{"id":1083,"date":"2011-01-30T15:07:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-30T15:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.convergingzone.com\/ricciardelli\/leadership-snares-by-morris-ruddick\/"},"modified":"2011-01-30T15:07:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-30T15:07:00","slug":"leadership-snares-by-morris-ruddick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/robertricciardelli\/ricciardelli\/leadership-snares-by-morris-ruddick\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership Snares by Morris Ruddick"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cI  warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more  highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own  importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according  to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.\u201d<\/em> Romans 12:3 Amplified<\/span> \n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Narcissism  is an excessive conceit, an extreme level of self-admiration and vain  self-centeredness. Accompanied by a disdain for perspectives considered  less than its own, it results from an intoxication with one\u2019s self and  point of view. Paradoxically, at its root is an unconscious inadequacy  of wholesome self-esteem. Its behavior too often is drawn from the  belief that the end justifies the means. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Simultaneously,  true leadership walks a fine line that can bear a close resemblance to  the pathway into this deceptive disorder. Leadership demands a  confidence beyond the ordinary. It wields an influence that navigates  past the trivial with results that make a difference. It is decisive.  Genuine leadership operates beyond the boundaries of those enticed by  power, prestige; those who yield to vain imaginations (Romans 1:21) and  the subtle enticements of becoming \u201cfull of themselves.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Narcissism  is a deception that manifests most plainly at high levels. It involves  fine-line subtleties that ensnare those genuinely called when their  long-awaited promotions thrust them into seats of power. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">In  a time when leadership within the Body is reaching parallels to the  days of Joseph the Patriarch and the prophet Daniel, the distinctions  between those who serve the Lord and those who do not are becoming much  more obvious. So it will be in a leader\u2019s core modus operandi that the  difference is determined between the many who are called and the few who  are chosen.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">From  an era in which leaders in the Body have been personality-driven voices  evoking followings; we are emerging into a time when history defines  the leaders, known by His Name, by the impact of their influence, by the  change they produce. They will bear the brand mark of the influence  they wield on people of influence; through which there will be shifts in  the roles of communities, segments of society, corporations and nations  from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Era of Dominion<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Before  us is an era to be navigated by an elect, behind the scenes leadership  toward the mega-shift of dominion described in Isaiah 60. Much like in  the days of Joseph and Daniel, these leaders will arise in the midst of  turbulent times to excel within seats of power by means of stewarding  God-centered gifts that serve. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">The  characteristics of the leaders who become the \u201cfew who are chosen\u201d from  the ranks of God\u2019s elect will be ones who truly operate in God, beyond  themselves. They will be forerunners, aligned with God\u2019s heart, who  consistently bypass leadership snares designed to divert them from the  high-calling they have.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">The  thoughts, the very souls of the \u201cfew who are chosen\u201d will be so  immersed in God; that it will be said of them that the devil found  nothing in them. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cThe ruler of this world is coming and he has found nothing in me.\u201d<\/em> John 14:30<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Wielding  God\u2019s power is a sacred thing. It carries the requisite of operating in  oneness with Him; a place transcending the natural, described in  Hebrews as within the veil.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cThis  hope is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast which enters  within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having  become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.\u201d<\/em> Hebrews 6:19-29<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">It  is the oneness with God\u2019s heart from which the authority will be  released to bring a shift of \u201cdominion.\u201d Nothing less will accomplish  the mission for those destined as the chosen. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cI  can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is  righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father  who sent Me.\u201d<\/em> John 5:30<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Leadership Snares<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Among  the snares that pervert otherwise strong leadership qualities of  modern-day Josephs and Daniels are the fine-line enticements of being  overly opinionated; self-righteous, critical, performance-oriented,  manipulative and selfishly ambitious.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Opinionated<\/strong>.  There is nothing wrong with strong opinions if generated by wisdom.  Where being opinionated becomes a snare is when tolerance and respect  are lost. Wisdom seeks common ground and persuades. Both Joseph and  Daniel retained their identities in God in the midst of occult  surroundings. By their wise patience and faithful stewardship, they  exerted an influence in some most unlikely circumstances that  strategically served the long-term purposes for God\u2019s people.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Self-Righteous<\/strong>.  The operative word in this snare is self. It is an assumed  righteousness based on a misguided perception of one\u2019s own  accomplishments, rather than the result of depending on God.  