How To Become A Better leader - A biblical Perspective

 

How to become a better leader? Let’s begin with a question. What is persistence and what does it mean? The dictionary’s definition is “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition” (Merriam-Webster). Let’s embark on this teaching with a simple question. What is the most important skill that every person should have in order to achieve success in all of his endeavors? One again the question, How to become a better leader?

Obviously, this is not a question that you can respond to quickly. But let’s think about it, there are many skills that are necessary for success: good management of time, capacity, planning and development of strategies, negotiation skills to manage people, technical skills and professional knowledge in general, among others.

However, when you contemplate further, all of these skills are not as relevant as persistence. Why? Because persistence is an attitude that will help overcome any lack of abilities that I previously mentioned. Skills can be acquired by training or personal experience at any time, we can be taught to negotiate and be good managers. But the magic about this innate quality is that it will strengthen your weaknesses and help you succeed despite the circumstances or obstacles in your way. It is that firm resolve to succeed against the odds that make this attribute so special.

Some of you may say that persistence is a skill but in the kingdom of God, it is not. You can learn to be persistent, but the application of such ability whether it’s mankind’s or God’s will entirely depend on your human nature. You could practice to increase your attention span, improve your psychological approach or pay more attention to detail or task completion,  but we will end up with much improved and sharpened personal abilities rather than a fully developed Spirit-filled nature.

 A skill will train the mind to act and perform adequately and in some cases, above average. It exists in your mind, not in your spirit. Persistence is something that dwells in our spirit man—our godly nature. This attribute is part of our kingdom nature that feeds off God’s favor and faith.

 John Calvin Coolidge Jr. the 30^th President the United States of America, said:

 

 Nothing in this world can take the place that has the persistence, the talent cannot take it, there is nothing more common than unsuccessful men full of talent; the Genius may not take the place of persistence. Underpaid genius is almost a proverb.  Education can’t also take the place of persistence; the world is full of decrepit very well educated.

 

It’s an amazing quality to be able to persevere with the right attitude when everything around us is collapsing. All of us aspire to be professionals in our preferred fields. Society often defines professional people as those who have the ability to perform efficiently in difficult times. It will involve doing something when our human nature doesn’t want to do so. This takes a person with enough discipline and persistence to do what is asked of him or her. We should be more professional in the management of our lives and make use of discipline and persistence to achieve our goals, more importantly, our godly purpose.

On many occasions, we have made the error of investing time or being paralyzed trying to change our lives, instead of being persistent. We are always looking for the magical answer that can solve our problems. And that’s not surprising because we live in a world that expects instant gratification. Very often, we want to achieve our purposes without understanding that we always have to pay a price to get what we want.

You will never achieve your purposes without going through the process. It will take time, and we don't have time to spare. Achieving your goals will cost you time, money, tears, pain, friends and in some cases, all of your belongings. It will cost you! How much? That is up to you. How much are you willing to give up to achieve God's purpose in your life? Purpose defines why we exist, our reason for being.  More significant is our focus on something greater than ourselves. For example, my purpose in life is to heal the sick. It defines why I exist—to help others, rather than myself. This is the true meaning of purpose.

Remember, first, you have to pay the price and then receive the reward.   There is no such thing as a purpose without a process. It's customary to dream about the things we all want in life by justifying the purpose or reason why we want them, without thinking about the process that we have to endure to make these things happen. Experience tells me that it doesn't work that way. It’s ok to dream, but actions lead to a process that will help you achieve your dream. We don't like painful processes, but we can't live without them. If you define the process and how it works, you will understand how it feeds your purpose and perhaps, realize that you truly have to pay the price before you can receive the reward.

Let’s take Joseph for example. Do you think that he could’ve gone from being Jacob’s son straight into the position of the Governor of Egypt?  Imagine Joseph being interviewed by Pharaoh for the governor’s position, trying to sell himself for such a dignified and trustworthy task. Let me remind you, that trust can only be obtained through a relationship, which requires a lengthy process. All that said, what is wrong with this picture? I'll say—everything.  If Joseph had tried to do things on his own, he would have failed. A divine purpose requires a divine God, a man-made purpose requires a man on his mission.

Going through the “process” prepared Joseph to be the next governor of Egypt. And he did it efficiently and effectively.  His is a story of a young man who went from the Pit to the Palace. A man with a prophetic destiny who took a detour to accomplish his divine destiny. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who were jealous of him, his skills to explore dreams, and because he was their father’s favorite. He was sold again as a slave to Potiphar, the Pharaoh's chief steward. Falsely accused of trying to have sex with Potiphar's wife who desired him and sought to have an affair with him. He was placed in jail and during his time in prison seized the opportunity that would position him to meet with Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. These events all qualified Joseph to be the next governor of Egypt.

