Kingdom Leadership Series: How to Lead Like God Leads

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Part 4: Gods Leadership Deployed

I. Introduction
A. Our greatest enemy is not sin . . . its ignorance.

Ephesians 4:17-18 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (KJV)
Ignorance is the absence of knowledge. It means not to know through lack of information.

B. The absence of knowledge leads to destruction.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . . (NKJV) destroyed means to be dumb or silent, to be brought to silence; hence to fail and be cut down.

C. Keep speaking the Word!

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (KJV) Matthew 8:8 . . . speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

D. If ignorance is my greatest enemy, then knowledge of the Word of God is my greatest friend.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (KJV)

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (KJV)

E. Wisdom is seeing life from Gods point of view and tracing problems to violations of His principles. (Bill Gothard)
Know that you are deceived to the extent that you do not see things through My eyes. (The Lord to Catherine Brown) The key to your mental, emotional, physical and financial well being is aligning your thoughts, your philosophy and your understanding of how the world works with the principles of God that are found in His Word. Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever . . . (NKJV)

II. How God Himself Leads: Gods Leadership Style

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (KJV)

A. With love.
1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (NKJV) Deuteronomy 32:9-12 For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him . . . (KJV)

Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. (NKJV) B. Clearly and constantly.
Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (KJV) Psalm 27:11 Tell me what to do, O Lord, and make it plain because I am surrounded by waiting enemies. (TLB)

C. With peace.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule ( = to submit or refer for decision; toumpire) in your hearts . . . (KJV) Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep ( = to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard as a sentinel) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (KJV) When faced with a choice, choose the alternative that leaves you with the most peace. God leads with an inner witness of peace.

D. In righteousness.
Psalm 23:3 . . . He leads me in the paths of righteousness ( = that which is altogether just and right) For His name's sake. (NKJV) When faced with a decision concerning what to do, if a particular course of action would cause you to do something that is unjust or unrighteous from the standpoint of what you know about the Bible, you can be sure God is not leading you in that direction.

E. By teaching.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. (KJV) Isaiah 48:17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (KJV)

F. Through the narrow gate. Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (NKJV)

G. Safely.
Psalm 78:52-53 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. (KJV)

III. Kingdom Leadership in the Workplace: Practical Applications

Leadership is the art by which you invest your human capital. (Tom Peters) A. Establish a clear and compelling vision. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish . . . (KJV)

Vision is leader initiated.

The leader sees things others do not see. His job at the outset is to articulate what he is seeing and lay out a path for his organization to follow.

Provision is always linked to vision. (Chuck Pierce)

Matthew 15:14 . . . And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (KJV)

Visionary companies outperform non-visionary companies by a factor of ten or more.

Jewish survivors of Auschwitz had a compelling vision of the future . . . something they had to get done before they died. The person who lost faith in the future died shortly thereafter. (Mans Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankel)
The vision should be positively inspiring and be able to engage the hearts and minds of the people. Work associates who have difficulty embracing the vision are probably in the wrong organization. Catch the vision or catch the bus. Strategy, goals and performance indicators should be linked to the vision statement.

B. Encourage the heart.

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad. (AMP) The foundation of great leadership is love, respect and esteem for your people. Lead to inspire, demonstrating passion for our mission and compassion for our people. (Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Naval Operations) Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (NKJV)

Up to 90% of people at work feel they have never once been genuinely recognized by a manager or supervisor. Only one significant factor distinguished the upper quartile of successful managers from the lower quartile of unsuccessful managers: Caring. (Jody Taylor, Center for Creative Leadership)
Recognize and treat each person as an individual. No two people are alike. Look at your fingerprint: theres only one of you. One size never fits all . . . one size fits one.

C. Exercise leadership that liberates. John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (KJV) Kingdom leadership seeks to liberate, not control. It has the best interests of each person at heart consistent with achieving the mission of the organization. Over controlling discourages employees and squelches creativity. Kingdom leaders abandon themselves to the strengths of others. (Max DePree)

D. Establish a working environment that is free from fear.

Fear triggers insecurity and stifles initiative. 70% of people are afraid to speak up for fear of making career limiting utterances. (Driving Fear Out of the Workplace, Josey-Bass)

Physiological response to communication: Every word spoken to a person measurably affects every cell in the body. (James J. Lynch, Ph. D., University of Maryland School of Medicine)

1 John 4:18 We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us . . . (TLB) Love lifts, supports and encourages employee commitment to the goals of the organization.
If you want the best things to happen in corporate life, you have to find ways to be hospitable to the unusual person. (Max DePree) Be visible and approachable. Reach out to your people. Become a good active listener.

E. Build and maintain trust.

Love begets trust.

Psalm 36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. (NKJV)
Trust also flows from honoring your word and doing what you said youre going to do. Psalm 15:1-4 Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? . . . He who keeps his oath even when it hurts. (NIV)

Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (NKJV) F. Express appreciation.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say, Thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. (Max DePree) 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Dear brothers, giving thanks to God for you is not only the right thing to do, but it is our duty to God because of the really wonderful way your faith has grown and because of your growing love for each other. (TLB)

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. (NIV)

Physiology of Valuing: When a person feels genuinely seen or heard, the eyes moisten. (David Myers, Ph.D., and John Locke, Ph.D.) Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy. (NKJV) Konosuke Matsushita observed and praised his employees gifts and creativity, thanked them, and then bowed to them! In the process he built one of the worlds most successful companies. Recognize and reward team members for successful achievement. Celebrate successes!

G. Additional attributes of kingdom leaders:

1. Integrity

2. Sense of humor . . . able to laugh at self

3. Good teacher and communicator 4. Focused

5. Decisive
6. Manage time well

7. Win-win mentality 8. Keep it simple 9. Build the team 10. Mental toughness and physical stamina Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. (NKJV) IV. Close

The measure of leadership is not the quality of the head, but the tone of the body. (Max DePree)
Copyright 2006 by Bill Fries. All rights reserved.
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