If you had a guarantee from God, a 100% guarantee that you knew you couldn't fail, what would you ask God for? Let's find out together, count up right now on the ClearBee Today Show. You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill.
I'm John Galantis. Welcome to the Clearview Today Show with our host, Dr. Abadan Shah. If you're listening for the very first time today, we want to welcome you to the show, welcome you to the studio. This is where we have our conversations right here coming at you live from North Carolina.
And listen, Dr. Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show. Dr. Shah, we've been going through Nehemiah, and I got to tell you, I'm excited for today's episode. I am too.
Yes. We're talking about leadership. We're talking about dreaming big. We're talking about making bold steps. And we've been talking about how Nehemiah did this.
He did it through waiting. He did it through fasting, through praying, through the way he cared about people. And today we're talking about. This audacity that you have to have to be a leader. You know what I mean?
Being a leader requires a certain level of boldness. It requires you to take risks because it requires you to step out. You can't be a leader from the sidelines. It's just not going to work. You've got to be willing to take out and make the big moves, to step out and make the big moves so that you can accomplish the goals that are set in front of you.
That's right. And knowing what you have to ask for. That's right. If holy audacity was easy, everybody would be doing it. Most people don't.
Why? Because they're afraid. They're afraid of failing. They're afraid of letting people down. They're afraid that they don't have it in themselves to really carry that task to fulfillment.
And so they just don't take that risk. They play it safe. It gives them that peace of mind knowing that to morrow is going to be just like today. And today was no different than yesterday. I am fine where I'm at.
Not a problem. I don't have to worry about this. I cannot get too anxious. I cannot get stressed out. I know what happens when panic hits me.
I don't want that.
So I'm going to play it safe.
Now, you go out there, get your risks if you want to, which I think is crazy. I'm not doing it. Do you think that's especially true in the church? Oh yes, it's I think it's definitely true in the church. But I think in church it also comes from a spirit of laziness.
And again, I'm not talking about all pastors. I believe and I may be partial here. I believe most of the pastors I know are very hard working people. They have to manage an organization, whether it's big or small. They have to each week.
prepare something to speak in front of people who may or may not like them, who may or may not agree with them. That's you try. If you if you're not a public speaker, try getting up every week. And for some churches, It is Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and maybe a Bible study or two in between. Yeah.
That's like four times. Yeah. That's tough. Yes, a lot. And that's like the bare minimum of what's required.
Because, you know, you got to think, what if your pastor's writing books? What if your pastor is visiting people? What if your pastor has a show? What if your pastor is a business person who is doing brand deals with, you know what I'm saying? Like it's, it's the, we forget sometimes that the sermon is not just something that's tacked on.
Well, and there's also the unexpecteds of life and of ministry too. You know, what if somebody has a wedding? What if somebody has a loved one who is sick? What if somebody has a death in the family? Those things are piled onto what you already have to do.
So that's just the bare minimum that we're talking about. There's additional things that come up unexpectedly. And not even mentioning here problems in the church. Because anytime you bring God's people together, there will be problems, right? Whether they're self-induced or Satan-induced, one way or the other problems are coming.
That's right. So you have to also deal with those things. You cannot just fire people. Because all your audience, other than the staff, maybe, are really volunteers. That's right.
So you cannot just fire them.
So that makes things difficult.
So I'm not saying for a moment that all pastors are just lazy, but I think that spirit of laziness is there. What I'm thankful for conversations like this that help us understand, help our viewers and listeners understand that, you know, in order to combat that spirit of laziness, you've got to be focused on bringing glory to God. You've got to be focused on God as your goal, God as your sustenance, and God as your mission. And through all the conversations here on the Clear Read Today show with you, Dr. Shah, that's our goal.
And we're able to do that through the support of listeners, viewers just like you, especially those who are our sponsors. Yes, that's right. We do want to say thank you to our sponsors, especially Mighty Muscadine. We want to say thank you to LaBlue, Ultra Pure Water, Watch Safe. These are just a couple of the companies who have partnered with us, and especially to our users, right?
The people on Pray.com who have partnered with us every single month to donate to Abadan Shah and our ministries here at Clearview Church, all the people who give on Abadanshah.com. We want You to know that your support and especially your financial support is very much appreciated and it's making a difference. You know, people write into the show all the time to say, Hey, you know, I really appreciated this topic. I think we read one of those messages out loud on the air yesterday because it was from a good friend. But we're getting texts every day telling people of people telling us that this series, especially the one on Nehemiah, is making a difference in their life and it's crafting better leaders.
