Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast
Jessi Morgan in 2023 had a traumatic experience that shaped how she views life and her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has laid it on her heart to share her experiences and inspire others to put God first in every aspect of their life like she finally did in hers. Having her daughter born 4 months early really made Jessi lean on the Lord for comfort and guidance. And today she stands here starting her own 10-15 minute podcast focusing on weekly devotionals about what God can do for you and what He's done for her.
Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast
When you think you are the chosen one
Text if you need me? Prayer or just need encouragement…
Have you ever watched someone step into leadership with all the wrong motivations? The catastrophic results can be both predictable and painful to witness.
This week, I'm sharing a particularly personal devotional that weaves together my experience with an ego-driven retail manager and the shocking biblical account of Abimelech from Judges 9. What happens when someone claims authority because of who they know rather than who they serve? When they prioritize status over stewardship?
As we examine both stories, we're confronted with challenging questions about our own leadership motivations: Have we ever stepped into roles thinking we didn't need to grow or listen? Have we dismissed those God placed in our path to help us?
Whether you're leading a team, a family, or simply navigating your own path, this devotional will challenge you to examine the difference between self-appointment and divine anointing. Subscribe, share with others who might need this message, and join the conversation about what authentic, God-honoring leadership looks like in our everyday lives.
Check out show notes for application questions & written devotion for the week!
Key Passages: Judges 8:30-Judges 9
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Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 56. This week's devotional is titled when you Think you Are the Chosen One, let's go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart my journey and love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hot Podcast.
Speaker 1:This is a weekly devotional. I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born, four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, god worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith, woven together with scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within when you think you are the chosen one. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Today's episode, as I said, is titled when you think you are the chosen one. Let's just say this one's a little personal. Again, I wanted to share a story that, years later, still sticks with me. It's about a former co-worker and what happened with him reminded me of one of the wildest stories in the book of years ago. Let me start off with my story, but then we'll go into judges chapter.
Speaker 1:Nine Years ago I was an assistant store manager at Macy's and I was running a $24 million beauty business in the second largest store in the country. I was about six or seven months to the role when we got a new assistant store manager over women's shoes and center core. Center core is considered in retail or in this department store as jewelry, handbags and accessories. And just to have context, since this was like the second biggest store in the country for Macy's, you had a senior store manager. You had a junior store manager that ran the home building, which was on the opposite side of the fashion building, because we had a fashion building and a home building and the home building obviously had home and kids and like furniture and then the fashion building had everything else and within those two buildings, I said you had two store managers and you had four assistant store managers because we were just so big, and so we had somebody running men's, we had somebody running beauty and active wear, somebody running women's clothing and then someone running like center core. So that's just to understand, like the context of everything. So, like I said, we gained another assistant store manager for center core. So that's just to understand, like the context of everything. So, like I said, we gained another assistant store manager for center core, which was very exciting Always cool to have new people in the building.
Speaker 1:But this guy, he came in brand new to this level of leadership but acting like he was God's gift to Macy's, but acted like he was God's gift to Macy's. Our store manager asked me to coach him and guide him on managing his team. His response he said to me why are you so good at coaching? Anyway? Coaching is all about accountability. My managers just need to know I mean business Phew. And I responded like this Well, my coaching is backed by results double-digit increases in sales and customer experience. My team feels valued and that's why I was asked to help you. Have you ever managed seven people or seven managers before? Because I have, even before this role. And then he hits me with. It's not that hard. With our title. I'll ask for help if I need it, but honestly I probably won't.
Speaker 1:I'm here because I've known the big boss for years. He likes how I work and just like that he walked out of my office no desire to learn, no curiosity about the team or the process, just confidence rooted in his connection to our big boss. And from day one he led from a place of literally pride and no purpose. He blamed others when things went wrong stockroom issues, bad customer experience, scores, poor sales and get this. He even fired a strong manager that many of us respected. But it was clear he felt threatened. He built a culture of fear, favoritism and confusion. He never cast vision, he just dictated. I remember watching the team suffer under his leadership. It was like watching a ship sink in slow motion.
