God always keeps His promises but in His time and in His way. Leaders who have prayed about an issue and received a promise from God need to trust and not doubt. Leaders tend to doubt when they look only at circumstances rather than trusting in God. Read Genesis 18:9-15 and Genesis 21:1-7.

Sarah was 89 and Abraham was 99 and they were still childless. Sarah, ease dropping at the door of their tent, heard a visitor tell Abraham that within a year he and Sarah would have a child. When Sarah heard this she laughed to herself. Who wouldn’t have? Their circumstances were impossible. At just the moment of fulfillment to a life of clinging to God’s promise, Sarah doubted. Every leader needs to hear what God said to Sarah in Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Abraham is still held in high esteem by Jews and Gentiles alike. His name seems synonymous with respect and leadership. At least one of the reasons Abraham still enjoys this position of respect is because Abraham followed through on his commitments. Genesis 12-22

When defining leadership, many people have used the very succinct definition by J. Oswald Sanders where he simply states “Leadership is influence.” Every leader has a sphere of influence, people to whom their influence is direct and an extended sphere of influence where their influence is transferred through the next generation. According to Genesis 6:9 God chose Noah to be an influencer of an entire world starting over because “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God.” Read Genesis 6-11.

Just a glimpse at Noah’s sphere of influence comes when we understand a few facts about Noah’s life.

Throughout history, when delegating leadership responsibility, God has looked for individuals with specific character traits rather than certain skills or physical qualifications. Read Genesis 6:5-7:1.

Humankind had grown so evil that God pledged to destroy it and all living things on earth (6:7). But the Lord’s pronouncement of judgment did not come without hope; God chose Noah, a righteous man, a man whose everyday actions indicated that he lived out his belief in God, to take the lead to save a remnant.

An effective leader works consistently to become a better communicator. The constant restatement of goals is critical to effective communication. Read Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-6.

Adam was the first spiritual leader. In 2:16-17, before Eve was on the scene, God told Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” As God’s leader, one of Adam’s assignments was to insure Eve knew the boundaries God had established before she was with him.