The leader of the pack

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Learning to lead like Jesus – The Crucible of Leadership

Bible and Leadership:

In Matthew 20:25-28 we get an idea of leadership, "Jesus called them together and said. "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Bible.com, n.d). When I think about this verse many things come to mind. I initially think sometimes being a leader can be daunting, you are responsible for everyone who looks to you for guidance. Making the wrong move can not only impact those that you lead but it can also impact your status as a leader. I remember reading Matthew 4:1-11, "Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "if you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "it is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. " The the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God, "throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. "Jesus answered him, "it is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test. "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only, "Then the devil left him and angels came and attended him (Bible.com, n.d). This right there is another level of discipline and leadership. Imagine if Jesus gave into the enemy in that moment, the amount of lives that would have been impacted by that one decision would have been incredible. I know life might be hard right now, things might not be going your way, but through Christ there is a way, he is the example and the gateway to your freedom. Don't give into the enemies lies, you are more than capable of being a leader, your past is not a representation of who you but a representation of how far you have come. 

Self-leadership: 

In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was in isolation. Those who know me well will recognise that I emphasise the importance of not isolating yourself. There is a difference between using your time appropriately to focus on you which requires you to isolate and isolating yourself when you feel like nobody gets you. Having boundaries in place is a form of self-leadership. Jesus himself knew when to set boundaries and the importance of it. Let us take a look at Luke 5:12-16, "While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing, "he said. "Be clean!"And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Bible.com, n.d). This is a prime example of knowing when it is important to pour into your own cup and at times separate from others, sometimes we find ourselves trying to please others and in the midst of this we tend to neglect ourselves. A characteristic of being a leader is being able to draw the line, when things go beyond your own mental capacity, you must take a step back, pray about it and let God do the rest. Live in faith and trust that the Lord has your life covered. Sometimes, the amount of things will take on can get the better of us, and this typically leads us to feeling burnout out. 

What do I do when I am burnout out? 

Being a leader also requires us to understand when it is okay to let our guards down. Sometimes we just need someone to help us and there is no shame in asking for help. Matthew 18:19-20, "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Bible.com, n.d)." It took me a while to really understand this verse, all my life I have always had to do things for myself, most of the things I know today was self-taught or things I learnt through observation. I did not know how to ask for help, maybe it was due to pride, but part of me did not know how to even go about it. As I have developed, I have learnt to let others help me, I do not know everything, and someone sitting next to me might just be able to support me. How would I ever know if I do not ask. In my journey so far with Christ, I have been exposed to some amazing people/mentors that continue to educate me, pray for me and help me develop in the areas that I used to struggle with. I can only be grateful. This is my question to you all, when was the last time you asked for help? When was the last time you spent time with God? and finally, when was the last time you asked someone to pray for you? 

I pray for everyone reading this post that all negative chains in your life shall be broken, God is ready to set you free from heartbreaks, setbacks, and insecurities. I encourage you this week to pick up your bible and spend time with God or alternatively I encourage you to ask a loved one to pray for you.

 Thank you for reading and have a great week! 😊

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References 


Read the bible online. A free bible on your phone, tablet, or computer. YouVersion | The Bible App | Bible.com. (n.d.). https://www.bible.com/ 


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