Bible Characters with the Lords Guidance in Strategic Planning

In order to begin examining the biblical characters that so many have tried to emulate they reader must start with Allison and Kaye’s strategic planning process.  Their process has seven phases: Phase 1: Get Ready, Phase 2: Articulate the mission, vision and values, Phase 3: Assess your situation, Phase 4: Agree on priorities, Phase 5: Write the strategic plan, Phase 6: Implement the strategic plan and Phase 7: Evaluate and monitor the strategic plan. "Get Ready" consists of determining if the timing is right to engage the planning process and theorize what that process might look like (Allison & Kaye, 2005). The organization must then identify the issues that the planning process should address (p. 16).

Allison and Kaye begin their book by pointing out that it is important to recognize that they cannot on focus on every little problem or concern. The primary direction of the strategy that will be underlined here is the fact that many tasks seem insurmountable but it is best to pick a focus and build off that. The organization must also decide on a planning process to use and identify the information that must be collected. The idea is to make small measurable goals and objectives, then see them all the way through.

         After “Getting Ready” an organization must clearly articulate its mission, values and vision in n stage two. This is particularly important in the biblical sense because they are driven by their mission and values and should strive to use these values to operate in ways that best support those Christian values. Clearly defining the Israelite’s mission, values and vision allowed the people to know what they were doing, why it is being done and what it hoped to achieve (Allison & Kaye, 2005, p. 12). It is then important to “Assess Your Situation”, which is stage three of Allison and Kaye’s strategic planning process. This stage is all about gathering data. The data gathered in this stage will allow the planners to better determine the organizations future priorities. Stage four of the strategic planning process is to agree on the organizations priorities. Ideas for priorities can emerge from individual inspiration, group discussion or formal decision making techniques but ultimately it is up to the organizations leadership to determine the organizations top priorities (Allison & Kaye, 2005, p. 18). Once the organization has determined its priorities, it is time to move on to stage five, writing the strategic plan. This stage consists of creating a clear and coherent document that will act as a guide lead the organization to accomplish its goals. The end result of this stage will be a "concise description of where the organization is going, how it should get there, and why it needs to go that way", in short, a strategic plan! The strategic plan created in stage five should be used as a guide by the organization; therefore the next stage is a detailed annual operating plan, which is essentially a plan to implement the strategic plan. An operating plan should "define the short- term, concrete objectives leading to the achievement of strategic goals and objectives” (Allison & Kaye, 2005, p. 19). The last stage of Allison and Kaye’s strategic planning process is stage seven, evaluating and monitoring the strategic plan. In reality, the strategic planning process is never truly over because it is a cycle, however, it is important for organizations to review and monitor the plan and their progress, and make any necessary changes. This goes back to the emphasis that the authors put on being open to change. The planning process is constant and ongoing and changes must be made. To account for any changes within the environment, therefore, it is important to assess the "ongoing validity of the decisions made during the strategic planning process" and make any necessary changes"(Allison & Kaye, 2005, p. 20).

            There are many biblical stories of strategic planning that can be examined using the strategies in Allison and Kaye's process.  The organization in the bible is the organization of God’s people.  God created this organization by involving all the members from stakeholders to volunteers, and even the community. In God’s organization, like all others, there should be a consensus about what end results are expected (goals and objectives) and the way to go about accomplishing those objectives (internal vision, programs, etc). There are a number of leaders in scripture who thought and acted strategically. Identifying the strategic players from the bible narrowed down the field but it was still difficult to identify what strategies these biblical leaders used when comparing them to the Allison and Kaye’s process.

            Biblical Strategic Planning is the intentional design for accomplishing the people's mission and goals. It is a decision-making process that involves clarifying and bringing focus to the people’s mission and vision for the future. The leaders’ strategies in the bible used analyses of the present situation in light of the mission and vision. The leader seems to set organizational goals to accomplish the mission and realize the vision for all of those involved. Scripture indicates that planning is consistent with God’s character.  The biblical leader would be guided by verses as such, (2 Kings 19:25) “Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.”

            “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:20).

            As this research indicates the bible is filled with evidence of planning. The most evident being creation itself. As scripture indicates that God’s servants planned such as Joseph: Advising preparation for the coming famine, Moses: Sending the spies into Canaan, Joshua: Developing a military strategy, Nehemiah: Rebuilding Jerusalem, David: Establishing his kingdom, Solomon: Building the temple and his palace, Jesus: Forming, preparing and sending out his ministry team, Paul: Reaching the Gentiles with the Gospel, Scripture encourages and teaches planning

Moses is the first of the strategic planning leaders from the scriptures. Moses obviously struggled as a leader and what style would work with his personality. Soon after his encounter with God and the burning bush he led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. God gave Moses His Strategic Plan for deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.  He began, The Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he shall let them go, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land” (Exodus 6:1). The Lord told Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh."  By this the Lord committed Himself as the authority over the plan to deliver Israel from Egypt.  He will not only authorize the plan but He will also implement it.  The phrase translated on a website the researcher viewed it means, "under compulsion," which literally means, "with a strong hand."  The hand of God is a sign of cursing.  This was the crux of the implementation plan. Under compulsion from the various pledges, Pharaoh would eventually drive Israel out of the land.  The Egyptians would literally pay them to leave.

