THE LINC COLLECTIVE

Prepare with Excellence, Lead with Heart

What if someone watched your unseen preparation—your early mornings, your after-hours toil, your quiet prayers, your diligent study—what would they say it reveals about your heart? Would they see passion? Would they see purpose? Or perhaps, a powerful mix of both? This is the searching question that arises from the life of David, the young shepherd-turned-king, whose story is so much richer than a slingshot miracle and a fallen giant.

We often remember David for the moment he stepped onto the battlefield and felled Goliath with a single stone. It’s a breathtaking highlight in Israel’s history and an eternal symbol of divine intervention. But under the surface of that moment is a deeper truth we must not miss: David was already prepared. He didn’t land that shot by luck or divine serendipity alone—he had practiced. Some scholars tell us sling-bearing soldiers of his time could hit a target from 100 meters away. David was ready before the battlefield even presented itself.

This is the heart of excellence: not performance, but preparation. So many of us want to live faith-filled lives, conquer giants, and lead with purpose, but our preparation is sporadic, emotional, or absent altogether. We are stirred in our hearts, but often underdeveloped in our hands. We’ve got passion, but lack practice. We lead with zeal, but haven’t paid attention to skill.

But what if we flipped the equation? What if, instead of preparing with our hearts and hoping to lead with excellence, we learned to prepare with excellence and then lead with our hearts? This isn’t about striving or performing to earn God’s favor; it’s about stewarding what He’s already given us with reverence and intentionality. It’s about being trained and tender, competent and compassionate.

David serves as a model not just because he was anointed, but because he was also available, skilled, and serving. When Saul’s servants recommended someone to minister to the tormented king, they said of David: “He knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him” (1 Samuel 16:18). Excellence was not an accident—it was his assignment before it became his elevation.

This speaks to every area of life. In marriage, you can’t expect intimacy without investment. In parenting, you can’t hope to calm a child’s storm if you haven’t cultivated your own peace with God. In business, you won’t build sustainably if you ignore budgeting and stewardship. Even in church, if we preach with polish but lack presence and preparation, people feel the disconnect. It’s not excellence or heart—it’s excellence and heart, preparation and presence.

Let’s go deeper: are you preparing with excellence in your finances? Many of us want to walk in generosity, but we’re shackled by debt or disorganization. Excellence here looks like humility to learn, faith to obey, and diligence to steward. Are you preparing with excellence in your calling? Do you treat today’s field—be it spreadsheets, children, customers, or classrooms—as your current training ground for tomorrow’s Goliaths?

Faithfulness in the field paved David’s way to the throne. He tended sheep and fought off lions and bears. He wasn’t asking for a stage; he was being faithful in the shadows. And when the public moment came, God gave him grace because he had already given God his grind.

We need fewer hype moments and more hidden altars. Less obsession with visibility and more passion for preparation. Excellence isn’t glamorous—it’s often unnoticed. But excellence is the soil where anointing takes root. And when heart and preparation collide, heaven not only takes notice — heaven takes over.

So, what does your unseen reveal about your heart?

This week, invite the Spirit to help you rework the equation. Don’t just hope to rise—train to stand. Ask God for the courage to confront your Goliaths, but prepare your sling with all diligence. Because sons and daughters of the King don’t just dream battles—they win them. And they do so with sharpened weapons and devoted hearts.

Prepare with excellence. Lead with your heart. Heaven will handle the rest.