Problems are part of every leader’s life. Effective leaders do not let problems paralyze them; they know that solutions usually exist. Read Genesis 37:5-36; 39:1-41:16.

Joseph dealt with everything from being tossed in a pit by his brothers and left to die, to being sold into slavery and transported to a foreign country, to false imprisonment and yet these problems did not stop him. Joseph could have taken any of these “problems” and lost faith in his situation and in God. It would be very difficult to imagine how long the last two years in prison seemed to Joseph after the release of Pharaoh’s cupbearer who had promised to speak to Pharaoh on Joseph’s behalf because Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream. If Joseph had put his faith in people instead of God, this incident could have crushed his spirit.

Some individuals have greater natural leadership gifts than others but all the skills of leadership can be learned and developed. If you think it will happen overnight – think again! Effective leaders need time to develop. Read about the life of Joseph from Genesis 37:1-50:22.

Joseph was the son of Jacob’s old age. He was intelligent, favored by his father and had God’s hand on him. Joseph had a lot of natural leadership gifts but he didn’t have experience, people skills, discipline, humility or good timing.

We have all served with good leaders and leaders that left a lot to be desired. Read Genesis 25:29-34 and 27:1-30.

Jacob stole the birthright from Esau. Later, with the help of his mother, Jacob stole the blessing of his father. Leaders can use several methods to bring their influence to bear. The following methods of leadership (influence) go from worst to first:

If leadership is influence, then people have a natural form of leadership that can be seen almost from birth. Read Genesis 25:26-32:32.

Jacob wielded great influence from the very beginning. He turned Isaac’s household upside down. In Genesis 25 his mother Rebekah, having a difficult pregnancy, inquired of God and found out that the older son, Esau, would serve the younger son Jacob. Now in this culture, that news will stir things up. Later, when seeking a bride, Jacob’s presence and influence turned his uncle Laban’s household upside down.

Similar to our education system, every leader will be asked to pass certain “tests” before there is a promotion to the next level. We have all been in situations where we were given a little to manage and as we proved we could handle the tasks, pressure, budget, timeline, manage the team, etc. we were given more responsibility. For the Christian leader, God provides tests as measures of progress in our character, our trust in Him and our willingness to serve out of love for Him and people. Read Genesis 22:1-18.

God called Abraham to climb Mount Moriah and sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. The very same miracle son he and Sarah had waited their whole lives for. God’s test to see if Abraham was qualified to become the father of the Hebrew people was to make Abraham choose between Him and his beloved son. Only after Abraham passed the test in his heart (and in his attitude) did God provide a replacement sacrifice and spare Isaac. Just a side note – Abraham’s trial foreshadowed what God intended to do with His one and only Son thousands of years later (the replacement sacrifice for each of us).