Some reading this leadership study began influencing people in their teen years and now have decades of leadership experience. God gifted us with experience and expects us to use that experience to become the best leader we can be and thereby bring honor to His name. Generally with experience comes stronger, more well rounded leadership and fewer mistakes, but there is a danger for the Christian leader that comes with experience—when we become leadership professionals, we tend to rely on our own knowledge, wisdom and experience rather than continuing to look for a fresh touch from God in our daily leadership life. Read 2 Chronicles 14-16.

Early in the leadership life of King Asa of Judah, Asa used his God-given abilities and position to influence the people of Judah to follow the Lord and trust Him. He served his subjects by fortifying their towns and protecting them with a strong military force. God honored his prayers of dependence by giving him victory when his army was outnumbered and, from every human standpoint, should have been defeated by a vast Cushite army. Asa led reformations for God in the Southern kingdom of Judah in such a way that his influence spread beyond his own borders and many individuals living in the northern kingdom, under totally different leadership, were impacted and entered into a renewed covenant with the one true God.

Leaders need wisdom to make informed and judicious decisions. We tend to think wisdom is something gained only through years of experience and to some extent this is true. If a leader pays attention and learns from successes and failures they will make better decisions based on experience and display a form of wisdom. But there is more to gaining wisdom than experience. Read 1 Kings 3.

Solomon had just become king of Israel taking over from his father David. He had big shoes to fill and like it or not would be evaluated and judged by his first decisions. A young man without experience being held to the standard of excellence of an experienced wise leader! Only a man endowed with God’s wisdom from the first days of his reign would have the ability to succeed in this situation.

Every leader will experience some success and some failure. It seems God allows this both for our good and our development as the person needed to fulfill His plan. Some leaders will experience overpowering situations and great brokenness on their way to becoming the leader God wants them to be. Our reaction to being totally broken will determine how God uses us when we are restored to more normal situations. Read 2 Samuel 18:19-33.

In the Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell discusses this topic in his notes on Brokenness.

People follow those whose leadership they respect. The less skilled follow the more highly skilled. In general, followers seek those who are better leaders than themselves. Read Judges 4:1-16.

Few women in Deborah’s day rose to leadership positions but Deborah’s leadership gifts commanded respect of both men and women. Even Barak, the military commander of the northern tribes of Israel, sought her help.

God established certain laws and principles that everyone lives by. Even leaders God specifically chooses need time and experience to grow and prepare for effective leadership. Read Exodus 2:1-4:31.

Because of a law passed by Pharaoh concerning Jewish baby boys, Moses was one of a few of his generation that survived and then only through divine circumstances. Ironically, Moses not only survived but was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter as part of Pharaoh’s extended family. Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh’s family learning how to be a royal leader.