King Solomon, who according to the Bible was the wisest man to ever live on earth, stressed the importance of self-discipline as leaders develops close associations with others. Read Proverbs 12:26.

Solomon spoke of the “righteous man” who is “cautious in friendships.” The need for self-discipline in choosing those friendships is brought to light in the second half of verse 26 when Solomon points out that that the “wicked leads them astray.” Read more »

Developing into an effective leader requires effort. Read Proverbs 12:24.

In his book The Winner Within, former player and NBA Coach Pat Riley reveals the effort it takes to be a leader on the floor: “Being a game player is a fiction some people use to excuse themselves from working as hard as they should. People who think they are game players are what coaches call ‘floaters.’ They float along on a cushion of talent or sheer physical size and strength. They don’t see what all the fuss over concentration and work ethic is about – until players of lesser talent start scoring in their face, quarter after quarter, simply because they are more in tune with their game…Eventually, every team (and player) has to learn that excellence isn’t a destination. It’s a process that must be continually improved.” Read more »

Effective leaders strive to develop self-discipline that will allow them to maintain perspective in the face of changing situations. Read Job 1:1-22.

During the four years I spent in the Marine Corp there was constant training to maintain self-discipline. The desired outcome of the training was to keep us safe and functioning at a high level whether under fire, in a situation that looked like we would surely die, or on liberty in a city or foreign port where drugs and prostitution were rampant. When a Marine had self-discipline the chances of victory over the changing situation increased exponentially. Read more »

The fruits of the Spirit of God are love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and patience. It is interesting that leaders great or unknown, empowered or restricted, experienced or at the beginning of their journey, wealthy or without financial resources can all experience the fruits of the Spirit without limit or restriction. Every leader should look introspectively on a regular basis and determine if these gifts from God are present, increasing or decreasing. One of the fruits that tends to be a gatekeeper to enjoying all the others is self-control. As we move through the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles it is good to stop and look at one leader that lost it all because of lack of self-control. Read 1 Chronicles 3:1.

In the genealogy of King David, Amnon was his first born. One might suppose the firstborn son of a great king was foreordained to do great things for his people. Yet Amnon will end up little more than a footnote in Israel’s history and forfeited any claim to leadership because of his lack of self-control (2 Samuel 13:1-19). Amnon’s lack of self-control led to the disgrace of his family, destroyed his half-sister’s life and eventually resulted in his own death at the hands of a vengeful half-brother. Read more »

Every leader has a will and emotions. Unless their will and emotions are committed to the glory of God every day even great leaders can lose perspective from time to time. Read 1 Samuel 25.

In yesterday’s study, we saw David demonstrate great humility, trust in God, discernment of God’s will and personal restraint when he spared King Saul’s life. God received glory because of David’s actions and even Saul, who lived in a dark world of fear, hatred and anger, repented of his ungodly actions. In today’s study, the same God-appointed leader allows his emotions to bring him to the brink of disaster when he is ready to murder another Israelite and his family for offending him through unfair treatment of his men. Read more »