The answer to the question is surprising based on what Denis Waitley said, “It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.”

The power of the mind is immeasurable. An old Chinese proverb says, “Limitations are but the boundaries we place in our minds.”

The idea is demonstrated in the Old Testament as ten of the spies sent into the land of Canaan delivered a bad report to the people of Israel. Their claim indicates the limitation in their thinking. They saw themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of the people.

They could not see themselves conquering the land, nor God doing so through them.

The same is true today of leaders who are held back, not because they do not have the ability, but because they do not see themselves as able to accomplish the task.

We must recognize who God is and all He can do through the power that works within us.

Stop considering who we are not. Start thinking about who God is and what He can do if we allow Him to rule in our lives.

Synonyms for truth make for some interesting application. Honest, sincere, genuine, and trustworthy are a few that seem natural and positive. However, candid, frank, forthright, and straight are words with a little more spice to them.

Considering the opposite of truthfulness leads in one direction, deception.

Leaders need to not only be truthful in relationship to followers, they need to be truthful with themselves.

One of the greatest challenges for leaders is to be honest enough with themselves to make the kind of decisions that demonstrate integrity.

Being truthful with the direction we should take may not always align with our initial choice.

Being truthful with those who are invested in following will not allow us to be self-centered.

Being truthful with God will always lead in paths of righteousness.

The application of truthfulness often falls short because leaders can fall prey to justifying their actions and convincing themselves something is true, when in reality it is false.

Leaders must be careful not to allow good intentions to vindicate pretentious actions.

Be truthful with self, others and God in all areas.

A key thought expressed throughout the Psalms is the idea of thirsting for God. Several analogies are used, but the one most common is also a song we sing today: “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.”

The various qualities, principles, axioms, and requirements for good leadership all carry a significant weight in leadership development.

However, in the arena of spiritual leadership, considering everything stated above, the key to true leadership is based on that thirst for God.

The idea of thirsting involves a need, want, craving, an insatiable desire. We understand the idea as it is applied to a drink of water when dehydration exists.

However, do we also understand the application in a spiritual setting?

When we examine our attitude toward worship, obtaining the necessary tools to grow in our study of God’s word, visiting those who are no longer faithful, and reaching out to those without Christ, what word would we be the right description?

When a relationship with God is characterized by thirsting, leaders are strengthening every area of their leadership.

In Psalm 42, David appears to question his own despair and why is soul is disturbed within him. The response is one with great application for leadership today: “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.”

Two thoughts surround David’s emphasis.

The first is the hope only found in God. When we place hope in our own abilities, or the abilities of others, disappointment results when we are let down. When our hope is placed in possessions, we are left with discouragement when these possessions deteriorate or are stolen. Therefore, the only source of hope that will never disappoint or discourage us is God.

The second is the idea developed from the help that comes with God’s presence. Scripture reminds us of the omnipresence of God. We are comforted by knowing that He is in all places at the same time. There is no place where God is not. His control over all things and presence in all places provides comfort and confidence.

Leaders must always lead with hope in God and the help of His presence.

In Psalm 141, David wrote, “Give ear to my voice when I call to You.”

David was pleading with God to listen to him. He desired an audience with God and wanted Him to listen intently with an understanding that moved the Creator into action.

A key characteristic of spiritual leaders is prayer. The avenue of prayer is significant to leadership for a couple of reasons.

First, leaders understand the need to communicate with the One who is in control of all things. To have an audience with God yields the greatest power in every situation. The desire is for God to listen and act upon the requests brought to Him.

Second, understanding how communication works with God also helps leaders understand the need for effective communication with others. In leadership, others need to know their voice is being heard and that leaders are attentive to their call.

Communication is a noteworthy subject in every relationship. While it applies to leaders, it also applies to everyone.

When leaders are effective communicators issues are resolved more quickly and progress results.

Leaders should constantly examine their leadership: abilities, style, resources, and growth.

One of the critical concerns for leadership development is learning to ask the right questions. Based on their book Primal Leadership, Learning To Lead With Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee examine five discoveries needed to make an emotionally intelligent leader.

These discoveries involve asking the following questions:

Who do we want to be as a leader? Considering the answer to this question must go beyond surface or superficial answers.

Who are we? Leaders must constantly examine both strengths and weaknesses to determine where we are in our leadership.

Do we work on developing who we want to be, or what someone else wants us to be? This can be one of the strongest challenges leaders face.

Are we willing to form new habits of practice? Developing a new mindset and implementing the necessary changes to grow in our leadership is key to reaching goals.

What emphasis are we placing upon developing relationships? The power of relationships help build confident leadership.

Consideration of these five areas will point us in the right direction for leadership development.

A risk involves the possibility of danger or harm. While this is always scary, when a person or thing is thought to not likely turn out well within a particular context, it is a risk.

There can be low risk and high risk, but risk is part of leadership.

The key to understanding the role of risks in leadership is learning how not to fear risk, but manage risk instead.

A number of websites provide powerful information about risk management, especially where it applies to areas of leadership.

However, two thoughts came to mind in application of the risks involved for spiritual leaders:

1) What are the risk factors involved if we decide not to lead others to Christ?

2) What are the risks of waiting, or procrastinating, to lead them?

When we honestly look at how the risks weigh out in the direction of our leadership, from a spiritual perspective, we find the possibility of danger or harm involved. Consider the consequences when we are unwilling to take the risk.