Spiritual Leadership

 Opinion news

                      Let us put our mind on leadership, and I will be talking of Spiritual leadership because it is the corner center of all development of any nations, when we study the history of any countries, you will arrived to see that actually what make that nation great it is all about the great leaders that they have, let me few of them, Abraham Lincoln, Churchill, Ghandi, Patrice E. Lumumba, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Sankara and many more, one of the fallacy that the media often portrays leaders as gifted, charismatic,physically imposing, attractive people. that is only in the movies and tv dramas as you will see this is not always the case. Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman were all short 5'5' tall, Abraham Lincoln had a very homely face and gangly physique, it is amazing really to notice that many of the famous leaders of our time and times past came from dysfunctional families and poor economic situations especially in Africa our leaders for our freedom were all poor and not great academic education either. there is also saying among the scholar of the Bible that Apostle Paul was ugly, short, and with bad eyesight. how true it is I do not know.

                       What is Spiritual Leadership it is a guide to understand God's design for spiritual leaders. the twenty first century is the most advanced age in the history, but effective biblical leadership has never been more need. Clear guidance is given on how leaders can make a positive impact on the people and organizations they are currently leading. I personally like most scholars believe that leaders are both born and made.

                      The leader's character, for some people, the greatest challenge is becoming the kind of person that others want to follow. Leaders without followers are not leaders; they are simply out for a stroll. the issue of influence is critical, especially in Christian leadership. In people's attempts to enlist a following, some have resorted to developing the appearance of a leader rather than developing the character of a leader.

                      Let us think about Position in Character of the leader; In many areas position has been generally associated with authority and influence. Pastors were automatically respected by virtue of their position. As a result, would be leaders pursued positions and offices of prominence in order to gain the respect they desired. each call to a larger, more prestigious church brought great dignity to the aspiring minister, this is what I call illegitimate source of influence, the flaws in this idea; People can achieve influential positions without developing a character to match their assignment. People who use political or unethical means to  acquire positions lack the integrity they need to maintain the respect of those they lead. Both the secular and spiritual realms see countless men and women erroneously trying to satisfy their empty souls by amassing a following. The sad truth is that many Christian organizations and churches are led by people who sought an office for all the wrong reasons.

                    Let us think about Power in the character of the leader; History has thought us about Margaret Thatcher when she won a monumental third victory as prime minister of Great Britain during the 1980, she seemed an invincible political force. but members of her party chafed under a leader with such strong convictions. Ultimately her own party, not the opposition, forced her to resign. Once people chose not to follow, the most successful British leader of her era could no longer lead. Even the business world has realized that it cannot operate with a totalitarian mind set. There was a time when dominant business leaders such as Henry Ford could bully labor movements and make arrogant statements such as " Customers can have a car in any color they want, as long as it is black". this illegitimate source of influence are, the flaws in this idea are ; Christian leaders invite rebellion when they use force to achieve  their organizational goals. Pastors have used numerous strong arm tactics to get their way. Some have violent tempers. They are charming and cordial as long as church members submit to their leadership. Spiritual dictatorship can be the most oppressive form of tyranny. Some Christian leaders believe that God delegates his authority to leaders and that followers are obligated to submit to them unquestioningly as if they were obeying God.

                  Let us think of Personality in the character of the leader; as every child learns, there is usually more than one way to get what you want. If it doesn't come automatically[ position] and if bullying [ power] doesn't work, you can always turn on the charm![ personality] the flaws idea in this illegitimate source of influence are ; People often follow leaders because of his charisma and winsome personality. The popularity of a leader is not in itself a bad thing, but it cannot be the only thing. Great leaders build great organizations, not necessarily great reputations. Pastors who function more on personality than on true leadership qualities rarely stay in one place for long. Personality without purpose and charm without competence are recipes for ruin.

                 The legitimate sources of influence is God's authentication calling and blessing from above, two great example in the Bible is the calling of Moses and Joshua, by that leaders do not have to prove God is guiding them. God's presence will be unmistakable. Leaders like Samuel, Deborah, Elijah and many more did not to prove themselves about God's presence their character just reveal God. Charles Finney said ;" When God is pleased with a leader's life, his divine presence is unmistakable"

Thank you be all under the blessing of the almighty and let him make you all leader