That's right. Yeah, Dr. Sean, Nehemiah has gone before the king and he has this reputation. The king knows him very well. He's a trusted servant.
He's a trusted advisor of the king. But in this moment, he is, you know, in the right time, his face has fallen and the king has recognized that there is something wrong with this person who's very close to him.
So, Nehemiah is presenting his case to the king. And what happens? Where does the conversation go from here?
So. The king is like kings are, he gets right to the point. What do you want? What do you want? You know, he sees his face sort of depressed or discouraged.
And the king knows better. Nehemiah is a trusted advisor to the king. He is a confidant of the king.
So he knows something is not right. Doesn't matter where the king is from. When you come into the presence of the king, you bring a sense of. Not not just honor to the king, but also a sense of hopefulness. You want to lift his spirits because he has the burden of the of the kingdom or the empire upon himself.
So you don't walk in there and depress him. You don't walk in there and make him feel bad or make him feel like, man, the the the sky is falling. You are there to help him so that he can make the bigger decisions. As I mentioned, I've been watching the series The Crown. It is focused on the life based on the life of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away, I believe, in 2022.
And it's awesome to watch that because how people come into her presence. Of course, these are actors, but still, they're doing a great job. And it's amazing to see how they come in, even if they have to convey. A bad news, or if they have to communicate something that she or he is about to do, which is not a proper protocol, and they have to say to the king, to the queen, this is not right. You shouldn't take this step.
Even then, they have to do it in the right manner.
So for Nehemiah to walk before the king, At the end of this four-month period, after he got the news and he prayed and he fasted, and his face is fallen, which means. The king knew something is not right. And he asked the question, What do you request? I hear what you're saying. The city of your fathers, your forefathers, is lying in waste, and the gates are burned with fire.
What do you want? What do you want? You're not just telling me this because you're my friend. Right. Yeah.
This isn't just a life update. This is not information. You want to get something from me. King already knows that. Yeah.
Right? If he's a good king. Who knows his people, who knows the entire kingdom or the empire, really. He knows what do you want. And I love what the book of Nehemiah, and I believe Nehemiah wrote this book.
He says so I prayed to the God Yeah Now he was already praying. But when the moment of action came, he was not like, all right, there's a time to pray, and then there's a time to act. No, he prays again. That's right. And this was not a long drawn out prayer.
No, this was A quick Prayer towards God. In a sense, it was a quick glance towards heaven. God, I need you now. Yep. Why don't we pray like that?
Why do we think every prayer has to be a little mini sermon? You know what I mean? I think that many people, if they're if they directly, always begin with thank you for this day. Oh, we got God, your heavenly father, or if you're in a rush, deafly father. And yes, you got to wrap it up with Gina Pray Men.
Gina Pray Men. I think that if we're really being honest, we don't think that God will answer. We don't think that God will respond. We don't think that our prayer is accomplished. Yeah, he's not.
It's sort of like acknowledging, hey, God, you're there. Thanks for being you. I need finger guns to the sky, and that's about it. Yeah, if I want to come before God, if I want him to help me, it's got to be formal requests in writing with the right vernacular and the right memo heading. He's not going to come to my rescue.
Submitted through the appropriate channels in triplicate, like all those. Right, right, right. If I were to say, God, help, no, he's not answering a prayer like that. Right. And Christians think that.
I have prayed that quick prayer many a time in my life. times like About to preach. times like about to handle a difficult situation. Times like I prayed, I've studied, now it's time for me to take that exam or to make that case. God, I need you.
Holy Spirit. Without you, I cannot take another step. Jesus, I want you to shine through me now. And it's a real prayer. It's like I am hanging on the edge of the cliff, and this is save me kind of prayer.
This is Peter sinking in the waters of the Sea of Galilee and saying, Lord, save me. It's a quick. Real passionate prayer. It's a prayer of a man who is in the waters. He's sinking.
He's not going to say, Let me describe to you the beautiful heavens or the raging waves or as these waves overtake me, Lord, my spirit is overwhelmed within me. Therefore, I request. Yeah, there's nothing like that. Help me! Help!
Reach out your hand to rescue thy servant. Right. Now, this was help. Yeah. This is not Jonah's prayer.
Have you ever read Jonah's prayer? Like when he is deep in the belly of the fish with weeds wrapped around his head, he says that, right? Yeah. I got weeds wrapped around my head. And now, Lord, I pray your servant is far from you.