Speaker 1:When a big corporate visit came up, our boss again asked me and another peer to help him prepare. We gave him all the tips and tricks and feedback we could, but he didn't take it seriously. The day of the visit it was a disaster Managers, unprepared operations, a mess. It was hard to watch. Honestly, the visit ended with him awkwardly observing our presentations because they wanted him to watch our presentations and still he was still trying to make excuses. Two weeks later he was demoted. Of course he claimed it was for personal reasons he was leaving the role, but we all knew the truth. Well, I did For sure. After he left, we were told to clean up the mess, literally. I spent an entire week in women's shoes, fixing problems that should have never been allowed to spiral in the first place. The stockroom was chaos, mismates everywhere, shoes missing their partners. A manager who had been clearly favored was off every holiday and most weekends. I was exhausted and frustrated, not for me, but for the team who had been under poor leadership and guidance for that long. He was acting like he was the chosen but never did the work to actually lead.
Speaker 1:It's just so crazy how this story reminds me so much of Judges, chapter 9. Up until this point, we've been reading about judges, right Leaders sent and filled with the spirit of the Lord to deliver Israel, but Abimelech, he's not like the others. Let's back up to Judges 8, 30 through 31 first before we jump into chapter 9. It says In Judges 9-2, as we see, abimelech goes to his mother's family and says Ask all the citizens of Shechem, which is better for you to have all 70 of Jeroboam's sons rule over you or just one man? Remember, I am your flesh and blood. So, basically, abimelech plays the family card. He doesn't seek God, he doesn't get anointed, he uses manipulation and relationships to get into power.
Speaker 1:Sound familiar. He convinces the people of Shechem to fund his rise using silver from a pagan temple, hires a crew of mercenaries and murderers, basically, and murders 70 of his half-brothers, gideon's sons, Jeroboam just so you know, in context, jeroboam is Gideon, so let's just get that out of the way. So I'm going to keep referring to Jeroboam as Gideon, I'm going to keep saying Gideon going forward, but anyways. So let's just back up a little bit again. So Abimelech convinces the people of Shechem to fund his rise using silver from a pagan temple, hires a crew of mercenaries and murders 70 of his half-brothers, which are Gideon's sons, one on one stone, all to eliminate the competition. He's then crowned king, not by God but by man. For three years he rules and then God steps in and God literally sets a spirit of discord that spreads between him and the people of Shechem. They rebel and in return he burns the city's leaders alive in a tower. Then he tries to do the same thing in another town called Tebez, but a woman drops a millstone on his head Interesting story, right, mortally he's like, mortally wounded.
Speaker 1:Mortally he's like mortally wounded. And he begs his armored barrier to kill him because he can't stand the thought of dying by a woman's hand. And they kill him. That's how consumed he was with his ego that he had somebody else kill him. He was wounded, I mean, maybe he could have lived, but he didn't, he. He, I guess, guess he knew he was really wounded and he was like oh no, I cannot be known as being killed by a woman. So he basically made somebody else kill him, a man, so it wouldn't be by a woman. My goodness, what an ego. And you know what you can't.
Speaker 1:And, reflecting on all this, you can't walk into leadership just because you feel chosen or know someone in power. A feeling is a feeling. A feeling that you have is how you feel, absolutely, but it doesn't mean that it's the truth, it doesn't mean that it's the reality. Let's just call it what it is. You've got to walk in purpose, not feeling all the time. You have to walk in purpose and calling and humility. Okay, my coworker didn't appoint himself, but he acted like he'd already earned the crown simply because of who he knew. He skipped the part where you actually learn, where you build trust, where you serve as a leader, and just like that and just like you know Abimelech, his reign was short and chaotic. You know?
Speaker 1:Here's some like just questions for you to think about this week. Think of the first one. Have you ever stepped into a role thinking I didn't need to grow or listen, I have gone through that before. What does healthy, god-honoring leadership look like in your life? Have you ever dismissed someone God placed in your path to help you? Those are just questions that I really gathered this week and I've had to reflect on too, because sometimes you just think that you have all the answers and you don't, and that's okay.