Self-righteousness is not only a perversion of intended good, but a  blindness. Taken to extreme, it manifests a perception of perfectionism.  <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Critical<\/strong>.  People gifted with strong, analytical minds need to consciously be  evaluating the impact of their tendencies to rectify and make things  right. The fine line becoming a snare is when the need to correct has a  purpose other than to bring healing or help. A critical spirit can often  be an analytical gift that\u2019s lost its bearings. Even when being advised  of his death sentence, Daniel did not point the finger or find fault,  which certainly would have been a most natural response, but rather he  sought God for the solution that spilled over to benefit all facing this  dilemma.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Performance-Orientated<\/strong>.  The fine line snare is when attempting to do the right thing is done  for the wrong reason: the approval of men. When operating, it misguides  by misplacing reality and God\u2019s wisdom with the perception of those it  seeks to impress. King Saul lost sight of his calling and with that his  kingdom, when his need to heed the word of his people overshadowed that  of God\u2019s (1 Sam 15:24).<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Manipulative<\/strong>.  True leadership equips, enables and mobilizes others rather than  lording it over them. Jesus outlined this kingdom dynamic when He said  that Gentile rulers lord over their subjects and wield their authority  for their own benefit. His example was a leadership driven by love,  humility and service. (Luke 22:25)<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Selfishly Ambitious<\/strong>.  The one not concerned with who gets the credit holds the potential to  be great. It\u2019s the basis of servant leadership. Giving focus to setting  one\u2019s own nest on high (Habakkuk 2:9) is a snare that will undermine  even the best of intentions. Promotion comes from neither the east nor  the west, but from the Lord.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">In  short, fine-line leadership snares induce narrow-mindedness, that  brings myopic, short-sighted results that undermine the long-term  purposes of God. Those most susceptible are ones who, as described by  the opening scripture have \u201cassumed an exaggerated opinion of their own  importance;\u201d whose attitudes are described by the folk wisdom of getting  too big for their britches.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Antidotes to Snares<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">For  the elect on the path to be the chosen, the narrow path offers a firm  foundation for those who understand their boundaries; whose hearts  reject the pride of life, the love of the world and the lusts of the  flesh; whose ongoing interactions with the Lord recognizes the ongoing  need for repentance; and who continually immerse themselves in His Word.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Defining the Boundaries<\/strong>.  Each of us has been equipped and gifted within a specific \u201csphere\u201d for  the purposes for which we individually are called. Accurately defining  these boundaries and avoiding presumption is imperative to maintaining  the course. Within the parameters of these boundaries is great authority  and potential. Outside these boundaries, not only is the potential for  multiplied presumption and misfires, but regardless of the good  intentions it represents an area beyond the safety net tied to being in  God\u2019s will.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cWe will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us.\u201d<\/em> 2 Corinthians 10:13<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Humility<\/strong>.  While one level of humility is the absence of arrogance or pride; in  God it is the recognition of our complete reliance on Him for not only  what we do, but for who we are. Humility is that level of unwavering  faith that recognizes that others can do little to override God\u2019s  purposes in our calling; only we can. In this regard, safety is found in  humility. It is the pathway to holiness, leading into the fullness of  His calling on our lives; of not being subject to the snares of the  soul. The translation of the opening scripture from The Message  punctuates the foundation for humility.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cIt\u2019s  important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are  bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only  accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he  does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.\u201d<\/em> Romans 12:3 The Message<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Repentance<\/strong>.  Full repentance clears the decks of spiritual trivia, bondages, snares,  judgment and curses. It is the means to bring every thought and  attitude captive to the obedience of Christ; to realign our spirits with  God\u2019s heart. Serious repentance, together with communion, activates the  spiritual default button and opens the way when the passage has become  bogged down. It is the poise of the soul of the mature. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>Word Immersion<\/strong>. <em>God\u2019s  word is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword,  piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and is a  discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart<\/em> (Hebrews 4:12  NASU). Deuteronomy 17 outlines the requirement for kings to daily  immerse themselves in God\u2019s word in order to prevent them from becoming  proud, assuring that they treat their subjects with dignity and fairness  and to avert them from turning away from God\u2019s word in the smallest  way. Below is the link for a 9 chapter a day Word immersion program from  my latest book, \u201cSomething More.\u201d It is for the mature. When put into  practice it will begin to address each of the above purposes that  Deuteronomy 17 outlines for kings.