Everyone Is Leading SomeoneSample

Taking Inventory: Assess Your Present Situation

How can you lead anyone from point A to point B unless you know where you are? A strong, truthful assessment of the present is crucial to lead your family and organization toward God’s will and into the future. Consider these questions.

• What are we doing well?
• What aspects of our history have been homeruns?
• What are our fears?
• What is my deepest prayer for this group?
• What short-term wins could build credibility and confidence?
• What does the preferable future look like?

While you study the present, you may become restless at times for God to give you the vision for your future. People will ask for direction, and heaven will seem too quiet. Wait on God to bring the vision. It will come. 

Direction is discovered in His presence. Instead of allowing the pressure of decision making to drive a leader toward doubt or discouragement, it should drive them to a place of seeking and trusting God. The tent of meeting is the place we all long for: where God is present, His guidance is available, and His instruction is clear. When Moses emerged from the tent after each meeting, his face shone so brightly with the glory of God that the Israelites were amazed, and even a little frightened. They were watching their leader.

Leaders who spend time with God are great leaders, parents are better parents and friends are better friends. Our spouses and kids are depending upon us to help them navigate the difficult waters of life. They are asking questions of us, pushing our buttons, seeking our help —and we must respond from a resource deeper than our own strength or wisdom. We need God to lead us, so that we can effectively lead them.

If you don’t spend time consistently with the Lord, you are not going to know what you, your family, your church or your organization need most. Those prioritized times alone in the presence of God should be the deep source from which you lead. You need it—and those you lead need you to have it! They need to know that you are not leading from a self-help book or your opinions, but from a higher Source of wisdom and strength. Otherwise, when pushed, your followers may abandon your opinions, and follow their own instead. If we lead by guesses and not by divine guidance, chaos will ultimately rule.