Psalm 78: 72 “So he (David) shepherded (led) them according to the integrity (character) of his heart and guided them with his skillful hands (strategy).”   General Norman Schwarzkopf was known as the great military strategist of the first Gulf War.  After the war, he was asked about leadership and strategy.  He answered, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.  If you have to be without one, be without strategy.”  Why would he make such a statement?  Don’t you have to have a great strategy to win a war?  Oh yes, you must have a plan and strategy.  He made his statement because he understood that character or integrity is who we are and strategy is what we do.  Like the mighty warrior, David, in our Scripture this week, Schwarzkopf knew that who a man is determines what he would do (strategy).  David was known as a man after God’s own heart and proved to be the greatest military leader of God’s army.  His heart determined his strategy because his heart was in tune with God.

It is the same for us today as we are in a war we did not seek or declare.  It has been declared on us and our families by the evil forces at work in our culture.  We must have a plan and strategy to effectively lead our families.  However, there is something that comes first.   The plan and strategy must flow from the integrity of our heart in obedience with our Father God.  We are not alone when we make this commitment and have the attitude of Christ.  We have this promise in Deuteronomy 1: 30 “The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you.”  Develop your character and the strategy will follow as God will go before you in every battle you face.