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 9pt;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=hkugricab&amp;et=1104296691055&amp;s=770&amp;e=0017Yb6LCX3lG3md-JtUl30m_QCHztROeaNwfVDGW0wdhxaebb5ARAnfUEfwwHYa8DEh_U7-eMaecsr7bbEDQcmEb4oZ_icX3nSl_4GgjgL2RV5sVTswbEYeuqY9ARdG_dVk8pBiG5AHd1aNsuxmVnRpdjiPXNhXzWL6-cRM1r9E9J08Vl8vyIYO1bXMmgyhgVB69oFBT3yZIagcQC_HFJzdw==\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.strategic-initiatives.org\/pages\/publications\/documents\/DailyBiblePlan-Mature.pdf<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>The Threshold<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Embracing  the heart that unlocks Kingdom dominion must first ensure it avoids the  type of positional deceptions, elitism and heart that perverts the  authority it wields: <em>\u201cUnder three things the earth trembles, under  four it cannot bear up:\u00a0 a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when  glutted with food; an unloved (hateful) woman when she gets a husband  and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.\u201d<\/em> Proverbs 30: 21-23 <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">The  king with a heart of a slave misuses authority. The leader with a heart  of a fool is ruled by desires. The one in charge without love will  never trust and the ruler with an oppressed heart will pervert  authority. It is the outworking of these elements within leaders that  congeal to produce what scripture refers to as \u201cthe bondage of  corruption\u201d or what we commonly refer to as the abuse of power.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Within  today\u2019s marketplace movement is an unspoken assumption that those  bearing high-calling mantles to shift dominion will come from the ranks  of the achievers; with their spiritual support from a band of  intercessors and spiritual advisors dedicated to their cause. Regardless  of the numbers, the spiritual support of the elect will never exceed  that which flows from the heart of the one called. A similar notion  masking the narrow path comes from reckless prophetic support for icons,  who otherwise don\u2019t reflect the spiritual maturity of the calling they  espouse. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">The  road toward narcissism is wide, alluring and seductive. Maintaining the  course of the Kingdom pathway will involve recognizing and bypassing  the fine-line snares to where evil has no root. It is the prime  distinction of God\u2019s chosen from that of being like everyone else.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cWide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many are those who go in by it.\u201d<\/em> Matthew 7: 13<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">The  alignment with God\u2019s presence and heart doesn\u2019t happen overnight. It\u2019s a  process that carries a cost. It follows the pathway Jesus described as  narrow and difficult. Each level of this path is filled with snares of  both soul and spirit. Yet, in the face of systematic adversity, it is  the very passage into a level of maturity that pierces and then enters  within the veil. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cWhen  my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way  in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me.\u201d<\/em> Psalm 142:3<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Jesus  was the forerunner of piercing this veil between soul and spirit.  Reaching beyond the veil is not an option, but rather the very dimension  required that separates the many called, from the few who are chosen. <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\u201cIf  you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, then how can you  contend with horses? If in the land of peace in which you trusted, they  wearied you then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?\u201d<\/em> Jeremiah 12:5<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">_________________________________________<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>Morris  Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the call of God in the  marketplace. He is author of \u201cThe Joseph-Daniel Calling;\u201d \u201cGods Economy,  Israel and the Nations;\u201d \u201cThe Heart of a King;\u201d and \u201cSomething More,\u201d  which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders  called to impact their communities with God\u2019s blessings. They are  available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other popular outlets.  <\/em><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>Mr.  Ruddick is also the founder of the Global Equippers Entrepreneurial  Program, which imparts hope and equips economic community builders where  God\u2019s light is dim in both the Western and non-Western world. To  schedule a speaking engagement, sponsor a workshop, make a donation or  to get more information on how you can help, contact Global Initiatives  at <a href=\"+13037419000\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\">303.741.9000<\/a>. <\/em><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><strong>2011 Copyright Morris Ruddick \u2013 <a href=\"mailto:response@strategic-initiatives.org\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\">response@strategic-initiatives.org<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>Reproduction  is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor.\u00a0 Since  1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized  prophetic intercessors committed to targeting strategic-level issues  impacting the Body on a global basis.\u00a0 For previous posts or more  information on SIGN, check:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=hkugricab&amp;et=1104296691055&amp;s=770&amp;e=0017Yb6LCX3lG3YOwAnEm5UJDBFEinJO7jkdUANJu45Q7sbRqv5JmII5646JPCC98i9IqfE4hd21tRJT0MdWJ1wUxM1XPdCJhq8yXo-pFo2Ey4CMo4WTnpI7xRXarBfo363\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.strategicintercession.org<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.\u201d Romans 12:3 Amplified Narcissism is an excessive conceit, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1596,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ricciardelli"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Leadership Snares by Morris Ruddick<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought , but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/robertricciardelli\/ricciardelli\/leadership-snares-by-morris-ruddick\/\" \/>\n<meta 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