Vision: Needed, But From Where is it Coming

It is pretty widely known and accepted that for an organization to move forward, that organization should have a vision of where to go. But, where does that vision come from? According to Henry and Richard Blackaby, it will come from “Duplicating Success, Vanity, Need, Available Resources, Leader-Driven”. A case can be made for each of them, and even as I contemplate each of them, a place to start with a vision can be had from any of them.

The organization needs a north star, if you will, to guide them. A vision can and will do that, but is it leading to the right place, that is the question. Let’s start with “Duplicating Success”. New organizations, will take the success of previous or even alternate organizations and put in place a vision based on that success and model. Where the vision was effective for that organization, it may not be the right vision for the new. Just because it worked once, does not mean that it will work again.

Next, we have “Vanity”. This vision is driven by the one to gain notoriety for himself as the purveyor of the vision. The attitude that “I put this in place and am driving the organization forward” approach. This is an organization, not a sole-proprietorship. There needs to be mass buy-in as opposed to edict from the one.

What about “Need”? Looking at the constituent landscape and determining the need and driving the organization based on that need. What a noble approach, solving the problem in the area. But what about the long term. Seems to me that the organization that seek to meet a specific need, loses focus as the need gets close to being met.

And then we have the “Available Resources”. This is the approach of looking at your organization and seeing what you have at your disposal and working with what you have to drive what you will do. This is not the same as using the resources you have to accomplish your vision, but rather setting the vision based on what you have available.

And finally, from the Blackabys we have “Leader-Driven”. This one to me is where we should be, but it is not one man as the leader providing the vision. Yes, there is one man at the top of the organization, but is the one man the premier authority? Where the motives of the one man may be sound and wholesome, is this the approach of spiritual leadership as designed by God?

Paul knew of the challenges which faced the leaders of the church. He knew that there would always be a tendency for the one to drive the direction of the many. Now there may be the one who is driving, it is not for the one to decide on the direction to go or path to take. It is this “one” who, unless fully dependent and obedient to God, who will decide on the vision based on the five places noted above.

“²⁰Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” – 1 Corinthians 1:20-21 (ESV)

As for spiritual leadership, It is from God where vision should come. We should not be moving on our own accord but should be working toward the goal of the LORD as He provides and directs.

Where is your vision coming from? Are you looking to one of the five places above? What if you were to take your direction from the LORD and allow Him to provide and guide you?

Becoming a Spiritual Leader is a Process

Generally, a newborn does not just get up and start running around as a champion sprinter. First the child must learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. And even in each step, there is time devoted to each to get good at it. Becoming a spiritual leader is similar in that it is a process and one must gain in one and work to get good at it before moving on to the next.

The process starts with our relationship with God. We first accept Him as our Father and work to engage with Him to understand and follow where He would have us go. It is devotion to the LORD that opens our heart and soul to accept Him as our Father and know that whatever He has for us is for our continued development to the achieve the purpose He has for us.

Next, we are put on the path to develop the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader. It is not an easy path, and it is long. As noted in another of my writings from my study of spiritual leadership, “Spiritual Leadership Takes Time”. There are no shortcuts, and just when you “figure it out” the only thing you figure out is that there is more to learn and the path is even more challenging that originally thought.

Once we have developed the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader, we will then be entrusted with the role. But, even when we have been entrusted with the role, we are still learning and developing through the experiences we encounter daily. Those experiences will be “both good and bad” as Henry and Richard Blackaby indicate. It takes them both to round us into the spiritual leaders that God has for us to become. Even when mistakes happen, “Wise leaders allow God to make the most of their mistakes.” – Henry and Richard Blakaby.

The thing is, becoming the spiritual leader God has for me to become takes time and experience in the development of my character. Each of those are determined, according to the Blackabys, by my dedication to “trust in God and obedience to God”. Only God can give and grow in me the character He is looking for to take on the role of spiritual leader. I can take comfort in that once He selects me for the role, He will provide all that I will need to accomplish the work that He has set for me to accomplish for His glory.

