Harteis shares article ~“Back To Basics”By Mark Gorman

With any set of teachings – any belief system, there are necessary foundational principles, upon which that philosophy is established.  Without those foundational truths, the rest of that belief system cannot stand – it cannot survive the test of time, and the bombardment of ridicule and criticism of those who oppose what they do not understand, or which they choose not to accept.

Therefore, as we continue to study any important topic, such as Leadership, you will notice that we revisit certain foundational principles – not because I didn’t remember that I’ve already taught them.  But rather, because I’m wanting to “build higher”, so I must re-establish the foundation (build it deeper) in order to take us to the “Next Level”.

I don’t want you to think that I’m just being redundant – saying the same things over and over.  But rather, in order to broaden our understanding, and elevate our vision, I must ensure that the foundation beliefs upon which we build, are sure and sufficient, to sustain what we are teaching and saying – and what you are “living out” after you receive this teaching.

So, to re-visit one of the key foundational principles, let’s once again acknowledge that “There is NO such thing as a born leader.” 

The importance of this principle cannot be overstated!  Without an understanding of that fact, many people would feel as if the decision for them was already made at birth – as to whether they were “born a leader” or not.  So, if they haven’t had any followers up to now, then the assumption would be, “I must not be one of those who was born a leader.  Therefore, since this kind of thing is decided at birth, I guess I shouldn’t even try.  Instead, I’ll learn to live with who I am and what I’ve been given, to accept the fact that I can never be a leader, since that was decided at birth.”

Do you see the sort of acquiescence - “automatic defeat” which is created by that kind of dangerous belief system?  As soon as we say that leadership was decided at birth, we remove the POWER of CHOICE. 

Rather than to believe that I am the product of my choices, and that I am empowered by my own decisions, I would be led to believe that there is no point in even trying, since that decision was already made, years ago, and that I had NO PART in deciding that part of my future.

You see, I have a deep belief in the fact that we have the power to choose.  In fact, as a Christian, it is a “core belief” in regard to my relationship with Christ.  Rather than to believe that my eternal destiny was already decided before I was born, I truly believe that, although Jesus paid for my salvation – my forgiveness of sin – when He was crucified on the cross, that does NOT preclude me from still spending an eternity in hell, if I do not personally make the decision to accept Christ as my Savior. 

If I did not believe this – that my eternal destiny is ultimately a result of my own decision – my own choice, then I would not only feel hopeless in regard to myself, but also, I would see basically no reason to spend my life telling others about Christ, if I thought that their destiny, too, had already been decided before their birth.

But the knowledge of the fact that I have a “Free Will”, not only causes me to daily choose to continue to walk with God, but also, it inspires me to reach out to others, telling them that they have been empowered by God to choose – to decide WHERE they will spend ETERNITY. The only part of this which is not a choice is the aspect of eternal life.  The Bible tells us that we will ALL live forever.  That’s right, every one of us will live forever.  You have absolutely NO CHOICE in that.  You WILL live FOREVER.

You may ask, “But what if I commit suicide?  By doing that, I would be ending my own life, right?” 

Well, actually, you would be ending your physical life here on earth, but you would not change the fact that your soul will live forever, regardless of the condition of your physical body.  You will live forever in one of two places: heaven or hell.

But, isn’t it great to know that since we’re going to spend eternity in one of those two places, at least we get to choose which one?

So, with that understanding of Free Will – that we all were born with the Power To Choose, that gives me hope – not only for me – but for everyone else I meet.  And it is that knowledge which motivates me to keep pressing on – to achieve more, so I can reach more people, to let them know, not only about the choices they can make about eternity, but even the choices they can make about how they’ll live their life here on earth.

Since none of us were born without a free will – the power to choose, that means that, regardless of how you’ve lived your life up to now – regardless of whether you’ve been a leader, a follower or just an observer who neither leads nor follows, the good news is that you have options – you have choices.  If you’re still breathing, then you have a choice – it ain’t over yet – so CHOOSE!
Source: Mark Gorman