Yes. Peter says the exact opposite. I'm saying the foundations of the mountains, Lord. Yeah, Peter, when he's sinking in the water, prays a very different prayer. Help!
Yeah. So, I think that's the prayer we need to pray.
Now, here's something I want to say before we start praying that kind of prayer. That quick Fast. Shot a prayer. has to be backed up with deep Agonizing prayer with God.
Now, I'm not saying every single morning prayer is going to be deep, agonizing prayer, but you should have those. Yeah. Maybe once a week. Maybe twice a month.
Okay. Have those kind of prayers where you actually pray, which means shut that phone off, get away where you won't be disturbed by. you know, things going on in in your house around you. Where you're not easily distracted, step away and spend time praying for things that matter. That's right.
Praying, I mean, I mean, really praying, really asking God. Not none of this. God, we and don't try to get really like conversationally. I'm like a little conversation happening. We think that's like real prayer happening now.
Like, God, and we know we know this, God. And you okay, if that makes you feel good, great. But are you really talking to God? Because if you're not, then you're just playing. That's right.
It's a show, it's a put-on, and you're not really praying. Pray like he's standing right before you. How would you talk to him? You won't have this little chit-chatty conversation which only impresses you. It really does not impress you.
You just, you just. You're just playing. You just Acting. Right. You're praying so that you can get to the end of your prayer and say, Wow, I sounded really good.
I felt good on that one. Yeah. Go me. Did you talk to God? No.
You imagine the president of the United States standing before you. Would you do that? And I'm telling you something. The way you do things is so amazing. I mean, just, and sometimes it gets me like, how do you really do that?
I mean, you're just phenomenal. And of course, I need this done by you. And I hope you can do that. And I trust that you will do that. And I, okay, really?
Is that how you're going to have that conversation? Yeah. Then maybe this prayer is impressing you far more than you're actually praying. Yeah. I think we have a lot of.
Examining to do what they're doing sometimes. I think you're right. And I think a lot of that when you said, you know. These short, quick prayers have to be backed up by something foundational. You know, I think for some reason, my mind went to like basketball.
Like, you ever see the Harlem Globetrotters, like how they do really crazy trick shots? It looks effortless. And a lot of times, I think that they aren't putting a ton of effort into it. But if you look at it, you start to think, oh, I could do that because they make it look so easy. And you don't see the years and years and years of foundational hard work they put in.
So that, yeah, when the like the timer's about to hit zero, they can make that real quick. And it goes in. And it, like, you know what I'm saying? It gets answered because there's been years of. Practice in well, if I may challenge that.
Yeah, please.
Now, if we think about the go the Harlem Globetrotters, what they're doing is actually just an act. You know, it's actually, I would go and say, Let's talk about an actual NBA game or a college basketball game or even a high school basketball game. You know, when they make that shot or when they do that layup so easily, effortlessly, it's because they've been practicing. There is no show, there is no put-on, there is no trick shot. Right?
It's actually happening.
So, my encouragement to you is: if you're going to do this quick prayer in the moment, God help me, make sure, not every single day. But make sure there's a foundation of real, genuine, hardworking prayer. Real, genuine, not the put on as we've been talking about.
Well Yeah. He didn't. And I believe he did it because he had the conviction of Proverbs 21 verse 1 Proverbs 21, verse 1 says, The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes.
So he knew that. Do we really know that? Do we really know? That that Supervisor. Do we really know that that Elected official Do we really know that that person who has to sign off on that permit, or whatever you're trying to do, that is so difficult, or that professor, or that teacher, That their heart is in the hand of the Lord Now what we're trying to do and we're thinking, man.
This is this is this is tough. I don't know. I hope we I hope so. You know what? If it doesn't work out.
We'll be fine. Or do we truly believe that that person is simply A pawn in the hands of God. What does that do for the person who's listening who is working for?
Someone, whether it's like a teacher or a boss or even a supervisor situation, who they know is not a Christian. They know that this person is not a believer. How does knowing that even the person who is not a believer and is in charge over them? Their heart is in the hand of God.
Well, I mean, because it is. It is. There's no other answer than that. They. This is what the scripture says right here: the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord.
God is sovereign, God is in control. Start believing that. What will it do for you once you start believing it? Like, how will it help you as a leader if you start believing it? It gives you confidence.
Yeah. that he is my boss, but his boss Knows me and is intricately involved in this situation. What more do I need? Yeah. That's such a great reminder.