            All plans should begin with the recognition of authority.  Ultimately, there are only two sources of authority for all plans in this life:  A leader must identify if it comes from God, or Satan.  Only God can provide true authority filled with guidance from others and the development of growth right in front of your face. The other is full of self interest, very easy but something inside should alert the leader to its end.  God will support the plans He authorizes, and He will oppose the plans under the power of Satan.  As proven in Moses’ story all people are either under the authority of God and as a strategic planner he provides with an open heart or the power of Satan's Cosmic System.  When a business or institution operates under the authority of God under the Laws of Establishment, God will bless.  However, projects under the power of Satan will be doomed to the trash heaps of history like weeds and thorns that have to be plowed under.  Egypt is the greatest example of the latter.  When Egypt operated under God's authority and under the leadership of Joseph, it prospered even during famine.  However, when Egypt became anti-Semitic, it was destroyed by Moses and Gods power.

             God defined the purpose for His Strategic Plan of deliverance of Israel from Egypt.  He recalled the “Abrahamic Covenant”, which promised Abraham a Savior, a great nation, and the land of Canaan.  This was a good reason why God had to free Israel from bondage in Egypt.  He promised Abraham they would be freed after 400 years of bondage.  Further, He pointed out that Abraham knew Him as only as God Almighty, but now He would be known as the Lord.  Before Moses no one had ever spoken face to face with the Lord. This may have changed his appearance which may have give Moses even more creditability with the people after coming back to engage his “brother” the Pharaoh about releasing his people.

            God defined the scope of His Strategic Plan.  God sent Moses to tell the people of Israel that He would free them from slavery in Egypt and give them the Promised Land.  The scope of the Plan covered deliverance from the nation of Egypt and giving the Promised Land.  He promised to deliver them with the "outstretched arm," a sign of more strength than the hand.

‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. (Exodus 6:7).  This is one of the reasons Moses had to be rejected and left alone as a leader without a congregation.  There must be no doubt that Israel was delivered by the grace of God. He is objective and impartial.  What the Righteousness of God demands, the Justice of God judges through the Love of God - always by the Grace of God.  Moses had to realize because of his personality God places support in him to carry out the plan. Just as with Aaron a much stronger speaker and well graced with poise. This helped Moses to develop a communication plan with the people. Moses spoke to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their lack of endurance and cruel bondage. (Exodus 6:9) Those who reject the “Grace Policy” of God will be punished, but always in the Love of God.  When Moses went back and told the people what God had said, they would not listen, i.e. they refused to believe Bible Doctrine, the Word of the Lord.  Two reasons are given, which both amount to the same thing:  They could not take their punishment.  The second phase of the Allison & Keyes plan, (2005) is the mission of Moses given by God to get the Pharaoh to let the people go. Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh King of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” When the Lord told Moses to go tell Pharaoh to let the nation of Israel go, Moses said the assignment was too difficult because he was "unskilled in speech."  The phrase, "unskilled in speech," is the translation of "uncircumcised in speech."  Moses was not confident in his ability to convince the Pharaoh to let the people go; so the Lord carefully explained the Strategic Plan to Moses and Aaron. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a mandate directed toward the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh King of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 6:13) Moses and Aaron were given leadership positions to accomplish the Strategic Plan of God.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.  “You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”

Moses was appointed leader of the nation of Israel.  Since he complained about his inability to speak, God appointed his brother, Aaron, as the prophet to do the talking.  The irony is that Aaron was a wimp, but it didn't matter because Grace was the policy.  God could accomplish the task with Aaron doing the talking.  The organization was the beginning of a Theocracy with God as the highest authority, Moses the national leader, and Aaron, the prophet-spokesman.  God's preferred form of government was to appoint the leaders Himself.

            A plan must have an implementation methodology.  God's method was: “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.  (Exodus 7:3) First, God was going to harden Pharaoh's heart, which appears to be counterproductive.  Hardening Pharaoh's heart means that Pharaoh will be given scar tissue of the soul, which will make him oppose the will of God for the deliverance of Israel.  Pharaoh did not harden his heart.  Just as the potter can make of the lump of clay whatever he wishes, so God can make people with the characteristics to play the required roles on the implementation.  God does this without compromising man's volition.  Pharaoh had been building up scar tissue for years.  Pharaoh's resistance gave God the opportunity to demonstrate His great power and make a news story so great that it was used for evangelizing the entire world. 

            One amazing characteristic of Moses is that he was very adept to assessing the situation and letting God guide his movements to His end. For example the situation at the Red Sea in which he was guided to and then he gave up control to pray for some plan to get away from the chariots and soldiers of Egypt. This of course gave the people an example of what God could do and thus have all of the people connect for the four phase by agree on priorities such as finding a new place to live. Interestingly enough when Moses went to get the written strategic plan of life “the ten commandments” the people of found somewhere else to place their trust and commitment. Of course Moses implements the strategic plan and the people resented it for a long time and because of this the people wandered for many years before finally making it to the Promise Land. By evaluating and monitoring the strategic plan Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro the leader of his clan, came to see him after hearing the incredible things God had been doing. Jethro observed that Moses was overwhelmed with the burdens of leadership and shared with him a God-given plan—a strategy—for dealing with the issue. Jethro through Gods plan taught Moses how to set up a strategic plan by delegating the work so that the load would be spread among many. As a result, the manpower resources were used more effectively and the ministry was accomplished. Moses was also thinking strategically when he sent spies to the land of Canaan.