What is your thoughts on becoming a spiritual leader? Are you of the camp that believes you can just start running with it? What if you knew and understood that becoming a spiritual leader is a process and you were to lean on the LORD to work you through that process?

Spiritual Leadership Takes Time

It is interesting to see people as they are just getting started in a role and how they change over time. Those that learn from experiences, whether those are successes or failures, are those who the greatest movement is witnessed.

As for spiritual leadership, the same is true. Growing in spiritual maturity and into the spiritual leader does not generally come once one is found in the new role. Sure, there is excitement and action taken by the new Christian, but excitement and action should not be confused with maturity and leadership.

Paul’s conversion was a turning point in his life and in the life of the spread of the gospel. It was a dramatic event and had a profound impact on the man, Paul. Yet, as strong a leader he was before his conversion, it would be 10-15 years before he would make his first missionary journey. Again demonstrating that it takes time to grow into spiritual maturity and leadership.

Abraham started his life as a worshiper of the moon, yet was chosen by God to be the father of all nations. It certainly did not happen overnight, for it was 25 years after God told him his wife would give him a son that it actually happened. As Richard and Henry Blackaby write, “Abraham did not being his life as a paragon of faith, but gradually over many years, he developed a mature and deep relationship with God.”

We have to wait and learn from the LORD and devote ourselves fully to Him and He will create in us the spiritual leader we are to become. It is our heart devotion and not just our outward appearances. It is important that we are devoted to the LORD and give all of ourselves to Him and trust that He will provide that which is needed when it is needed.

“⁹For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV)

Asa reigned in Judah and was by biblical account was good;

“2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” – 2 Chronicles 14:2 (ESV)

Yet, as Asa did not give himself fully to God, with His heart, he found himself out of the safe favor of the LORD. He was a leader, yes, but he was not the leader that led with the help and guidance of the LORD, and there He found himself missing out.

Spiritual Leadership takes time and is something to be developed over that time with our heart set on God. We may have been given leadership roles, it is likely that we are not the leaders we are meant to be, yet. We have to now ensure that we have given all of ourselves to the LORD and over time He will make us the spiritual leader He intends for us.

What is your view on becoming a leader? Once you have the role have you somehow arrived? What if you look at it as just the beginning of the journey, devote your whole self to the LORD and allow Him to develop you into the spiritual leader He has in store for you?

Spiritual Leadership Not Attained On Our Own

In the secular world, leadership as Henry and Richard Blackaby say, “can be achieved through sheer force of will.” Someone may be able to live out the phrase, “If you want something done right, I have to do it myself.” And where this may feel as though it is true in the secular world, in reality getting something done most of the time requires help. And that help is from the Holy Spirit who was assigned to the task by God and sent by Jesus.

For me to attain spiritual leadership, it needs to be given to me. It is my task assigned by God. I am provided not only the task, but also the means and help to achieve. I am not alone and my will cannot help me.

And how do we know of the assignment and the tasks we are to accomplish for the LORD. We are to be in right step with Him all along the way. I have to commune with the LORD on the regular to know and understand that which He has for me. I have to love Him will all of me and accept that He loves me with all of Himself. Only then will His will be known to me.

“³⁷And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment.’” – Matthew 22:37-38 (ESV)

This love of the LORD shows our commitment to Him and in turn, He reveals Himself to us and assigns the tasks He has for us. And then, the Helper comes to guide us through it all.

“¹⁵If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will beg in you.” – John 14:15-17 (ESV)

I cannot do it alone. I need help. The LORD knows this and provided the Helper I need. I am to do the work of the LORD with the help of the Holy Spirit. I cannot attain spiritual leadership without it being assigned to me by God and without the help of the Holy Spirit. I cannot do it alone.

What is your process for attaining spiritual leadership? Are you out there going it alone, working to do it yourself? What if you worked to love the LORD and know that He will assign your tasks and then, give you the Helper so that you are not alone?

