(Post by: Madie Hobbs)
I think all of us are born with an inherent desire to be good leaders. It is an aspiration built into our DNA that cannot be easily avoided. It can be warped, however. In my last post, this main error was the topic of discussion, and I wrote to you about the weakness often found in 21st century leaders and the impact they have on others.
After this post, the Lord prompted me to focus on the qualities of good leaders more pointedly, and how I can become one. Last time, I wrote to you briefly about these good qualities, and how they can often lead to a less than luxurious life, but today I wanted to discuss with you some of the specific things the Lord has been revealing to me recently as He crafts me into the leader I feel He is calling me to be.
Something I have noticed a lot about good leaders, which I mentioned in a recent podcast episode (CLICK HERE to listen), is that a good leader always has a tight-knit group of people he has specifically and strategically chosen to advise him in his decisions. Now, understand that when I say he is strategic in this, I do not imply he is surrounding himself with men who will always be in favor of what he wants. I mean he is strategic in that he has devoted a great deal of time and prayer in the consideration process of choosing this group. He has chosen them for very specific reasons, such as, they display the humility he wishes to have in his own life, they will challenge him to think outside the box or reign in his ideas to something more manageable, they will care about his cause just as much as he does, etc.
These people are few and far between. In our consumer society, we have created generations of competitive, self-absorbed creatures who care far less for others than they should. Creatures who will sabotage and mock every chance they get.
When you find someone who supports you and will carry you when the burden you carry gets too heavy, hold onto them fiercely.
This group can be vitally important, thus the reason Jesus and the Apostles belabor its usefulness throughout Scripture in the form of the Church, because this can help direct the energy of a great leader toward the things he should specifically be focusing on. He has decided, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that he will take his main advice from the Lord and this group, and all other voices will be considered, but not absorbed, unless he is instructed by one of his two sources to do so.
Another thing the Lord has revealed to me is the way all good leaders have a very clear-cut view of their enemy. This is one of the most important things they can possess. When we do not understand what we are leading others to fight, or not fight, against, we enter very dangerous territory. Those who look to us for leadership expect us to have the answers necessary to defeat the enemy we are fighting against, which is a perfectly reasonable expectation. When a leader has this focus on what his enemy is, this can also help him to stay focused simply on that enemy.
A problem facing the American church today is a lack of understanding in this department. Instead of being led to understand our enemy, his tactics, and how to defeat him, we are being kept in the dark and stripped of our armor. This allows us to get incredibly sidetracked and forget who our enemy actually is, and before we know it, we are fighting with everyone around us because we don’t have a specific place to focus our efforts.
A good leader is one who holds himself to an even higher standard than the one to which he holds others. This is often the most challenging goal he is asked to accomplish, but one he perseveres through and succeeds in. The only reason it is acceptable for him to expect so much from someone else is because he expects and completes far more himself. This is not meant to stoke his ego or give him some kind of superiority complex. Rather the opposite. He should be expecting so much out of himself, that without Divine intervention, his goals would not be attainable. This is a practice which, when done correctly, keeps him humble and understanding.
Without humility, his entire calling crumbles.
Finally, a good leader is one who rushes headlong into battle in front of those under his command. He is one who faces the terror of the battlefield with determination, grit, and courage. He acknowledges the fear of his troops, acknowledges the fear lurking in his own heart, and says that on this day that fear will not win. This day he must fight, even if no other will fight with him. Any leader who is willing to sit back, or even flee, while sending others into the battle he should be winning is a pathetic specimen who should not be trusted even with a little.
In the words of General George Patton, “No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.”
SO, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?
= In what area do you need to become a better and more courageous leader?
= What are you going to do differently?
The Few 
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