            Joshua is really a part of the same strategic planning that is being examined. He was the protégé of Moses, also demonstrated strategic leadership as he did. In Joshua God gave Joshua a little lesson on strategic thinking. As Joshua was to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, they were facing the first enemy in the land. It just so happened to be the strong city of Jericho. God gave Joshua a strategy. Developing Godly leaders by remaining sensitive or open
to the Lord’s authority and methods this happened with prayer and reflection. The key to understanding these battles and victories is wholly based upon God’s presence with Joshua.  God is persistently training His people. The process does not end once they start winning battles, as we find out in the later chapters, nor does it end when we conclude the major wars. God is always developing His people and in this section it is very evident that the mission of the people was to battle their way into the Promise Land. The Israelites dare not stand still.  There remains a life of battle ahead of them.  The idea at the time was to step over the Jordan and be used by God.   The strategy of God is this section is beyond the peoples understanding and because of that the vision is God’s but the mission is to have deliverance into the Promise Land. God is always more ready to accomplish His plan than we are to participate in it (Joshua 11:20). God has a whole set of plans to quickly and effectively complete His plans. God fights differently than man. Training to win requires that His people simply do things God’s ways. As a leader Joshua and his people need to trust Him. If they rely on their methods, they will surely fail. They failed at the battle of Ai not only because of a soldiers greed, but because Joshua did not pray and seek God’s will. The first verse of these chapters significantly point to the enemy who attempted to thwart the Israelites from their main mission.  God already has His plans on how to eliminate these enemies. These main campaigns lasted seven long years. 

            The Lord records three major campaigns.  The enemy would use any trick to get their way. The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelites. Other kingdoms ganged up on them. Although the battles almost always seemed a sure defeat for Israel, God led the Israelites to victory each time through their faithful leader of Joshua. God's people only needed to learn how to do things God's way with His vision, no matter how threatening the enemy seemed to be. Don’t be afraid; just be prepared!

            Only by grasping the full scope of what God is doing and making themselves accountable to the tasks that concern them. Joshua was very good before and during the battle to assess the situation. Joshua uses this to focus the people on the real war, which is how one lives afterwards.  The most dangerous times are after decisive victories. And it is precisely here that the Israelites failed. The Lord was sure to have them divide up the land. The point of this was to prepare each tribe to live under the Lord’s leadership. Up to this point, they relied on Joshua’s faith to win. Now they had to rely on their own faith. If they trusted Him and obeyed His Word, they would do well. If not, they would bring trouble upon themselves. 

            Just as in the various phases of the agreement on priorities as defined by Allison & Keyes, 2005) once they received their inheritance, they were responsible to clear off the many enemies still hanging around. God set things up so that each group of his followers could carry on and clear out all the enemies. But foolishly they were not equally responsible. Again, the chief battle is not on the battlefield but in our hearts.  It is how we live after the victories.

            The third biblical character using the strategic planning is King Solomon; God has perfect strategic foresight.  In Proverbs, Solomon, the wisest man, said “To man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 16:1-2).   By aligning himself with God (higher power) he is able to listen to His wisdom and His heart is open of guidance:  "Now Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and exalted him greatly" (2 Chronicles 1:1).  The first phase of Solomon’s strategic plan was to building a kingdom that connects to God and the source of enlightenment for all of the people.  As seekers of a vision, Solomon knew so much of what the people seek is selfish; instead he mobilized the people to have things to be proud of with a mission and guidance as to why. The message was clear and effective. In the Bible it is communicated that Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings before a bronze altar in front of the leaders of thousands and hundreds of people.  This was customary at the time; Solomon made grand gestures to God.  It was this night that God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."  God offers this question to each of His people at some point when these people learn to glorify Him instead of themselves it is possible for egos stabilize as steward leaders develop strategic planning.  In other words, when a leader connects with God’s ever reaching power and trades their ego-based selfishness for a position of integrity they are doing right in God's eyes. Then the leader can enjoy the opportunity to ask for the means to further our aspirations the most.  To build a “kingdom,” the strategist must have this power.  It has been said; “Be careful what you ask for” has important meaning when a strategist considers the faith that they may receive what they ask for.