Leadership Growth Through Experience

I believe that we put too much weight of demonstrated leadership through the celebration of the success without reviewing the circumstances that lead to that success. Before we get too far, I want to be clear in that I am not saying we should not celebrate success, as isn’t success the point. What I am saying is that where the success is the result, what lead to that success that can be replicated or avoided to generate more success.

It is the experiences that lead to the success. Think of Thomas Edison and the creation of the lightbulb. It is reported that he said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” Thomas Edison grew, not from the success, but from the experiences of getting to that success. One thousand experiences led to the invention of the lightbulb. We have to look at the experiences that led to the success a bit more.

In my life, I have had many experiences that led to my success. At one point in a company survey of the effectiveness of the leader in your organization, I was deemed by my subordinates as compared to the rest of the organization’s leaders (over 30 of us) to be the least effective. Yes, I was not just at the bottom of the list, I was the bottom. Last, in the list of my peers. What a failure I was at the time. But, I learned from that experience that I had to do and be better. And about 18 months later when the survey was taken again, I had moved up to the top of the bottom third. Yes, I was not considered high on the list of leaders, but I was not the bottom of the list either. I had learned from the experience and improved drastically and noticeably.

Where success is what the goal is, the result is not always the determining factor of the success. The experiences leading to that success make it more likely that success can and will be repeated. Moses failed to reach the promised land based on the experiences in the wilderness. Joseph failed in staying the traditional course of family. Yet, they both were and were considered great leaders based on experiences and life events that are recorded. When we look at the lives of Moses and Joseph, their continued movement forward through the hardship and failures and experiences, should inspire us to take the similar approach. We should not let those experiences get us down or derail us from our continued movement. We should be looking to those experiences as growth opportunities and steps in the process of becoming the leader that God is creating in each of us.

Where are you looking when it comes to growth in your leadership? Are you looking to the successes as the demonstration of your leaders? What if you took in all the experiences that led to the results and used those as steps in the process of your growth in leadership?

Leadership: Learned or Innate

Leadership is long debated to be innate or learned. I am sure that most if not all have an opinion related to one side or the other of that debate. I did at one time as well, and I guess that I still do, although it has changed. You see, I believe that leaders can be made or leadership can be learned, whereas I was of camp innate some time ago.

I have spent a good amount of time learning. And my learning has been in the area of leadership. I have learned that leadership is, or can be, a learned skill. It is just that, a skill, that can be picked up and developed, and mastered, just as others, like dribbling a basketball or playing the flute or drawing a puppy. Over time the skill of leadership can be honed in such a way that someone may be considered an expert or the master of the skill.

But, what about those who are naturally gifted in a skill you may ask, and that is a great question. I also believe there are those who are given talents by God for His glory. There are those who can sit down at the piano and belt out beautiful music without any knowledge. There are those who jump in the pool and can out swim all others without doing a single practice lap. There are those who open a paint tube and create amazing art with their first few strokes of the brush. These are exceptional talents that are given to them by God for His glory and should also be counted as one possibility in the debate of innate or learned when it comes to leadership.

Look at a couple of examples of leaders in God’s Word. Moses was resistant to leadership because he did not feel as though he possessed the skills. And yet God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He did as God asked him and even learned along the way how to throw is staff on the ground for it to become a snake. And what about Joseph. He was given the talent to dream and interpret dreams which gave him the chance to become a leader in Egypt in which he accomplished great things, like saving the kingdom from the famine that was coming.

Both of the above men of God were great Spiritual Leaders even as each acquired their skills in different ways. There are other examples on both sides of the debate and I lean on the side of learned, yet isn’t that a quality in and of itself that would be considered innate, the willingness and capacity to learn. In fact, in my reading there was the question of innate qualities that enhance leadership ability, and my eagerness to learn was the one that is part of me.

So, the debate continues, but one thing that I do know to be true, God uses us to do His will. We will either have the skills He needs or He will ensure that we receive the skills needed. Look back to Moses and Joseph to see the LORD work.

