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Godly Leadership: What I’ve Learned 2024

A leadership group that I run with recently took us through a ‘What have you learned about being a Godly Leader?’ exercise.

They made us write them down and share them in a forum. Powerful stuff.

Part of this groups’ ‘push’ is being prepared to be Big Brothers and Fathers to the up-and-coming crop of young Godly leaders, to take Revival into the next decade and epoch. By our own soul-searching with HolySpirit and putting words to these lessons, we may be better prepared to have some ‘game’ with these up-and-coming leaders… knowing that their challenges will be completely unique from those we faced.

1972-2024: Godly Leadership: What I’ve Learned

Top Lesson:

^ It’s about daily and constant surrender to King Jesus, and daily death to myself, my control, my ideas and having my way. Ouch.

All the others, no particular order:

^’What is God saying here, right now?’ is always THE question; listen, obey.

^Emmanuel is the pattern of knowing and loving those God gives me to lead.

^’Pastoring’ is not a corporate organizational position; it’s hard work feeding lambs and caring for sheep… un-glorious, smelly, long-hours and cold, lonely nights with a bunch who think they’re totally ‘baaaaaad’’awesome… shoveling alot of poodoo…

^I lead from being an adopted son and a royal priest; identity is everything, Abba is my Dad and Heaven is my home.

^’Wash Feet’- serve those I lead, first and foremost; if I don’t know or get what’s going on with those in my charge, love and serve and wash their feet until it becomes clear and revealed.

^’Our Father’ means we need to be like Abba, we need to look like and sound like and act like Dad in character and love, love what He loves, hate what He hates.

^Build community, horizontally.

^’Faithful in little, faithful in much’, I’m only responsible for that which God gives me, but pay attention!

^’Forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing’ is the Teflon secret, the failings of others don’t become my offenses.

^Wisdom from God gives me the ability to navigate complexity, and His Wisdom goes from Heaven towards Earthly affairs.

^I can’t live by bread, but by every fresh Rhema-word that comes from God, and His words bring clarity.

^Love and serve those right in front of me, have eyes wide open, be wide awake in the moment.

^Carefully entrust to those I can trust. [2Tim2:2]

^Good and clear communication builds trust and relationship.

^Be an encourager, grab onto hope in everything.

^Real relationships are on level playing fields; sometimes mountains need to be made low, and the valleys brought up.

^It’s not what I say… even though I think it’s brilliant… but what I DO that proves my heart, my motives, my calling [1Cor13, Gal 5]

^My character is defined when nobody is watching.

^What’s my current capacity? Capacity for a grace, a blessing, a responsibility, an assignment or honour is always being prodded by Him, becuz God will never ‘bless me’ beyond my capacity to endure it… lest I be crushed and destroyed and hurt others because of that blessing.

^Sphere, measure and limitation is the context of ‘I can do all things thru Christ’; knowing what my ‘metron’ is now, and am I being faithful there results in faithfulness and effectiveness.

^Pride cometh before a fall – always

^Beware of the leaven of the Pharasees (empty religious manipulation) and of Herod (power and political gain).

^Aim at nothing, and you are bound to hit it.

^’Fess up. Never defend the indefensible.

^All I have is time, talent and treasure, and it’s what He’ll work with.

^I am not allowed to change His assignment for me.

^Grace is given abundantly to say “no” until Abba says “Yes”. [Titus 2:11-14]

^My ‘yes’ must become ‘yes’, and my ‘no’ stay a ‘no’; I’m only as solid as my promise.

^A promise is a promise; keep it.

^I’m careful what burdens I take on from others, I ask questions, I can delay giving an answer until it seems right, and I never share in another persons’ sins or folly.

^Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path… both Rhema and Logos

^First one in, last one out.

^Trust takes time and connection. Can you trust me? Can I trust you?

^Kindness first and always in ‘truth with love’.

^All I work for and ache for is to hear from Abba, ‘well done, good and faithful servant! Enter in!”

TAKE-AWAY:

My last section was about ‘friends’ and ‘friendship’.

There’s a proverb a Chinese pastor shared with me that helps: “True friendship is like a running mountain stream, fresh and clear and cool; false friendship is like honey, sweet and sticky.”

I want to be like a mountain stream to people.

Leadership in the Kingdom is all about people and relationships and that’s where the flash-points are, especially with people you become close to. Interestingly, over 90% of seated Pastoral leaders report that their ‘Leadership prep’ never included any ‘relational and inter-personal’ training in school.

As I’ve come to know, the hardest things personally … especially as a leader… is facing failure, disappointment and betrayal when painfully handed out by other people that I had grown close to in ‘Christian’ ministry work.

When, not if.

How I navigate people who come into my life, then fail me, hurt me, disappoint me, sin against me, or betray me… that’s been the hardest thing for me in Leadership.

Period.

Jesus is our Pioneer and Finisher in all this. He directly experienced people failing Him, hurting Him, disappointing Him, sinning against Him, and betraying Him. Them He forgave them from the Cross, and made a way for His most vile enemies be reconciled to the Father and enter into sonship/daughtership. He is still making available the way of forgiveness for us as Leaders to remain free…”Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing'”… (pray and do) forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us…

Ultimately, being a ‘Leader’ will result in my crucifixion. A disciple is not greater than the Rabbi Teacher.

Hard, tough path to follow, but…

written by crisbaj

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Author: Executive Producer     crisbaj

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