            God recognized Solomon's humility:  a weak flower bends in the wind, while the mighty tree falls from the storm.  Leaders today would learn from Solomon's request.  Solomon did not approach God from a position of ego; he approached God from a position of humility, honor, and service.  How might a strategist serve the people best?  This is the first question a leader must ask.  In return for Solomon's eager desire to please God with his simple request to gain wisdom and knowledge, that he might lead God's people, Solomon receives wisdom and knowledge—as well as riches, wealth, honor, and victory over enemies.  The lesson in this is that God delivers more than we ask for when we approach God from a position of humility, awe, respect, and service.  Yes, it is impossible to evaluate Solomon's approach to building an empire without first recognizing Solomon's relationship to God. The vision of Solomon was to Building the temple and his palace for the glory of God and develop pride for this people of God. He uses his vision to promote the focus on your primary mission.  Solomon next decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. This temple construction was a major undertaking at the time, being the most aggressive and largest in size and design; it was a great undertaking for the time.  Solomon then built a temple for the Lord, and a royal palace for the people and for himself.  Again, he kept his focus on how he might please God with his actions.  In our kingdoms of today, do businesses build first for God or try to separate God from work?  Solomon, in his wisdom, chose to honor God.  Solomon recognized (2 Chronicles 2:6), "who is able to build a house for Him (God), for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain him?" This temple was small but impressive the full account of dimensions and materials Solomon gathered for the temple, were very prescience in 2 Chronicles 3 and I Kings 6 and 7.  Solomon’s temple, his primary mission, made other buildings look rather pale in comparison, especially considering the walls were lined with gold. This undertaking was considered quite industrious.  Solomon’s task force required about twenty years to complete the mission.

            Just like the other leaders gathering the internal resources and form external connections in this case he uses the design and creates a trade (goldsmith). Solomon’s mission of building a temple was monumental.  Israel did not have enough stone, gold, wood, or workers to begin work.  So Solomon gathered resources, formed trade, and bartered resources he could spare for the resources he needed to complete the mission.  Solomon gathered his resources and amassed an army of chariots and stationed them in cities. Solomon amassed his horses and chariots from other countries, such as Egypt and others, then sold many to other countries and built his own fleet of chariots by profiting from the trade. In order to build the temple, Solomon needed wood and stone. He approached a neighboring country, to barter wood and skilled workers for barley, wheat, wine, and oil. He also needed workers, wood, gold, quarrymen, ironworkers, and supervisors. Solomon checked the census and he had 150,000+ laborers at his disposal. Today, this would be equivalent to employing all of the employees at Goldman Sachs, Cisco, Intel, and Starbucks combined for a period of twenty years.

            Consolidate leadership within the kingdom this goes to organizing the strategy know who to look to for guidance and security.  Solomon lived during a period of strife, war, and backstabbing.  Just as now.  Solomon quickly did away with two of his biggest opponents, who had laid claim to the throne prior to David passing the mantle of leadership to Solomon.  One of Solomon’s moves against an enemy of his father, David, was to give his enemy just enough rope to hang himself.  Solomon told Shimei, an enemy of King David and threat to the throne, to build a house and not to depart from a general territory near Jerusalem for any reason, or he would face certain death.  Shimei agreed to this arrangement.  Three years later, he violated his agreement.  Keeping agreements is important to building a kingdom, whether in a leadership or subjugated position, and Solomon's rule dictated prompt execution for Shimei.  This act consolidated Solomon's leadership and gave Solomon absolute authority over his people.  Leaders can form alliances, which might resolve some of challenges in the process of change and build support during the development of a strategy and the various phases. Solomon made strategic alliances with friendly kings and queens to increase resources, trade routes, and power.  Strategic alliances also increase cooperation and eliminate competition. 

            Companies focusing on competition are, living by the sword.  And, it's not a new expression that those who "live by the sword, die by the sword."  Instead of living by the sword, Solomon built alliances. Amazingly enough Solomon built some by having a marriage alliance with Pharaoh of Egypt, when he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David.  This act gained resources from Egypt, opened a trade route through Africa, and kept war with Egypt away from the kingdom.  Kingdoms are like companies; they grow more during peace than they do during war.  The Cedars of Lebanon were well reputed at that time, and Solomon needed them to build his temple and palace.  Solomon understood the power in alliances. Alone, we have limited skills and resources to succeed in our objectives.  However, partnered with others who have skills, resources, and teamwork, we can achieve far more of our goals in much less time.  So Solomon made deals with the Lebanese King, trading oil, wine, barley, and wheat for woodsmen, metal workers, and various craftsmen, along with Lebanese timber (1 Kings 4:5).

            It is critical to have strong, open, powerful trading routes in any company, in this case the kingdom, and Solomon was well aware of the resources surrounding his kingdom.  Opening flow of trade to obtain resources, skills, and information from other kingdoms is critical to leading a successful kingdom. The same applies in business today.  If a company cannot trade, they fail.  This is also true with countries, as demonstrated by the recent fall of the economy in Argentina.  Cuba remains in a state of early 1960's economic staleness as a result of the American embargo against Castro.  Trade among kingdoms is vital to the kingdom's success.  And Sheba's trade route opened all of Africa to Solomon.