What do you fall in the debate of learned or innate leadership skills? Are you of one camp or the other? What if you were to open your mind and heart to the fact that the LORD will use you for His work regardless of what skills you have, as He will ensure that you learn them if that is what is needed?

Spiritual Leaders do God’s Work

Every day I ask for the LORD to lead me with what He would have be learn and understand and today is no different. Generally I try to stay away from defining when I am writing so that the circumstances do not dictate what would be learned. But today the LORD laid on my heart to address one man’s work in the wake of his passing. Charlie Kirk was just a man, a man doing God’s Work.

I did not know Charlie Kirk and only saw his work through the lens of social media from him directly and those who did know him personally. Everything that I saw pointed to a man doing the work God had for him and that man, Charlie Kirk, did so regardless of what others thought of or said about him. He was unapologetic about his faith and openly discussed it with anyone at any time. He let God’s agenda point him the direction he was to go.

Again, I am reading and studying in MasterWork from the fall of 2011 with respect to Spiritual Leadership as written by Henry and Richard Blackaby. These men write in the conclusion to this week’s study, “If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals and their aspirations and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them, the world would be turned upside down.” They also point out, “that’s what first century Christians did, and the world is still talking about it.”

Isn’t it true that when we are doing something radical, it is something to talk about. Others take notice. Followers happen. Take that social media thing. The name of the game is “followers” and that drives more and more radical things to be done to gain followers. Our goal should be to be so radical that others will follow along, but not for our gain, for the LORD’s Glory.

How do we do that, well, following the lead of THE leader Himself, God. We are to do His will and not our own. We are to seek Him and no other. We are press forward with God’s agenda and put aside ours. And work from the words of Jesus as He taught His disciples to pray:

“¹⁰Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.”

— Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

Charlie Kirk did the work of God. He followed God’s agenda and was rewarded for it. Not without challenge, and as is possible with all of us, he lost his life in this world because of it. But, he will be remembered for the work he did to advance God’s agenda as we all should strive to be. And look for the words from God that I know Charlie Kirk heard when he arrived in Heaven:

“²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” – Matthew 25:21 (ESV)

Who’s work are you doing each and every day? Are you seeking to accomplish your own goals and agenda? What if you looked to the LORD and did His work to accomplish God’s agenda?

Look to Work from God’s Agenda

I do understand, when looking to lead, there is an agenda or a goal or a destination that is being worked. It only makes sense, otherwise what is the point, getting people to follow aimlessly. In virtually every leadership book, periodical, class, or seminar I have been exposed, leadership is almost pointless without purpose.

Jesus had an agenda, a goal, a destination as He was leading the disciples. He was aware of the mission. He understood the purpose. The thing is, it was not His agenda, but the Father’s. Jesus came, rather was sent to this world to carry out the Father’s agenda. He was set to do work of the Father and not His own. Jesus was the workman carrying out the mission.

As Jesus went through this world before He did anything, He consulted the Father to get the lay of the land and understand the mission at that moment. Before His actions, Jesus prayed to the Father. Jesus followed the agenda of the Father at every turn. He was in tune with God and knew that it was not His own will, but the Father’s for all things to happen.

“³⁶And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” – Mark 14:36 (ESV)

Jesus was always looking keenly for the next part of the agenda to play out. He was looking for and always willing to accomplish the Father’s plan. Jesus was not just bringing a group of people on a journey to nowhere, He was leading based on an agenda. It was the agenda of the Father.

This is to be our approach as well. As disciples we are to follow an agenda. The agenda will lead to the goal, destination, or result we are to accomplish. The thing is, that agenda is not our own but the agenda of the Father. I have to remember every day to have restless eyes as I seek to work the agenda of the Father. I am to be in communication with the Father as Jesus was to get the direction I am to take. At each turn I am to reach out to the Father to understand as much as He can and/or will give me. I am to follow the LORD’s direction and work to accomplish His agenda.

What is leading you? Are you out there working on accomplishing your own work to get somewhere you want to be? What if you were to work the agenda of the Father and followed his direction to accomplish His agenda?

