Conflict management can take on many forms. Read John 8:48-59.

As His public ministry was nearing an end, the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees became more frequent and more divisive. In today’s scriptures the words exchanged between Jesus and the Pharisees were very pointed as Jesus stood toe-to-toe with those who desired to discredit Him.

Effective leaders have the persistence to overcome obstacles. Read Mark 2:1-12.

Jesus’ reputation as a teacher of God’s law and as a man who could heal the sick and perform other miracles had spread among the people. Crowds were getting so large whenever Jesus spoke in public that it became difficult for people to get their sick friends to Jesus for healing. When four men, carrying a man on a stretcher, tried to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus there was no possible way to get him through the crowds and into the house where Jesus was teaching. They did not give up; they climbed to the roof, tore a hole in the roof and lowered him into the room where Jesus was teaching and he was healed.

Skilled leaders will urge their team to take appropriate risks and then offer them a hand if they begin to falter. Read Matthew 14:22-36.

Not only did Jesus repeatedly demonstrate courage and take risks but He also encouraged His followers to take risks. After John the Baptist’s death, Jesus took some time to minister to crowds that had followed Him into a remote region of Judea and when they dispersed, He sent a few of His closest team members away by boat while He took some time alone to pray, grieve, and find personal renewal. Jesus’ closest friends had been in the boat all night, but with the wind against them, still hadn’t reached the other side of the lake. To their great surprise, and terror, just before dawn, they saw a figure they believed to be a ghost, walking on the water coming toward the boat.

Leaders must have courage. Sooner or later leaders will be required to stand for their values against powerful adversaries. Read Matthew 3:1-10.

The prophet Isaiah had foretold of another prophet that would precede the Messiah. Isaiah said there would be “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” John the Baptist was the prophet Isaiah identified. He was Jesus cousin and was approximately six months older than Jesus. John’s ministry was to call the Jewish people to repentance so their heart would be ready for Jesus’ message of repentance. John courageously called for the Jewish people to turn from their sinful lives and live out what they claimed to believe.

It takes courage for a leader to speak the truth in the face of opposition. Read Zephaniah 1:1-18.

Zephaniah served as God’s prophet from 635-630 B.C., nearly five years before Jeremiah’s ministry and approximately 50 years before Babylon captured and destroyed Jerusalem. Zephaniah was a contemporary of King Josiah. Josiah was a God-honoring king and sought to bring reform after nearly 60 years of God-defying leadership by Manasseh and Amon. Zephaniah saw that Josiah’s efforts for revival were forcing external change but that the people needed to be transformed in their heart and re-establish core truths that generated true obedience to God. Zephaniah called the people to look at their motives, their desires, their private lives and their heart. He touched a chord that challenged the people to address issues that most leaders fear to bring up.