By Henry O. Quarshie

 DANIEL 1: 1-5 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans

 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. (NKJV)

 In Daniel 1:4, when the opportunity came to choose people to serve in the kings palace, the following qualities was requested by the king. He was very emphatic about it.

 1: Children without blemish: That is physically strong and well brought up. Which means as potential leaders we must know how to keep our bodies, dressing, developing good character etc. People look out for all these things. You may be a first class student but what is failing you in life is your dressing, character or the way you carry yourself. When it comes to matters like this it does not matter your role in the church.

 2: Well favoured: Pleasing in appearance and acceptance. Well trained and nurtured. It always has something to do with God. Our character is key. If you need to change, change. If society does not like your character learn to change. Keeping anger as a leader does not help. You need to develop yourself. Take advantage of training opportunities outside your profession.

 Develop good and attractive character that people will buy. Learn to express yourself, correct your mistakes when pointed out to you. In today’s corporate world you have to market yourself. Be friendly but firm.

3: Skilful in all wisdom.  Wisdom is the ability to see life from God's perspective and then to know the best course of action to take. This means the aspect of divine wisdom which gives you the ability to know, what to say or do in a given situation. ( James 3:13-18, 1:5)

 By this the leader is given the divine ability to solve difficult problems, defending the faith, resolving conflicts, given practical advice, or pleading one’s case before hostile authorities. The king as a leader needed men of wisdom to support him.

 We have reached a point in the world that we are looking for people of great wisdom and ideas who can turn situations around. President Obama once said, America has reached a point that it needs new ideas and innovation to maintain its lead.

 Gradually on the job market as it happening in the advanced countries, it is not necessary the number of degrees, but your skill in wisdom and ideas to make a difference.( this comes through research, reading, finding answers to questions no matter how difficult it may be,)

 4: Possessing knowledge: The knowledge here is the power to know and to communicate information that has been divinely revealed. The information received must be previously unknown to the leader. There is a lot of information out there, where is the truth? In life you need this ability to succeed. In the corporate and the competitive world you need it. Once we are alive we need to succeed and move forward.

 So many people have the certificate you have but the difference you can make is the ability to know and communicate information that is hidden. Steve Jobs spent only one semester in college to study only one course, this is all that he needs to make a difference. You need to develop knowledge in your area of expertise. As a Christian study the Bible. This year read the book of Proverbs it is full of knowledge and wisdom.

 5: Quick to understand (Being smart in the way you do things). This is the supernatural ability to pick and interpret events and situations both physical and spiritual. You need to make time to study the word of God and pray. As a people we take so many decisions concerning our lives and situations. I

 Some decisions will not always be so clear- cut. You may be forced at times to deviate from your set course and make an on the fly decision. This is where your creativity will prove to be vital. It is during these critical situations that your team will look to you for guidance and you may be forced to make a quick decision.

 The world is controlled by decisions of people, leaders and ordinary people. These decisions determine what we do today, where we will go tomorrow etc. Some of these decisions have been either beneficial or disastrous. In many cases we are victims of our own decisions and actions.

 The whole world has gotten to a point that people are looking for answers to the numerous problems they face. You are the answer. develop yourself and take advantage of it.