Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Leaders may need to earn their influence but the authority of a godly leader comes from God. Read 2 Samuel 1.

When David hears that King Saul and his son Jonathan have died in battle, he mourns deeply for his friend Jonathan. But David also weeps for Saul the man who: Read more »

A large portion of my working life was spent working in the film industry creating films that delivered a godly message. Sometimes it is uncomfortable being a ministry leader among marketplace leaders. The life of Samuel gives some insight to those living in this situation. Read 1 Samuel 9:1-15:31.

God has a role for the ministry leader (priest) and the marketplace leader (king). In order to be effective the priest (ministry leader) must settle the issue of personal security while the king (marketplace leader) must settle their position before God concerning personal submission. Ministry leaders will fail in their role if they feel intimidated and marketplace leaders will fail if they feel independent of God or the ministry leaders He appoints. Read more »

As we transition from Samuel to other leaders in the book of 1 Samuel, it will be helpful to look at the difference between a real leader and the person that may be in charge. Some of the Biblical leaders that had positional authority were godly leaders but not all of them. A godly leader will demonstrate personal authority and the person in charge is generally granted positional authority. Some leaders will have both and some only one but if you must choose, choose personal authority. Read 1 Samuel 9, 10 and 13.

John Maxwell hits the nail squarely on the head concerning leaders and the person merely put in charge in his notes in The Maxwell Leadership Bible: Read more »

Yesterday’s devotional looked at the respect generated by Deborah’s character and actions. With respect comes authority. Read Judges 4.

In general leaders exercise authority on five levels: Read more »

A built in question for a Christian leader is “When does human planning get in the way of trusting God for results?” Or conversely, “When does faith become a leader’s presumption on God, expecting God to do for us what He expects us to do for ourselves?” Read Joshua 8:1-29.

In Chapter 7 we read of the debacle that took place in the first attack of Ai. In Chapter 8 Joshua demonstrates a balance between faith and human planning as the Israelites prepare to attack Ai a second time. God ordered the attack and instructed Joshua to “Set an ambush behind the city,” but gave few other details of the attack. Once God had given Joshua the green light, Joshua planned and carried out the particulars of the attack. Once Joshua knew he had God’s blessing on the project, he gave clear orders to his army in obedience to God’s instruction. There was no hint of uncertainty or indecisiveness; instead, his commands were clear, authoritative and specific. Read more »