             Safeguard your valuable assets seemed to be the next phase of the strategic planning process.  Solomon then completed his building projects and furnished the temple.  Solomon needed a place to put the Ark of the Covenant with God, which was a vessel Israel used in battle representing the power of God with their army, as well as the official vessel containing the tablets representing the covenant between Israel covenant and God, The Ten Commandments.  The lesson there is to keep your most valuable resources safe. In today's organizations, the data center is often the key to their success.  Modern organizations protect their data through sophisticated “data centers” that feature extensive air conditioning, fire prevention and control, raised floor, and earthquake-proof facilities to protect their valuable computers, storage, and data wise companies know how much money is lost from even on hour of downtime.  Solomon was no different at his time.  He protected his most valuable assets placing them in the middle of the city and having various protections in place.  He also offered a prayer of dedication to God.  This as steward leaders dedicating the strategy to God only supports the process.  If the company is on a mission for adding value in the world and providing "highest good" would be appropriate.  Solomon made quite a big deal about the sacrifices to God and God responded in appreciation and also requested Solomon keep statutes and commandments and not set other gods ahead of God. 

As the building occurred Solomon still continued to energize and focus the people with guidance. People came to Solomon with their concerns and he was well reputed for judging fairly with them to administer justice.  In I Kings 3:16-28 is detailed a story of how Solomon ruled a dispute between two women who claimed the same son.  It is important to build an organization in this case a kingdom through integrity, (leading) ruling in fairness, honesty, and being true to those commitments.  Solomon's reputation preceded him as wise and fair with his constituency. He also celebrated the successes of his (organization) nation.  Solomon held a celebration and dedication in honor of the completion of building the temple. At the ceremony, Solomon offered peace offerings to the Lord, and among those offerings sacrificed over 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.  It is written in I Kings 9:65 that the feast lasted fourteen days.  It keeps spirits high to celebrate our successes, and this feast was no exception.

            Avoid extravagance and reviewing the vision and making the necessary changes to the plan.  Solomon, unfortunately, fell victim to extravagance, he was no different from many kings of his day, who frequently erected buildings and monuments as symbols of power.  In the United States, are the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, or the Sears Tower as examples.  In Paris, there is the Eiffel Tower.  In Egypt, the great pyramids, with Pharaoh’s face carved over the eroded lion's head.  This is a risk leaders run:  letting ego get the best of them by spending extravagantly on buildings and other powerful images (advertisements on television, for example). Creating something physically great, such as a building, especially a gold-lined building, costs quite a bit of money. And that holds true today as much as in Solomon's day. William Randolph Hearst spent millions building a castle in an era where millions were worth billions in comparison to the dollar's present value. This occurred just this century, so the concept remains true. The cost to rebuild the World Trade Center is estimated in the billions. Keeping agreements and promises to those people within the organization and outside within the community is a must. This might seem irrelevant, as so many "leaders" today break their agreements almost as soon as they are made. Yet, keeping agreements is the key to building goodwill. Solomon received gifts in exchange for his wisdom (information). While Solomon kept his agreements (and most specifically, his agreement with God), his wealth became greater than all the kings of the earth. Coincidentally, this is also where Solomon failed. 

            In Ecclesiastes, the “teacher” (Solomon) takes the reader through the search for meaning in life from hedonism, materialism, intellectualism, and ultimately finding a lack of fulfillment from all of these “meaningless” pursuits.  When Solomon looks back upon his personal journey, he acknowledges that his excess consumed him and in the end was "meaningless."  Yet, it is here that he recognizes the vanity of so many of his efforts, and comments: "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear him."  (Ecclesiastes 3:12-14). Solomon advises that there is a time for everything, yet the true meaning for man is to find value and to rejoice in his work. 

In the end, Solomon reflected upon his worldly success and came to a conclusion First, align leadership with God.  By being one with the Lord gives the steward leader the higher power to do great things. As Solomon focus others on the primary mission the kingdom or organization stays strong and well organized. The organizations or kingdoms without vision lack success we can see.  Gather internal resources and form open trade.  Sharing is a key to success. Consolidate leadership and eliminate sources of strife.  Success breeds during peace. Form strategic alliances to gain resources, skills, and open trade routes. Safeguard your valuable assets.  Keep the most valuable assets of the kingdom in the most cherished of places. Rule wisely.  Practice integrity in all dealings.  Offer wisdom for wealth or vice-versa.  Celebrate Success.  Keep morale high by recognizing achievement of goals. Avoid extravagance.  Spend what we need to achieve objectives, but avoid lavish parties. Keep your agreements.  Broken agreements lead to the demise of the kingdom. 

            This study of King Solomon's approach to building the palace and temple of the day also involved learning how to be a planner and a leader.  There are so many valuable lessons contained in the life of Solomon.  He taught leaders how to build a peaceful empire, in honor of God.  In a time where nations threaten war and challenge each other over oil and religious issues, there is high relevance to Solomon's skillful wisdom of building a peaceful kingdom.  Why not use his formula and build a strong organization that thrives through peaceful alliances to better the world.

