Most leaders appreciate ideas for leadership and today’s post is no exception. Recently, a conversation about Moses when he stood on sacred ground revealed an idea about today’s leaders standing on scared ground. The thought raised two questions.

Why is leadership so scary? Answers to this question are abundant. Consider the responsibility of leading others spiritually with eternity in mind. Knowing that leaders deal with answering questions pertaining to goals, plans, maintaining morale, personality conflicts, providing resolution, etc., it does not take long to determine why the ground upon which leadership stands can be a scary place.

How do we overcome the scared ground for sacred ground? Spiritual leadership is a God-given role and He will help us overcome whatever challenges we face. Spending time in prayer will help us reach a more sacred footing rather than standing in a position of being scared. Studying individuals throughout the Bible, such as Hebrews 11, who were able to overcome with God’s help, will help us as we approach sacred ground.

It may not seem like much, but it is a start and sometimes getting started is half the battle.

The leadership of Joseph provides great spiritual lessons from Scripture.

Joseph endured adverse circumstances. He was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, tempted, falsely accused, wrongly thrown into prison, and forgotten.

HOWEVER, the entire account teaches us wonderful lessons about spiritual leadership.

No matter what happens, God is always with us. Throughout the account of Joseph we find a key phrase; “and God was with him.” With each event in Joseph’s life we are reminded of this truth.

Remember God is always working toward a greater purpose. Joseph trusted that God was working for good, even in what appeared to be evil. God saw the ultimate saving of Israel, not just the well-being of Joseph.

Faithfulness will exult an individual and a nation. Joseph was eventually elevated to power over all of Egypt. This act led to the saving and development of God’s people.

These are powerful lessons in application for leaders today. If we can learn God is with us, He works in our lives for a greater purpose, and faithfulness will result in exultation, then our leadership is rooted in the right foundation.

Most people have experienced or know someone who has experienced surgery. Interestingly enough, the older we get the more difficult recovery from surgery becomes.

The surgery is not the problem. Two, three, or four weeks of recovery, however, is another matter.

Think about the nature of recovery.

Time is involved. The capabilities of the body recovering is amazing, but healing requires time. Leadership development and recovering from mistakes involves time. If we give the necessary time for recovery, in the long run we become stronger.

Repair prevents permanent damage. The nature of surgery and recovery is to prevent problems of an irreparable nature. When we understand the steps needed to prevent permanent damage, our leadership can avoid major breakdowns in the future.

Successful recovery requires following the physician’s instructions. We often overlook this point. The expert advice of a physician is critical to recovery. The same is true as spiritual leaders trying to heal. Follow the great physician’s instructions.

More could be discussed, but for now, keep in mind the purpose and necessity of recovery. It can make all the difference.

How is success determined? The answer to this question may greatly depend on what we want to achieve. The fact that success is defined in numerous ways increases the challenge of how we determine success in our lives.

As leaders within the spiritual setting, the ultimate determination of success will be made on the other side, at the throne of God.

Until then, however, consider the following ways for determining success.

1) Having smart goals, and plans to reach those goals, is the foundation for success.

2) Are we continuing to grow and develop in relationship to God and others?

3) Using the truth of God’s word as the standard for our decisions results in success.

4) Assisting others in reaching their potential, and seeing they have the tools to do so, brings success.

5) Never allowing failure to be final will always bring success.

6) Knowing God…

I realize there are other ways to determine or define success, but if we can implement a few ideas from the beginning, success will follow.

“Winning is not everything, losing is! Learning to lose properly is a very healthy thing. Lose your pride, your fleshly desires, your sinful habits. The sooner you acknowledge that God is the ultimate winner, the sooner you can taste true victory, but you have to lose first!” Phanat Ouch

Building off the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:25, today’s thought summarizes the powerful need to reevaluate our approach to life.

In a world that believes in winning at all cost, the concept of losing does not possess much popularity. Even though several attempts to change this way of thinking are commercialized, the underlying mindset of success emphasizes the “W.”

