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.

Leaders succeed as they find ways to successfully communicate their organization’s vision. Micah 4:1-5.

Micah not only announced judgment on the Jewish people but also brought a message of hope concerning God’s plan for the future. Micah proclaimed a vision of a better day. People could get excited about the message because during the last days the “house of the Lord” would be a strategic, influential, equipping place. The Lord’s temple would be established and Jerusalem would be chief among all the cities. Because God gave Micah His words, he was equally as effective communicating vision for a positive future as he had been proclaiming judgment.

A strong vision for the future gives hope. Read Isaiah 4:2-6.

It has been said that without a vision the people will perish. Isaiah had previously given messages to the residents of Judah concerning their wickedness and rebellion against God leaving them little hope. Because of their wickedness Judah and Jerusalem would suffer God’s discipline. The people desperately needed to hear that there was also a vision for the future that brought hope following the judgment. Isaiah 4 illustrates an extraordinary vision of the future of the Jewish people after a time of hardship.

Wise leaders go boldly but not blindly into their future. Read Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.

The fast paced world of today’s leaders forces them to take calculated risks, proactively establish goals, and develop momentum toward those goals without all the facts. The demands on leaders to complete tasks and move on generally won’t allow them to wait for the perfect conditions before making a decision and taking action. Both the risks and moving forward before conditions are perfect are excursions into unexplored territory and will draw on a leader’s courage and discernment.

Augustine had an insight about God that is often quoted and remains true today, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Leaders need to have passion for their work but a job can never truly satisfy their deepest need for purpose. Read Psalm 84:1-12.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the richest man to ever live in the world, King Solomon, tries to find satisfaction through human achievement. He says, “What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:9-11). No earthbound person, position or possession can truly satisfy any leader. As a Christian leader our passion for the Savior needs to drive and define our purpose for living.