             David is the fourth character to examine who has the mind of a strategic thinker who has a significant part to play in the survival of the “Abrahamic Promise”. Not only revealing to others how to overcome a giant competitor knowing ones limits by observing the story of David and Goliath as a source of reference. All one needs is to keep an open mind and be willing to apply the principles and guidance discussed earlier by God. One thing that comes from the first thing seen by David is to know the enemy and know themselves.  When a person allows fear into their heart, they will not win. This is just another way in which the devil has a leader fall victim to his ways. If a leader is ignorant of both the enemy and themselves, they are ensured of defeat in every battle. David was able to spot a niche; a niche nobody wanted to venture into. All Israelite soldiers were waiting for a confrontation with the Philistine army but nobody wanted to face Goliath. David was able to spot the niche that nobody wanted: to fight Goliath. So Instead of focusing on the army of the enemies, he focused on Goliath. Goliath was his path to victory. All a strategist needs to do is take advantage of their ego, serve these small niches with the little budget they might have and see the organization skyrocket. To overcome competitors, as David did, find this niche and serve it. Leave massive change to time; you can achieve more result using targeted marketing as a strategy as David did. Before confronting Goliath, David had faith that Goliath could be defeated. As human beings, leaders are bound to have some atom of doubt or fear. David may have experienced a little fear but the difference was that; his faith was stronger than his fear. Faith is simply the ability to act despite tremendous doubt.  Fear is faith that it won’t work. Scripture says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:15–16). As a strategic planner there is a time to pray and the plan, let God do the directing.

            As an entrepreneur, one must never see their competitors as infallible. They must see a possibility in their mission to outperform their competitors. Just as the Adidas slogan says: "Impossible is nothing." If they execute their strategic plan and implement their competitive strategy with this mindset, success will be theirs. One thing that can be shown in all of these characters is the fact that faith attracts supernatural assistance. Developing a mission and having faith is not self-belief. While faith says it can be done, self -belief says 'I can do it.' While faith says there is possibility, Self -belief says 'I am the possibility.' Faith without self -belief is vain. As leaders observe from the story that the Israelites had faith that Goliath would someday be defeated, but none had self-belief. The soldiers said in their hearts "one day, Goliath will be defeated" but they avoided the words "I can kill Goliath." David not only had faith that Goliath can be defeated; he also had the self -belief that he was the one to do it. One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation, as pointed out by Allison & Kaye in their program. Many entrepreneurs lack self belief; many entrepreneurs are very good at spotting opportunities disguised as problems and they know a solution can be found but they don't see themselves as being the one to provide the required solution. Many entrepreneurs don't believe in their God given abilities. Some can't picture their organization competing favorably with big companies. Entrepreneurs must have faith that their competitors can be defeated and they must believe their business can do it. The first step is to access strengths and weaknesses. It is important to remember that the strategic plan is only as strong as its weakest link.. Though Goliath was fully armed and heavily armored, he was defeated because his opponent (David) spotted and exploited his weakness. As a strategist they can outperform their competitors if they can spot their weakness and exploit it.

            Though David had the faith, self-belief and a good track record, he would never have confronted Goliath if he had not been able to convince and sell himself his vision to King Saul. This same scene is also applicable to the business world from ongoing validity of the decisions made during the strategic planning process and makes any necessary changes (Allison & Kaye, 2005, p. 20). Many entrepreneurs with strong business plans succeed to a curtain point, but they seem not to be making headway because they lack the ability to convince investors to invest in their idea. With the Christian leadership strategic plan that was put in place by these bible characters others can see that these leaders developed visions, clearly articulated that mission to others, then write the mission was important even at that time because Moses, Abraham and Solomon all wrote their visions and mission down to articulate their plan. Many like David have a strong competitive advantage and proven track record but if the strategists cannot sell themselves, they will remain where they are.

            Leverage is one of the most powerful words in the world of business and other organizations. Leverage is simply the ability to do more with less. Leverage is simply asking; how can this business be positioned to compete favorably with less? David acknowledged that Goliath was taller and heavily built than he was, so he asked the question; "how can I defeat Goliath without engaging him in a hand to hand combat? That answer came in the form of leverage. That leverage was a "sling." A simple truth is this; leverage is everywhere. Leverage can be in the form of financial leverage, brand leverage, personality leverage and intellectual leverage. In fact, there are many ways to surpass the competition using leverage as a tool. Goliath was armed with a shield, spear and a sword but David had only a sling and a stone. Now what's the difference? The weapons of both David and Goliath had the potential to kill but the difference emerged in their speed. Though David's weapon was cheaper, lighter and smaller, it had the ability to reach its target faster than that of Goliath. The sling and stone had the power of speed.

            The speed at which a strategist makes life changing decisions for an organization is critical. This determines how far and fast the organization or team will get to the goal.

            Implementing the strategic plan David had may have been a good plan but the problem is that they think their plan is the best plan. When presented with a new and better plan, these entrepreneurs will close their mind saying their plan is the best. David had never used a sword or armor before; all he could use was the sling. Though David was not used to wearing armor, he was willing to try it when King Saul suggested it to him. David ended up not using Saul's sword and armor but the point remains, he understood the power of flexibility and sticking with his plan. Flexibility as a competitive strategy can be a key to overcoming giant competitors. As a strategist they must always be open to new ideas and willing to expand their perspective.

