Structure and organization has a way of turning chaos into an effective use of resources. Read 1 Corinthians 14:40.

This verse, in a chapter on worship structure, furnishes a valuable glimpse into the public worship of the first-century churches. It stresses that order, structure, form, unity, like mindedness and mutual regard should prevail when believers gather together.

One measure of a leader’s effectiveness is their problem-solving skills. Read Nehemiah 6:1-14.

While the walls were taking shape in Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s enemies Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, themselves powerful leaders, tried to sidetrack him with a number of different strategies:

A leader’s character is always on trial. If we do not build character and keep working at maintaining that character we will become ineffective and unproductive in our leadership. Read 1 Kings 11:1-13.

1 Kings 10:23 says, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.” There has never been another leader that had the splendor Solomon had during his reign as king of Israel. Yet, at the height of his leadership, Solomon compromised his commitments to God through his marriages to foreign women.

If you have been serving as a leader for very long you already know that leadership requires courage. We are not talking about the Hollywood one-time event that puts your name in the headlines but the day to day inner courage that holds your team together when every indication around them could cause fear. Read 1 Samuel 9:1-13:14.

According to 9:2 and 10:23 Saul had the advantage of an impressive physical appearance. Unfortunately, the impressive exterior wasn’t matched by an equal inner strength. Inner strength can’t be measured as easily with first impressions. The inner strength of a leader can only be measured by watching their actions over time. Observe the leadership of Saul:

The Bible is very clear that no leader should be involved in leadership for the honor or recognition. My own personal experience has been that many of us took responsibility to lead the first few times seeking recognition but found that very shallow and unfulfilling. The price of leadership is so high that recognition alone doesn’t sustain the motivation needed to lead. Yet, God created the feeling we get from recognition. Read Judges 4.

Israel had been under the iron rule of King Jabin of Canaan who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army had a powerful force including 900 iron chariots manned by expert, experienced, proven horsemen and soldiers. From all known military understanding, with Israel’s lack of central leadership and the divisions between tribes, and the lack of a standing army, Israel did not have a chance to defeat them.