I feel like a lot of times people will default to, man, it's easy to say that because you work in a church or you work for a Christian organization or you work for a person who is a believer, but my boss or my supervisor or my teacher or my coach is not a Christian and is maybe actively antagonistic to Christianity, to my faith, picks on me because I am a Christian. Even then, the person who is in charge over you, the person who's in authority over you. They're put there by God.
Well, God has the heart of the leader in his hand. Yeah, and these conversations about leadership that we're having are not specific to the church. I mean, we talk about ministry because that's the world that we live in. That's the world that we know. But I mean, these leadership principles apply just as well in business and finance and in schools.
And in, I mean, you worked at a school for you ran a school for years. You know, all these leadership principles are not, this is just how you become a leader in ministry. That's just one small part of it.
Now, there are times certain things may not work out. Maybe I'm talking to a pastor right now who was at a church, and that church did not follow your leadership, and they let you go. I mean, let's just be honest. They fired you. Yeah.
And it hurt. It was very discouraging. It was shocking. It was painful, and you are still reeling from that pain. Or you may be at that job, you thought, man, the next thing is the promotion, and this is what I've been working towards all my life, and here it is.
Oh, wait. They just demoted me. Oh, wait, they just fired me. Or my job just got laid off. Or you may be trying for a team, or you may be, you know, whatever ministry you were trying to do.
It just didn't work out. Don't let those not worked out make you feel like God wasn't in control. God is in control whether the things work out or doesn't work out. He is in control. Amen.
You know, there are a lot of people who believe in the sovereignty of God only in salvation. And I'm like, no, no, I do believe in the sovereignty of God, maybe not as much as you believe about salvation. Yeah, salvation is totally the work of God, but He gives us a choice. But I do believe At the end of the day, God is in charge of everything that happens in the world. Everything he's in control.
And so whether things work out or don't. God is in control. What do you think contributes to people's Inability or reluctance to believe that God is in control of things outside of just salvation. I think when you are so I guess entrenched in that situation that those people begin to look like giants. Mm-hmm.
That problem might just be a molehill, but it looks like Mount Everest. Because you have been so close to that problem.
Sometimes it takes somebody from the outside to walk in and go, oh no, that's not a big deal.
Sometimes it doesn't need somebody from the outside. It can be somebody right there, but they are a person of faith. They are a person of experience. They are a person who are mature. and they can come and breathe faith and hope and life into you.
Okay. So while you're thinking, This is going to be. I don't know. This is tough. I wish we had done it this way, or I wish this hadn't happened.
I don't know. I guess we just have to wait and see. And that person comes around and says, Hey. I just want to let you know. That situation?
It's not as big as you think. That's so helpful. It can be game-changing in the moment because it's right here, right in your face, and it is the largest thing in the world, the most terrifying thing in the world. And so, to have that outside perspective. Let you breathe again.
And you got to listen to that outside perspective too. Cause I know there's been tons of times where looking at a problem and it looks like a huge, huge forest fire that's engulfing everything. And the people around me who are closest to me, and then people from the outside too, will say it's going to be okay. Mm-hmm. But your first reaction is not, like my first reaction is not relief.
It's like, no, you don't understand. Yeah. Clearly, I didn't explain it right.
So let me try again. But then on the other side of it, you look back and you go, you know, that really wasn't as big as I thought it was in the moment. And on the other side, it's like, how could I have thought otherwise? You know?
Well, our problem is sometimes the things that should be a big deal are not a big deal. And the things that should not be a big deal become a big deal. I know in my life that's happened many, many times. Things that should be a big deal. What should be a big deal?
My time spent with God. Mm-hmm. is a big deal. My love for my wife should be a big deal. My care for my family should be a big deal.
My commitment to the Church should be a big deal. That should be a big deal. That that is what should drive me. Getting into the word. getting to the nidikree, the academic, the scholarship of that pa passage, that subject, I need to get into that and master it and then explain it or write about it or teach it or deliver an address.
That should be a big deal. That's key. What ends up being a big deal is someone's comment or someone's bad behavior. or someone's threat. That ends up being a bigger deal than or should be.
So it It helps when, not just somebody from the outside, like they have to come from outside the organization. No, it can be somebody who is with you, but they are mature. Mm-hmm. They can come and breathe life into you. Not someone who can just walk up and just say, oh, it's not a big, hey, look, you got this.
Don't just say you got this. Yeah. Give me more than that. Yeah. There's people who will often say that if something is like, oh, no, it's not a big, it'll be okay.
And I'm like, I don't think that's, that's, that's a fair assessment. Yeah. Or it feels trite. It feels just kind of like you're just, I'm just going to lob this at you and hope for the best. Yeah.