         Jesus, the final biblical figure, operated during His ministry according to God-inspired vision, which is step one checked from Allison & Kaye, 2005, Strategic Planning.  In reality, the most memorable and highest vision or missions given to the people of this world. In many cases during His travels and ministry it is very clear only after examination the intension of His actions and words that Jesus recognized the hunger of the crowd and immediately developed a God-sized vision of what could be…of what should be…and of what would be.  He had one goal in mind while on this Earth: to change lives.  The feeding of the people was not His goal and it was not His goal to increase the number of people He wished to reach with this miracle.  Rather, the goal was global and far reaching, as he wanted to change their lives and change the lives of the disciples who helped Him.  His “vision” for that ministry was far greater than just getting a little food into several thousand hungry stomachs or doing miracles. It was to give the greatest power and vision to others, for them to not worry about what they do not have. Do not be paralyzed by a sense of lack of something like food or money. Do not use the unknown as an excuse for not caring or not getting involved in people’s lives. Rather it would be better to focus on what as a person of God, they might have to give. Give what they can have- of time, energy, resources, love, etc. and give it in faith. What did Jesus do with five loaves and two fish offered in faith?

         Remember the disciples from every walk of life. What did Jesus do with these twelve quarrelsome, insignificant people? He articulated the mission of faith and being saved through Him, Jesus used not only the people around Him such as His disciples, but complete strangers. An example of this was the five thousand souls that came to see Him that day, he clearly fed their bodies but He also fed their souls with the vision of the Holy Spirit and His love. This is phase two of strategic planning by Allison & Kaye.

         He used this vision to bring others to the cause, which was very simple and finite. There are three participles, which tell how Jesus intends the to get His vision out to the people to carry on the task of making it become affective: He was an example not only with words but by example physically “go [going] for His people,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” this means to discuss the mission with others and reiterate the fact that all within the organization are of the same mind if not then what are the differences.  Each of these highlights a different aspect of making disciples and the mission itself. Each clarifies a picture of a disciple maker “God” and the people’s personal relationship with Him. Each connects the disciple maker to the master and the family or in the case of this study and organization.

         He introduced His Strategic Management Plan by gathering the Strategic Team all of the disciples from various walks of life. Jesus called His disciples to the mountain for presenting His final counter- cultural message. From their many of the disciples began to use phase five of the Allison & Kaye, strategy by writing down Jesus’ strategic plan. Matthew’s first century readers would have understood the message and mission of Jesus and thus the birth of the church, since the readers were already living in the fruit of the time together.

         Allison & Kaye then point out that a plan can be successful in launching, as Jesus left the disciple to deal with the mission and the creation of the church was the implementation of Jesus strategic plan. The obligations within the new church family they would also have understood that a disciple adopted the “lifestyle, teachings, and values” of the master of the family. It is out of this setting Jesus makes His claim for absolute authority. Jesus Delivers His Strategic Management Plan only after He had been a physical human and shown His people the way to be as people of God. By coming back from the dead and having died for sinners, he then had the authority to implement the plan of faith. He gives them the strategic plan. The interesting thing was in the interpretation and the various ways in which they carried out that plan. There was no doubt after He appeared to them after Thomas’s disbelief that Jesus was not back from the grave and he wanted to see proof.  After appearing again they all knew that he had done all of this to save everyone from their sins. They all knew and were willing to spread the strategic plan of Jesus, which was getting the word out to the masses (Allison & Kaye, 2005).

         The book of Acts, which was written by Luke, is a written strategic plan, by implication and of course personal interpretations. This is what Jesus continued to do and teach through his followers (even today). How could Luke’s followers do what Jesus did? The same way Jesus did it himself, by being empowered by the Holy Spirit and led and directed by the Father, trusting in His goodness. Each part of any organization has to ask what they want to be part of, what is going on and be an active member; just as Jesus is continuing to do in the world today. Then as Jesus and the other biblical characters have presented they must apply his secret, continue to be filled with his Spirit and press on in faith.

         Strategic planning does not have to be mysterious, complicated, or time-consuming. In fact, it should be quick, simple, and easily executed. Additionally, strategic planning is not just something to cross off  a list of “to-dos”—creating a culture of strategic thinking and strategic planning does not become an annual retreat but, instead, a part of daily decision making.

A good strategic plan achieves the following from (Porter, 1998):

• Reflects the values of the organization.
• Clearly defines what is most important for achieving success.
• Assists everyone in daily decision-making.
• Gets everyone on the same page focused and pulling in the same direction.
• Creates a culture of strategic thinking and a part of daily decision making.

         Reviewing the various biblical characters made it obvious that there are several similarities between this group of strategic planners and those of today. Not all of the seven phases were used by any one of the examples used here. But the incredible thing is the fact that in order to be successful strategic planners the vision or mission must have the blessing of God, which every one of these characters used. The fact is that this blessing can take longer than people of this day and age are willing to wait for, is often a problem in business. To wait for the pieces to be seen clearly, and to then react to the according to God plan takes patience. Prayer and guidance are so important in the strategic process and are lost to those looking at these decisions as only a “business” decision”. Look at Peter and John after they had been locked up and imprisoned for spreading the vision and mission of Jesus. The first thing Peter and John did after being released from prison was to go to their friends and report what the rulers had said to them. Peter and John are not trying to be lone ranger heroes; they were part of a community of friends who are actively and intentionally following Jesus together. This gives them a sense of community and whatever happens they are in it together. Any such organization, in this case, the beginning of the church, can make a strategic plan. A church’s values can dominate the kind of strategic direction it considers or rejects. When values and beliefs are deeply ingrained and widely shared by pastors, board and staff, they become a way of life within the church and they mold church strategy.