From a spiritual perspective, however, true success is measured in the ideas expressed by Phanat: losing our pride, fleshly desires, and sinful habits. When demonstrated in leadership, followers find an incredible example that reflects the true nature of Christianity.

In every culture, the ideas of winning and losing generally follow the same pattern. Therefore, we need leaders today who hold up the biblical standard of true success by acknowledging the only way to win is losing self and siding with God.

Everyone seeks timeless nuggets of advice unaltered by time, generation, or culture. These nuggets are not always easy to find and often they are overlooked for something believed to possess greater value.

From a leadership perspective, Joshua was given a small snippet of advice meeting our criteria. God told Joshua, “be strong and very courageous.” God emphasized strength and courage three times in the context of Joshua chapter one, but only once did He use this specific phrase “strong and very courageous.”

The context of this one phrase has powerful implications in the realm of spiritual leadership surrounding God’s law. Notice the following list:

Be careful to do according to all the law.

Do not turn from it to the right or to the left.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth.

You shall meditate on it day and night.

Be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

God specifies how Joshua’s success depends on following this advice. Imagine how different our world would be if spiritual leaders today had the strength and courage to do the same.

Enoch is not a great biblical leader because of the number of people the Bible mentions he led. In reality, there are no followers mentioned.

He is not a great biblical leader because he did not see death.

Enoch is a great biblical leader because Genesis 5 states he “walked with God.” Just saying those three words should make our hearts and minds race.

Every spiritual leader needs to be characterized by their walk with God. How powerful it would be if our eulogy were simply summed up as one who “walked with God.”

The beauty of Enoch’s walk with God is explained in the book of Hebrews. The text says; “by faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death…”

Reading the account in Genesis and Hebrews leads us to a powerful conclusion: Enoch’s walk with God was a life characterized by faith.

Examining the whole of Hebrews 11, with an application to leaders today, we find a walk of faith is one of seeking God, obedience to His word, and trusting in His providence to help us receive what is promised.

Control is the power to influence and direct people’s behavior or the course of events. We think of control in a number of areas.

We claim that someone needs to take control. We talk about people being controlling. We preach about self-control. We even discuss the need to be in control.

What does all this mean and why is it important for spiritual leadership?

Quite simply, leaders exercise the power of influence to direct people’s behavior or course of events.

When situations get out of hand, leaders must take control.

We understand that spiritual leadership must not be controlling.

Leaders should be the epitome of self-control.

Above all, leaders should be those we can look to when someone needs to be in control.

When leaders know how to use their power of influence in a Biblical and godly way, people’s behavior and the course of events can be shaped in ways to change eternity.

We should all understand the value of control at the right time and in the right place. Think Souls!

Are we feeling healthier as we begin the first day of February? Considering how quickly January passed into history is frightening, especially when considering the spiritual health development needed for our future relationship with God and His church.

A healthy physical and spiritual approach to life provides the benefit of extending life. The benefit of this extension on a spiritual level is eternal in nature.

Paul phrased it this way in his letter to Timothy, “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Ti. 4:8).

Developing the habits for a godly life require at least three necessities: 1) constant nourishment in sound doctrine, 2) avoiding a worldly focus, and 3) discipline in godliness.

We are left asking, “how?”

We are encouraged to develop a mental habit to avoid distractions that move us away from God. The task is not easy. What works for one may not work for another. We need a reminder to bring us back to focus. If there is something that works for you, please share.

“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it is one of the greatest burglars of joy. Be deliberate, but once you’ve made up your mind – jump in.” Charles R. Swindoll

Today’s thought is filled with encouragement. How many times have we continued to procrastinate when a decision needed to be made? Our intentions were in the right place, but we were waiting for the “right time.”

This can happen when beginning a family, i.e. getting married or having children. We also see it pop up in areas of career choices. Someone once said, “If you don’t love what you do, then do something else. Life is too short to not enjoy what you do each day.”

Our lives should be deliberate and intentional. Once we choose the direction we want to pursue, the area we are most passionate about, then jump in. When we do what we love the most, then we will notice how joy finds its way back into our lives.