A dear friend of mine often quotes, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”  If the leadership in a church or organization is rooted firmly in God, His Word and His Spirit, the  entire organization and the church will follow the same pattern. It is essential that we cater to the leaders from every sphere of influence. It is even more important that you move from being a follower to being a leader wherever God has placed you!

This is what Apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy while encouraging him into his calling to be a leader. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim 1:5-7)

The most important thing about leadership is that one cannot become a leader without first being a follower. Timothy learnt to walk with God following the example of his grandmother and his mother and now his mentor apostle Paul. This is where many people lag today. They are always ready to lead and to preach, to organize and to make things happen. But rarely is anyone ready to submit and to obey, to follow and respect the leadership God has already put in place.

A promotion with leadership doesn’t happen overnight. It comes as a result of days and nights of learning and humbling oneself, before a person reaches there. The time taken could be long, it could be tough, but it surely is the dying ground for many. Just like a grain has to die before starting to produce harvest, we have to die to ourselves, our desires and our ambitions before being readied to be used by God to lead and influence others.

Such a person’s sheer faith and trust is on God alone.  And it was that faith within Abraham that God was so impressed with! Without such explicit faith, it is absolutely impossible to please God. (Heb 11:6) And it is only after you reach that place of complete dependency on God that you will be able to fan into flame the gifts that has been imparted to you by the Holy Spirit.

These are the 3 signs of a leader led by God:

1. Walking in power: He will be devoid of all fear of people and what people will think and say. He will only seek God’s approval. He/she will walk with boldness and in power because of being a man or woman under direct supervision of God!

2. Living in love: Jesus is the best example of leadership. And the reason He succeeded so much in His ministry and leadership was because of his attitude of love and compassion for people around him. Love is the litmus test for the a genuine leader.

3. Being Self Controlled: Character is an essential mark of a great leader. Self control can be exercised only in partnership with the Holy Spirit’s control over your life. Hence it is important to continually walk in the Spirit to be a godly leader.