Lead WellSample

How’s your heart?

In leadership, our lives are poured out continually. We give, we speak, we serve, we lead, we take the high road, we take the criticism, we mourn with others, we celebrate with others and on and on. Leadership is tiring, and if we are not careful, our spiritual lives can go on autopilot. Rather than a vibrant and growing faith, we follow the same routine and rely on emotional or spiritual highs to sustain us. So, how’s your heart? Are you in a rut? Are you so busy doing ministry, that you are running on empty? Is your compassion or service out of obligation rather than flowing from your heart?

Jesus gives us a great example of how to lead: continually go to God, the source. Prior to selecting the twelve disciples, Jesus went away to pray ALL NIGHT! Prior to His arrest and trial, Jesus went to the garden to pray ALL NIGHT! He prayed in private, public, before meals, before decisions, before miracles, before sermons; He was about as close as it gets to praying without ceasing! If Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, found it critical to pray, how much more should we?

Your ability to lead will rise and fall on your devotional and prayer life. Your time with God or not with God will cause your heart to grow or decrease. A vibrant devotional and prayer life leads to a heart that is full and anchored in God, ready to tackle whatever God calls you to. A flat-lined spiritual life will lead to routine and rigidity in the ministry to God’s people. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” If you want to lead well, first start by leading yourself well. Care for your own spirituality. Be the foremost disciple following God’s leading and teaching. Perfection is not what He is after, but He is looking for people that are after His heart.

Most pastors who fail in ministry will tell you they let their guard down and neglected their personal devotion time. They were so busy DOING ministry, they lost the heart for why they started doing it in the first place. Their personal sin and heart issues were never dealt with because they were busy discipling everyone else.

Lead well by attending to your heart.

1. THINK ABOUT IT How’s my heart? What have I been putting off dealing with in my personal spirituality?

2. REFLECT How is my devotional life? What can I do to improve my time spent praying and reading scripture? How much time do I spend reading the Bible that is not related to preparing a sermon?

3. PRAY Lord, help me to draw closer to you every day. Reveal to me what I have become blind to, and give me the grace and wisdom to make adjustments. When I feel empty, help me first to come to you.