Click here to return to Blog Post Intro
Leaders who put more confidence in themselves or in other people will find bitterness and disappointment in the end. They may appear to prosper for a season, but the journey will not get them to their desired result. Jeremiah says, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.’” (17:5).
Building Inner Faith for Outward Expression
No leader can model faith in God until they have developed a consistent dependence on God. Once that faith in established, opportunities will arise when others can’t help but see it. For instance, before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of those standing here, that they may believe you have sent me.” (John 11:41-42)
As leaders, we want to cultivate the kind of dependence on God that others can see in real-life situations. Such faith is not cultivated during a crisis, but before a crisis. It’s developed in routine days. And the leader who cultivates such a faith will provide a role model of steadfast dependence on God that no follower will forget.
Jesus Cautions Against Worries
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus gives six reasons for trusting in God rather than worrying:
- The same God who gives us the greater gift of life will surely supply the lesser gifts of food and clothing.
- The God who cares for the birds will take care of his people. After all, people are of much greater value than any bird.
- Worry expends energy pointlessly—it doesn’t change the reality of the situation at all.
- Worry ignores God’s demonstrated faithfulness in our own lives.
- We are God’s children, and we know that God will never teat us as orphans who need to fend for themselves.
- When we worry about tomorrow, we miss out on today.
Any problem we face can be handled, with God’s help, one day at a time.
I’ve often heard it said that there are only two possible perceptions of God’s character and our circumstances. We either view God’s character in light of our circumstances or our circumstances in light of God’s character. If we choose the former, we tend to look away from God and look to ourselves. We cannot be effective if we are self-reliant leaders. We need to depend on God, if we’re to be ultimately successful in our quest to shoot for the stars!
Nearly 25 years ago, my Mom gave me the verse below, written by her in calligraphy. It still sits on my desk today as a constant reminder to depend on God…
