Leadership 101
Scripture Reading - Genesis 33:12-14 KJV
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
Greetings fellow believer in the Mighty Name of Jesus in today’s lesson we would like to discuss “Leadership” we only added 101 because this is the first lesson in this series. First we will pose the question, “Is your lifestyle conducive for leadership?” We ask this because many people like to be in the lead position but rarely are there good leaders who don’t like to follow. This means unless you properly understand following a true vision that is right, you will not understand how to properly lead when some followers start going astray. As ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we should always be ready to lead people into righteousness and truth. We are the God generation of spiritually born (-again) leaders that are ordained and commissioned to bring forth fruit. Not just any fruit but more specifically the fruit of God by transforming lives out of darkness and into God’s Glorious Light of Love. There are three principles we will highlight today because we see these same three principles at work in the ministry of Jacob when he led his family and his livestock back to the land of his birth, his inheritance in the land of Canaan. The three principles that every good leader should be are 1) Open to Hear, 2) Quick to Adjust and 3) Slow to Step. The first principle of being “open to hear” is clearly demonstrated when Jacob mentioned both his cattle and his children. We know for a fact that cattle likes to do three things - eat, sleep and drink, therefore pushing cattle to just move along for the sake of movement is challenging in itself. We also know that children like to do four things - eat, sleep, drink and play, so to have them just travel with no play is very challenging also. As believers we should be able to discern what is easy and what is hard so we properly prepare our team for the long journey. A good leader should already know what is coming up in the journey they are taking so no one on their team is clueless about what is coming up and what is expected on their own part. This is why a good leader will listen to the weakest member on their team to apply principle number two. Principle number two is a good leader shall be “quick to adjust”. We see that Jacob adjusted his traveling speed to the overall speed of the team. Yes, this requires for you to assess each and every member of your team to see how they are doing spiritually, mentally and physically. Therefore, if one member is physically sick the whole team waits until that one person is well. If the team can’t wait then arrangements must be made to carry the weaken teammate onward until they are able to carry themselves. Yes, if a teammate is mentally doubting if they can endure (make) the complete trip the good leader stops the team travel to minister to the mentally weaken one by encouraging them in the strength of God. Yes, speaking as a coach and encourager they should be able to boost the faith of the weaken one until they are ready to keep moving forward with the team. The problem is if we don’t stop and wait for that weaken one they might stop following the group and become lost in the wilderness which could lead to death because the provision spiritually, mentally and physically is always with the group and the leader, not the single resources of one individual. We also notice in verse 14 the third principle of being a good leader which is “slow to step”. “Slow to step” means the good leader is watching very carefully exactly where they are going next. Not only does the good leader “slow down for his flock” (their group, so to speak) but they also “slow down to hear” accurately from God. When the scripture mentions “leading on softly” it is specifically speaking of having a peaceful situation that is conducive for hearing from God. Yes, “moving slowly” helps all people in the group to move together in unison but it is also very helpful in seeing where God is at before you move instead of trying to find Him after you have already quickly moved into a new spot (position, place, surrounding). Yes, many Christians want to “lead” the way into new lands but without a good road map from God how would you get there and should you ever get there without God? A good leader knows that God, The Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have already been any place they think they need to go. So it is better for the believer to wait upon the Lord before moving in a new direction or purchasing property in a new land. Sometimes that is a foreign land in which you are the foreigner and in those situations you need God more than you probably realize and you need His Specific (detailed) Guidance to be a good leader among diverse people in a different land (surrounding). Remember a godly leader listens openly to hear what the group is saying to leadership, then that leader quickly adjust (not waiting for a long period of time because they are afraid of doing something different) and after that the godly leader shall proceed with clearly communicated pace knowing that we walk by faith, so there is no need to jog or run. So develop these three traits for “leadership” because you are a born-again “leader” for the Glory of God, the Father as a personal representation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!