Or if you're in that leadership position, and I know you've said this a bunch of times, and I think the king even says this to Nehemiah: it isn't just like, hey, man, it's going to be all right. It's like, all right, what do you need? Yeah. That's a breath of fresh air. Yeah.
To bring this problem, to bring this issue that, hey, here's something I'm struggling with. To say, okay, what can I, how can I help? What do you need? That to me is also a huge, huge relief to know, okay, this is a real thing. But it's not insurmountable, right?
Right. And I think that's the lesson that some of our listeners need to hear: that don't let that little problem overwhelm you. Make sure, if it's going to overwhelm you, that it is the right problem. Don't get overwhelmed, but if you are going to try to get overwhelmed, make sure it is the right thing and not the wrong thing. Also, be that person in someone else's life who can breathe life into their otherwise dying situation.
Become that person.
Now going back to Nehemiah for the next maybe a minute or two that we have left What I like about Nehemiah is that when the king asked him, What do you request? Of course, he prayed to God a quick prayer. But then he got right to the point.
Sometimes we beat around the bush.
Sometimes we ask things that really don't have anything to do with that problem. He said in verse five And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, And if your servant has found favour in your sight, I ask that you send me you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it. Yeah, got to the point. I love it. I love it.
And I love how he also makes it the king's mission, too. It wasn't let me go, it was send me. Yeah. Send me with your blessing. Yeah.
I love that. I've been commissioned. I've been sent out. And you, O king, are a part of that sending. Yeah.
And we're going to come back to that more because I think there's so much wisdom just the way you said it. He asked the king to join him on that vision. Mm-hmm. But what I want us to really understand here is that many times people are trying to do things. But if you were to ask them, give me a succinct Statement on what you're trying to do.
They can't tell you.
Well, we just want to go about kingdom building. Dare I say it's because they don't know themselves? Yeah, 100%. It's convicting to me because there have been times that someone asked me that question: what are you trying to do? Mm-hmm.
And I was like, well So so okay, so what I I'm like, I can even say it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Then why do I expect people to get behind this and support it and give money to it, pastors?
If that's what you want, what is it that you're trying to do? What is it that you're trying to do in your community, at your workplace, in the school system? I love that. I love that. And I think it's a great call for pastors and people in ministry as well to not start with the result.
You know, like imagine someone asking you that, what is it you're trying to do?
Well, we want to see people get saved. We want to see people all over come to know. What are you trying to do to facilitate that? I will say, Dr. Shaw, I think you're a lot better at that than you realize.
I think you have a plan. And I think that's one of the things that we've talked about on the show. There is a plan of action at Clearview. And I think a lot of the churches who are listening to this, who have that plan, recognize it. Yes, absolutely.
That's the mission that drives us forward. It's something that we can latch onto, as something that we can come alongside and then incorporate others come alongside. That's right. As well. Guys, make sure you join us tomorrow.
Same time, same station. We're going to continue diving into the topic of Nehemiah and learn how he approaches the king and how he is sent back in this project where he goes to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem. Thank you to all of our sponsors. Who made today's episode possible? And if today was a blessing for you, if the conversation enriched your life and your understanding of leadership, consider giving to the Clear View Today Show.
When you give, you say, I believe in what this show does, I want to be a part of impacting other people for the same reason. You can do that by contacting us at 252-582-5028, or you can give online at Abadanshah.com forward slash give. That's right. Couple of things we want to let you know before we let you go. Number one is the Greek New Testament.
It's the Robinson Pier Pont 2026 edition. This is the New Testament in the original Greek. It's available for pre-order right now. Big thank you to everyone who's already pre-ordered. We're seeing that number go up and up and up every single day.
So we're very, very grateful for all of your pre-orders. And that pre-order link is going to be in the description of this video.
Now, you may be saying, I can't read Greek, so there's no reason for me to even bother buying it, right?
Well, that's 100% wrong because we've got a video course right now by Dr. Shah called How to Read Biblical Greek with Dr. Abadan Shah. It's available on iTunes. It's going to be available on Spotify very soon.
It's already available on YouTube. I think the first two episodes, by the time you're listening to this, are already out.
So, the link is going to be in the description below. It's a companion to our Hebrew series, which is in all the same locations. But our promise to you is this: if you engage this summer with Biblical Greek, our video series, you will be reading the New Testament, believe it or not, before the second episode is out. I promise. That's right.
I promise. We love you guys. We'll see you tomorrow on Clearby Today.
