Proverbs 16:11 (tlb) says, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established this principle.” Effective leaders live by this standard. Read 1 Samuel 30:1-25.

David and his men returned home from a military effort to find their homes burned, their possessions stolen and their families kidnapped. David asked the Lord what he should do and God gave David assurance that he would be able to overtake the perpetrators and get his family and possessions back. During the pursuit approximately one third of the men could no longer keep up the pace so the other two thirds stripped off their extra gear to lighten their load, left it with those that could not go on and moved quickly to get their families and possessions back. Just as God had foretold, they did catch up to the raiders, defeated them and took back their possessions and families.

If you have been in leadership long, conflict is a word you understand but dread. I am not talking about a disagreement over certain facts or a misunderstanding because of poor communication or an organizational snafu because of a bad decision, but real conflict. A philosophical difference that goes to the core of two or more individuals that has festered and now has the emotions tangled up with the facts so that every word and action is misunderstood, misinterpreted, and brought under scrutiny to such a degree that there appears to be no way to resolve the conflict. Read 1 Samuel 26.

Saul was the reigning king of Israel. Samuel the prophet had informed Saul that because of his actions of disobedience to God the kingdom would be removed from him and his family line. Saul also knew that Samuel had anointed David to be the future king. And, even though David was not trying to assert himself and “take” the throne, Saul saw David’s every action as a threat to himself and his family. There was real conflict between Saul and David to the point that if Saul had anything to say about it, David would be killed.

Leaders by their very nature tend to be people of action. When given a chance to solve a problem that has been plaguing them or the opportunity to complete a task so they can move on to the next phase of a project, leaders generally take the necessary action to finish. Even godly leaders can fall into the trap of action at the moment of opportunity – even when that opportunity may violate other principles God has established in His Word. Leaders seeking to serve God take a moment to discern God’s will even in situations that call for instant action. Read 1 Samuel 26:5-11.

David had been anointed the future king of Israel by the prophet Samuel and through his exploits on the battlefield had great support among the people. Any reasonable leader would have assumed that any day now the Lord would put David in a situation to ascend to the throne. Today’s passage in 1 Samuel brings us to the second David had a chance to take the throne – now. David could have killed Saul and forcefully become king of Israel. He and a fellow soldier were standing over a sleeping Saul, with spears in hand, and could easily have killed him while he slept.

Relational skills are very important to godly leaders. A godly leader’s faith doesn’t simply revolve around religious creeds or doctrines even though God-honoring creeds and doctrines are important. God designed us to have vertical relationships with Him and horizontal relationships with the people around us. Developing good relationships is critical to any leader’s long-term success. Review again 1 Samuel 25 this time making comparisons between the approach to relationship building of Abigail and her husband Nabal.

As you review Abigail’s actions think about the following relationship building skills:

Leadership is often associated more with the wisdom of the person than with the power of the position. Review again 1 Samuel 25.

The fascinating story of Abigail shows one woman’s single-handed efforts to save her household by using common sense and courage. Abigail stepped out of her normal life situation and exercised tremendous leadership to normalize a situation that threatened to take the life of her husband, probably her children and many of the laborers who worked for them.