 

³⁸ So Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this [a man equal to Joseph], in whom is the divine spirit [of God]?” ³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since [your] God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and clear-headed and wise as you are. ⁴⁰ You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall ^[f]be governed according to your word and pay respect [to you with reverence, submission, and obedience]; only in [matters of] the throne will I be greater than you [in Egypt].” ⁴¹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you [in charge] over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and dressed him in [official] vestments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. (Genesis 41:38, AMP)

 

He neither tried to beat the system, alter the process nor quit. Altering the purpose will get you somewhere other than your prophetic destiny.  Let’s take it into perspective that Joseph was sent to Egypt on a mission from God to be a blessing to others in the severe times of famine. It just seems that God planted a seed in the womb of Egypt to give birth to a rising child “governor” to help this nation in bad times. What am I saying? Well, we all know that Egypt went from having seven years of plenty to seven years of famine:

 

When the seven years of plenty came to an end in the land of Egypt, ⁵⁴ the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said [they would]; the famine was in all the [surrounding] lands, but in the land of Egypt there was bread (food). ⁵⁵ So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; do whatever he says to you (Genesis 41:53-55 Amplified Bible, AMP).

 

A seed produces its best when it is planted in good soil. Throughout the growing process, it requires a caregiver to water the soil. It will also require good sunlight, maintenance, and above all, time for it to grow and produce its kind. Rushing the process will most definitely change the outcome of the seed. Accelerating the elements in a God-given purpose will only mess up the process. Lack of persistence, sometimes, changes our perspective in life, and in some instances, we exchange persistence with an unconventional approach to accelerate “shortcuts,” the outcome of our destinies. It's called convenience.

Convenience will only take you to the places you want to be, so it serves your personal interest and purpose rather than God's divine will for your life.  Joseph, an Israelite, could not have been in Egypt as an authority figure if a seed was not planted in the womb of Egypt and Pharaoh did not trust him. The reality is that it took divine intervention to orchestrate such an event.

The same applies to a vision without a mission. The vision is beautiful, it's like holding a picture of the future in your hands. You know it is real, but how are you going to get there and how much are you willing to give up to make it happen? Some of us prefer the position rather than the mission. Yes, we would rather have a title than go through the process that will develop us for the position and will enable us to persist in such endeavors. Can you imagine if Nehemiah had asked the king to grant him the position to be the governor rather than managing the wall rebuilding project in Jerusalem?  

The point is, that God will never grant you a position if you are not a mission-driven person. It’s not about convenience, it's about doing the hard work and going through the process to achieve the best results.

Going through the process will develop you, and shape you so you can know your purpose in life. It will define you in God's kingdom and prepare you for the position He has called you to. It is imperative that you have full credentials in order to assume that position, and going through the process will prepare you for that. It is impossible to efficiently complete the task at hand if there is no process?  There has to be an orderly way to get to the purpose that will lead us to the vision.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, what kind of person do I what to be? In God's kingdom, the question is, who am I?  The “I want to be” deals with my own desires, but the “who am I?” questions the reason for my existence here on the earth. The first question deals with me while the other embarks on a quest to discover what my divine purpose is. You see, knowing who you are in Jesus defines your existence on this earth.

You'll probably ask me what does all of this have to do with persistence? Well, because persistence feeds from a purpose-driven life. If you don't know why God created you and for what purpose, you will live a purposeless existence without a clear vision or anything to achieve. Therefore, there is no need to persevere because you are just existing without a mission. Remember, purpose drives your persistence. We must be mission-driven in all of your doings because the mission will take you to the position.

Not all things come easily. They all require hard work and persistence. If you receive a reward without paying the price, you will never understand the gift and its full potential.  It makes it impossible to unveil its potential and design. It is like giving an eight-year-old child a car, a house, and a full-time job. These are all good things, but will the child be able to manage it all without going through the process of maturation, growing up, and actualizing his full potential?

Persistence plays a crucial role in your success. To develop this attitude and godly attribute, it is very important to first learn to be persistent in the small things that occur in your daily life.

The first step to becoming a master of persistence is having the ability to make clear decisions and do what one intends. Start with being persistent in your eating habits, at work, and in caring for your body. These activities are part of your lifestyle and help to shape your character.

Persistence feeds off your character, and it’s constantly working and managing the best outcome against your own resistance towards your personal goals.   

Many times, we select too many tasks to do at once,  and then either fail to carry them out or do them inadequately.  If you want to run a marathon, you need to prepare by doing daily exercise, perhaps, walking around the block. Then, you can increase the distance and speed of your steps until you're able to run a marathon. It’s the small things that will lead you to big things. If you cannot manage the small details of your life, then you are not ready for the big picture.

^“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’”  (Matthew 25:23 NKJV).

If you are faithful over the few things, God will make you a ruler over the big things. Faithfulness will open doors to better and bigger things in your life. Faithfulness pushes out your “inner God deposit” in you to accelerate your persistence to its maximum potential. When I talk about “inner God deposit,”  I am referring to the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. The gifts, anointing, the purposes in life, the power, and the abilities to do all things for the good of the kingdom.  Being faithful is a perfect way to slowly develop your character and persistence for any endeavors you may embark on in life. It is the same way it should be done when serving God's purpose

Set small goals initially and push until you achieve them. Do not leave them until they are complete. Focus all your attention on achieving what you desire. Learn to be persistent one step at a time. Once you have begun to do a thing, do it, regardless of whether the job is big or small. Do it well or don't do it.

Persistence is definitely a godly attribute that we must develop to succeed in any area of our lives. Nothing can replace it because it comes from God. The most difficult thing is to start, so let’s do it.

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