Developing Your Leadership Skills

Psalm 139  (ESV)

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them. 

God has a will not only for our lives, but also for each day.  God wants us to lead.  

I.  Leadership is influence. 

Matthew 7:16 (NLT)

16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

Galatians 5:22-23  (NLT)

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. 

Leadership = serving.  

Mark 10:45  (NLT)

45 For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 19:10 (NLT)

10 For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Jesus is more concerned with what we do than what we say.  

Four secrets for serving. 

1. Serving isn't convenient.  

Matthew 5:41  (NLT) 

If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

We must serve the takers and the jerks.  We must serve people who we know will not say thank you.  

Matthew 20:25-28(NLT)

25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 

26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 

27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 

This is how people know that we are believers.  We serve the takers.  The building is not the Church.  We are.

  

2.  Serving impacts the lives of others. 

28 For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3. Serving involves giving which unlocks God's blessings.  

Luke 6:38 (NLT)

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

We must be a clearing house of God's blessings.

4. Serving positions you for your destiny. 

David was only delivering sandwiches to his brothers when He defeated Goliath the giant (1 Samuel 17). 

How do you expose pride?  It's when you're called upon to serve. 

   

James 4:6 (NLT)

 “God opposes the proud
    but gives grace to the humble.”

What has God called you too that you think is beneath you?

  

You'll find God serving.

  

Matthew 11:29 (NLT)

29 Take my (Jesus's) yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

It is the serving that prepares us be to able to handle God's blessing once they come.  

Lord Jesus, please save me.  You're the only one who can. 

Romans 10:13 (NLT)

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church

https://hopecity.com/sermons/your-calling-wont-be-convenient-pastor-jeremy-foster/