Lead All People, Not Just God’s

When we think of the definition of spiritual leadership as by Henry and Richard Blackaby: “Spiritual leadership is moving people on to God’s agenda.”, notice that it is moving people, not God’s people. This is something that I do believe is missed in the application of leadership. Leadership is to move all people, and in the case of spiritual leadership, that does not change.

We are called to “make disciples of all nations” – Matthew 28:19 not just those who believe as we believe. As a spiritual leader, we take others on a journey to and through God’s agenda and not our own. We have to demonstrate the example of Christ and others will follow, and there are a number of example of this in His Word. Moses helped strangers with their flock of sheep. Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh. The Samaritan helped the stranger on the side of the road. It was demonstrated to do what is right to God’s agenda. We can do this every day. I demonstrate love to all, regardless of who I may be working with and their belief systems. I stay true to the love of God and His agenda to lead other to it.

And that is the last truth according to the Blakabys, working from God’s agenda to move people to His agenda. First, we have to know what God has for us in this world. We have to follow Him wherever He asks us to go and work from what He has in store for us. Moses chose to walk away from the plush life of the Egyptians as he saved a Jewish man from a beating and likely death. Solomon asked for wisdom from the LORD and not riches and power. Before we can move people to God’s agenda, we have to know what it is and demonstrate that knowledge in our own lives.

As we lead, we must think of God first and allow Him to lead us. God will take us to those we are to lead. He will provide the lessons needed to teach and guide them. He will provide the destination and the path to get there. And it does not matter who they are, God will place those in need of leadership in your path to lead, regardless of what world they come from.

Who do you believe is lead with/through spiritual leadership? Is it only those who are spiritual themselves? What if you just relied on God’s agenda to move people, all people, to His agenda?

Spiritual Leaders are the Tool of the Holy Spirit

This seems like an odd thing, that spiritual leaders are only a tool for another and do not do things on their own. Think about it, “Spiritual leaders depend on the Holy Spirit” – Henry & Richard Blackaby’s 2^nd truth of spiritual leadership. Spiritual leaders are not asked or expected to do things on their own. They are asked to be the tool through which the Holy Spirit works.

Take Moses. He was not of greatness, yet God used Him to free the Israelites from the rule of Pharaoh. And, Moses, he was reluctant all the way. In Exodus 3:1-4:17 we see that Moses felt as though he was inadequate in station (not influential enough). He felt as though he was inadequate in voice (not a strong enough speaker). He felt as though he was inadequate in education (not a smart or eloquent enough). And, he was lacking confidence (not the right person). Yet, God would use him as the tool to accomplish the goal of leading the people out of Egypt. The Holy Spirit would be doing the work, yet needed the right tool to get it done in the sight of Pharaoh and others.

Aren’t we all similar in our approach. Each of us fall into a bucket of fear keeping us from accomplishing things (Fear of failure, ridicule, uncertainty, success). These are those items that plague us as man and keep us from moving forward. We feel as though we are not adequate enough to achieve the goal.

Now, there are also times when we may feel as though we are the right one, yet are working to accomplish our own agenda and not that of the LORD. I have fallen into this category for the longest time. At my current company, I have known that I am to be here where I am and that there is something for me to accomplish as a leader. Yet, for that same period, I have been looking for the outcome that would to be accomplished. I had been looking inn the wrong place. I was looking at what “I” was to accomplish and not what God was to accomplish through me.

It does not matter who, what, where, or when we are. We are the tool in the moment being used by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of the LORD. Being a spiritual leader is allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to move people on to God’s agenda. Like Moses, we may not be influential, or a strong speaker, or smart, or right person enough to take on the task the LORD has for us. But, we are not supposed to be in our own eyes. We are just the tool the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish the work of the LORD.

What is your view of your role in accomplishing the tasks of the LORD? Are you finding yourself to be inadequate in taking on the tasks? What if you were to allow the Holy Spirit to use you as a/the tool to do the work of the LORD?