         Instead of immediately trying to figure out what to do, all of these biblical characters tried to figure out a strategy or response of some sort, they turn to God in prayer. Moses very rarely knew what to do and was forever consulting God for advice and guidance. Not only as he went head to head with Pharaoh the king of the most powerful country of the day. Moses even needed guidance in how to articulate the words of God; finally He gave him Aaron, later the written mission (The Ten Commandants). With all of this practice going to God face to face Moses taught the Israelites how to pray as a united body and by doing that he gained strength for his people with clarity and a common mission. So how powerful is prayer in strategic planning? While Moses’ was in the wilderness with the Israelites Moses did what he does best and communicates with God in (Exodus 32:9-14). Incredible Moses’ prayers and pleadings with God to preserve His own name/character, and not destroy Israel work. God alters the plan and brings them to the promise land. David was no different in Psalm 139; He struggles with God's intense knowledge of all of David’s “dirty little secrets.” God knew that he marveled at God's intricate formation of him in his mother's womb, and then prays a prayer of surrender to God's searching, knowing, probing, and refining him. He became a tool or instrument of God in the process.

         Solomon prays for wisdom which is granted and the strategic plan of the building of the temple being even before Solomon knew what was going on Toward the end of Davis’s live in (1 Chronicles 29:9-20). A short psalm of praise to God and David's prayer for his son Solomon to build the temple was created.

         Perhaps the greatest theologian America has ever produced is Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) Edwards wrote a little book with the title, A Humble Attempt To Promote Explicit Agreement And Visible Union Of All God’s People In Extraordinary Prayer For the Revival of Religion And The Advancement Of God’s Kingdom.  Edwards states, “explicit agreement and visible union of all God’s people” was critical for effective prayer. Luke seems to be saying the same thing in Acts. For the early believers, their shared vision and understanding of who Jesus was drew them together across their differences. We need to emphasize this shared vision of Jesus and we need to deepen our commitment to unity… And then we need to pray- often, a lot, perseveringly, in faith.”

         Finally, we look to Jesus and the various steps He took to become the strategic planner he was. Although as pointed out earlier, Jesus used various steps within Allison and Kaye’s strategic planning process. It is even more clear that the component that brings these biblical characters together and made their plans successful was the fact that they did not relay on human characteristics and or a checklist of steps to make the process work. Jesus' was about to submit Himself to carry the weight of the sins of the whole world and his final acts were in prayer both with His disciples showing them how to pray in His name, asking for the cup (crucifixion) to be passed, and then prays for the Father's will to be done most of all on the cross (Luke 22:39-46).

A strategic plan is a living, dynamic entity. It drives the organization and must be integrated into every fiber of it, so that all of the staff is helping to move the organization in the same direction. All the best missions and strategies in the world are a waste of time if they are not implemented. Moses was not a man of action; it took a lot of poking and prodding to get him to get moving on a plan.

To be truly successful, the plan cannot gather dust on the bookshelf or as mentioned in Leadership Challenge, by Kouzes & Posner (2007), the “ripeness” of the issue. As the strategic planning leader it is important to take on these issues when presented with them and bring them to God in prayer for guidance and clarity as every one of the biblical examples did, as shown here.

Strategic planning is about keeping the plan active so that it does not gather that proverbial dust. Knowing what the end result looks like and where the milestones should be for a review or evaluative look back on the process and the ever-popular celebration of how far the organization has come. By planning near-term actions and evaluations of the progress each quarter the organization does not “spin its wheels.”  Through this it becomes possible to identify when it may be time for a change in direction or procedural change. The course correction can make or break the organization just as it did for David. David didn’t evaluate the situation with his people and monitor their behaviors and put them back on track until there was war within the country itself, only then did he develop the next action plan. When the organization uses God’s guidance and has a clear plan and acts according to the plan, the strategic planner is going to go from where they are to where they want to go, therefore, ensuring success in a Godly manner.

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

References

Allison, M., & Kaye, J. (1997). Strategic planning for non-profit organizations. New York: John   Wiley.

Edwards, J. (1746), A Humble Attempt To Promote Explicit Agreement And Visible Union Of All God’s People In Extraordinary Prayer For the Revival of Religion And The Advancement     Of God’s Kingdom: The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Ages Software Publishing,          Frankford, German.

Kouzes, J. & Posner, B., (2007), Leadership Challenge, Gildan Media Corp, New York. New       York.

Marshall, M., (Fall, 2002) Looking at leaders from scripture, Church Administration,         International Bible Society.

 Michel, D., (2005) Insight into Strategic Foresight – A Biblical Perspective, Leadership    Advance Outsourcing – Issue IV, Winter 2005.

Porter, M. (1998), Competitive Strategy, Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors,    The Free Press, New York, New York.