- I am a child of God
- I am redeemed and forgiven
- I am a new creation
- I have a purpose and calling
#2 – What does the Holy Spirit say?
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
This verse highlights the importance of being aware of one’s inner thoughts and feelings, as they influence all actions.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
David’s prayer for God to examine his heart reflects a desire for self-awareness and spiritual growth.
#3 – What does scientific assessment report say?
- Insight 1: Your Strengths
- Insight 2: How Highly Do You Rate Your Personality?
- Insight 3: Your Competency Preferences Profile
- Insight 4: Your Preferred Leadership Style
- Insight 5: Leadership Derailers
- Insight 6: Capacity for Complexity
- Self-Coaching Guide
Triple A Leadership – X
Avoidant
Arrogant
Affable (Perfectionist)
External self-awareness:
Understanding how others view us
What constitute others’ perception of you?
- How you come across to others?
- How others see you through their lens?
Example 1:
- You – I am a diligent person’ conscientious, detailed, structured
- Others – You are perfectionist, micro-managing, inflexible
Example 2:
- You – I am an introvert, private, loves me-time more, quiet
- Others – You are aloof, withdrawn, uncommunicative
How many people do you think are present?
- You
- Me
- The person I think I am
- The person you think I am
- The person I really am
- The person you think you are
- The person I think you are
- The person you really are
What are others saying? Typical reactions to feedback
Defensive
Cool headed
Denial
Acceptance
Genuine Engagement
Superficial
- Impression Management
- Deception
- Social Norms
Galatians 1:10
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Strategic self-awareness
- Internal Self-awareness
- External Self-awareness
- Take personal accountability
Strategic self-awareness
ISA + ESA + PA = SSA
- Internal Self-Awareness:
Ask yourself and understand what in you is causing his / her reaction
- External Self-Awareness:
Consider how others may view you and the impact you may have on others
- Personal Accountability
Assess if there is a problem and make a conscious choice about how to react subsequently to improve the situation
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ho Wan Leng
God’s Entrepreneur: Building A Business with Divine Guidance and Purpose
Godly Entrepreneurship Defined
- Creating business that reflect God’s kingdom values.
- It’s about more than profile; it’s about purpose.
- It’s about addressing social, economic, and environmental issues through innovative solutions. It is redemptive.
Four Domains of Godly Entrepreneurship
| Divine Guidance | Purpose | Godly Character | Biblical Principles |
|
|
|
|
My Entrepreneurial Journey
4 Seasons + 1
Winter
Die to Self
5 Financial Crisis
Depends on God
Autumn
Retrofit
Dropped off Extra Baggage if we want to fly high
+ 1 (Raining Season)
Disruption
Ride on God’s Grace
Rely on God for all seasons
Spring – New Business coming in
Highest Mountain You have to conquer is You, Yourself
5 Miracles:
- Without Bank Loan
- Top Products
- Bid for MNC, Fortune 500
- Clients given
- Expand to 5 Countries
Choose based on Ministry then do Business
Getting License for Japan < 1 mth instead of 1 Year!
- God’s entrepreneurs are called and chosen.
John 15:16 (ESV)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Entrepreneurship is a God-given calling – “Entrepreneurial Leadership: Finding Your Calling, Making a Difference” by Richard J. Goossen and R. Paul Stevens
- Do you have an all-absorbing desire for the work?
- Do you lose track of time doing this work?
- Do you feel fully alive when doing this work?
- Do you have the appropriate gifts to succeed in this venture? God calls us to serve I a specific way and gives us the gifts required. Can you match your personal gifts with what is required to succeed?
- Do you experience fruitfulness or effectiveness in doing this work?
- Do you notice that doors are just opened for you when doing this work?
- Do you feel God’s favour upon it or are you constantly running into roadblocks and walls?
- Do you have affirmation from others that you are suitable for this work?
- Do people always say you are great at this work or have the skillset required for this work?
- We are called to do good
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
- Social Impact
- Mentor and disciple
- We do business for God’s glory
“questions not about which business partnership will best boost our self-image but rather how we might best serve the One who has called us to create something new for the good of others.”
Jordan Raynor
Why are you an entrepreneur?
- Push efforts
- Pull efforts
Polar Bear Generation
Mission Mind
Redemptive Business
Betterment
God’s Ministry
- Be a follower of Christ
Henry Kaestner argues that: “business professionals who know that they are Christians first bring all of their talents, experiences and opportunities to the altar as a meaningful form of worship. They understand that God doesn’t need their work or their money, but they want to bring it all anyway because it reflects the joyful abandonment of self. They have rightly found their identity in God and caught the beauty of being owned rather than owning.”
Identity: Christian First, Entrepreneur Second
- Build Godly Character: Integrity
Proverbs 10:9 (ESV)
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
Romans 13:7 (ESV)
whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Pay to all what is owned to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owned, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Do not short-change others
- Build Godly Character: Perseverance
Proverbs 13:4 (ESV)
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
The soul of the sluggard craves and get nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
God delivering me FROM my storms is my desire. God delivers me IN my storms is my transformation.
- Build Godly Character: Patience
Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Prov 13:11 (ESV)
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Patience is essential in building something that lasts.
- Build Godly Character: Gratitude
Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
In every valley, remember God. At every mountain top, do not forget God.
- Build Godly Character: Generosity
Acts 20:35 (ESV)
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
- Guided by the Holy Spirit
Isaiah 30:21 (ESV)
21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
We surrender and yield to God’s control in every situation.
- God is the ultimate provider
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Give back
Spend less than income
Avoid debt
- Conduct our business ethically and legally
Holiness-Justice-Love framework – Alexander Hill
Case Study – Headlines: Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake ‘chief financial officer’
- How do you respond? Do you fire him immediately and emphasize justice?
- Do you condemn him for sinning and emphasize holiness?
- Do you forgive him, emphasizing love?
We must do what is right in the eyes of God!
Holiness, Justice, Love
- Christ-centred culture – Servant Leadership
Ephesians 6:9 (ESV)
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master[a] and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
A Godly Entrepreneurship Plan with 4 Domains
Redemptive God-Entrepreneurship
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rev Faith Leong
Who Writes Your Life Story?
Life Story!!
What You Can’t Choose
When you missed the first line?
Genesis 1:1
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Romans 5:12
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
Everyone sinned
You can’t choose your beginning but you can choose how you end
What You Can Choose
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Whoever you give authority to will become the authority of your life.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
God will be with You!!!
I can choose to Better or Bitter
