To manipulate, drive or manage people is not the same thing as to lead them.
Control
Dave Samples
Control seems preferable to what we typically think of as its opposite–chaos. But I want to suggest that the opposite of control is not chaos. It is trust, and trust is far preferable to control. We want to control ourselves because we fear the outcome of letting God be in control. We fear we won’t be taken care of, won’t have what we need, or will be taken advantage of. But trying to be in control is futile because in reality, there is very little that we can control.
Chris Summerlin
The bottom line about all of our emotions or feelings of dread, apprehension, and uncertainty comes down to one thing: The fear of not being in control. – When there’s something beyond our control and we feel uncertain about the outcome, that’s going to create the emotion of anxiety in us. In the New Testament, the word anxiety means distracted or pulled apart – this is the opposite of peace. That “distraction” or “pulling apart” is going to create stress within us. And that stress, whether we realize it or not, is going to have a profound effect on our lives. Understand this can make you physically ill. It will divide your mind. And where your mind goes, the overall health of your body will eventually follow. That’s why recognizing what it is and learning to deal with the emotion of anxiety is so important.
Katherine Walden
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way and perhaps I can help prevent you from going through some painful lessons yourself. In a time of conflict, ask questions but make sure they are genuine questions. Resist the urge to ask questions that lead people to answer in the way you would want them to answer. Unlike Jesus, you don’t know the intentions of a person’s heart. Give your full attention to their answer without mentally formatting your response as they speak. Don’t be afraid of pauses in a conversation. It’s better to be thoughtful than it is to be quick.
Katherine Walden
Daily Christian Quote Website
Author Unknown
The more insecure leaders are, the more they will invoke heavenly backing for their demands that their followers ‘tow the company line.’
Bruce Larson
We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, “I give up, Lord; here’s my life. I give you my world, the whole world.”
Richard Rohr
The opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is control.
Graham Cooke
Where there is no grace, there is control. Where there is no love, there is an outlook that sees people as objects to be moved around according to our own purposes. We maneuver people into places where they will have the most use for us, just like we place our home or office furniture. It is a major crime against the body of Christ when we fail to see the value of all people, to look upon them as God sees them, to see the best in people, and to bring the life of Jesus to the surface.
Kris Vallotton
Some would question, Isn’t God in control? He is in charge, but He is not in control. If God was in absolute control of planet Earth, there would be no sin, no death, no sickness, no child abuse, no murder, no hatred, and the list continues. God is in charge of all things, but He has left you in control. In Psalm 115:16, we read that “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.”
Katherine Walden
Leaders and Pastor: If your church is full of people who look like you, talk like you, and think like you, then you have failed to lead people to Christ. Your goal should never be to create a church full of ‘mini-me’s who think like you, dress like you, talk like you, and who agree with every doctrinal point you make. Your goal is to lead them to Christ and to allow His empowering grace to fashion each individual into a believer who can think for themselves, pull out Biblical truths for themselves, and who can rightly discern God’s will and direction for their lives. There should never be a spoken or unspoken threat to ‘tow the company line or else’ policy in your church structure.