Speaker 1:And even if you're a leader and you don't know everything, being more vulnerable and transparent with the people that you're leading is going to go much further along the way, and I think God is just an amazing father and we know this, but he's also a really great leader, and God was very transparent when he was angry, when he was hurt by his people, and I think that's one of the amazing traits of God, of Jesus Christ is the transparency and owning it when you're wrong and just wanting to learn and be better. So I encourage you to really think about that. And I just find it so amazing that Judges is set up the way it is and then the story of Abimelech is just kind of thrown in there and I find it very, very interesting. So hopefully you got a lot out of it. This weekch is just kind of thrown in there and I find it very, very interesting, so hopefully you got a lot out of it this week. It's kind of like we did a little detour from the regular devotionals, focusing on a deliverer for Israel, and I hope you enjoyed it this week and hope you are encouraged this week.
Speaker 1:If you're going through a tough time with leading somebody or leading others or someone's leading, you be encouraged and hopefully this story gave you a little bit of that. Love you all. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this study. I thank you so much for everything that you have provided for us with the book of Judges so far. Thank you for the reminder that real leadership comes from you, not from status, not from relationships and definitely not from ego. Lord, keep us humble, help us lead with integrity, compassion and vision. Show us where we've let pride get in the way of purpose. We don't want to appoint ourselves. We want to be anointed by you. May we never manipulate our way into a role you haven't called us to. Instead, lord, help us to serve faithfully wherever you've placed us. Lord, we love you and we praise you. Thank you so much for this study of judges. In Jesus' name, amen, till next time.
Speaker 1:Well, that wraps up this week's episode. I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. Also, if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessimorganhomecom or find me on Instagram at jessimorganlife. Remember God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him Until next time. This is Jesse Morgan praying off. Jesse Morgan Devotions Behind the Scenes, starting right now. Welcome back to Jesse Morgan Behind the Scenes. Thank you for being here.
Speaker 1:I just so again just really appreciate all the love and support for this podcast and this recent study of judges has just been has really been eye-opening for me. So hopefully it's been eye-opening for you. So I just wanted to touch on today really quick. It just blew my mind, the story of Abimelech. I kind of like just course I'm reading the book and I kind of stumbled on it a little bit, versus just jumping right to the next set of judges. I was like no, I got to dedicate a whole episode to this person.
Speaker 1:I view the Abimelech story, which is basically all of Judges 9, mind you, it takes a whole chapter in the book of Judges. And what blows my mind is all the other judges, all the judges that we study or we're going to study in this book. They were appointed by God. They were appointed by God. They were filled with the spirit to deliver Israel from being oppressed, right, but Abimelech just took it upon himself to appoint himself and make himself a king. That's something that none of the judges wanted to be, never were, because, remember, israel was. They didn't have a king, they had a God. They had God. That's who was, you know, the leader and the judges were like regionals. The judges were, you know, they worked for the Lord, and it was just so interesting to me how Abimelech just took it upon himself to just go and declare himself a king and kill his family members to make sure that he gets what he wants. So he's willing to throw anybody under the bus to get what he wants.
Speaker 1:And so I just wanted to come back to the title of this devotional again and just say you are just, just, you know, kind of ad-lib that title again, and just to let people know, like, sometimes you're not the chosen one, sometimes you're not the chosen one and as much as you want something so bad that might not be what God has in store for you and you can't be jealous of that, you can't envy what someone else has. But you can pray to God and work really hard and serve the Lord to find out what God wants you to do, not for you to just take something and throw people under the bus to get what you want. You're not God. Who are you?
Speaker 1:So it was just blow, it blew my mind this week of how this, this book, this chapter, was just thrown into the midst of all the good and all the things that judges that these judges were doing. So I just um, I just found it to be such a blessing, you know and I just encourage you guys and everybody you know bad leadership exists. Don't be part of it. Don't be part of it. You know there's such. There's so much more when you lead properly, when you respect your leadership and things like that. God's going to bless you. So that's all for now. Take care and see you next week we will continue our study of judges. Amen, god bless.
