Good morning guys! 2nd Samuel chapter 23.
After reading this chapter I asked myself these two questions:
- What is the key to being a great leader for the Lord? Striving for righteousness and Living in the fear of the Lord.
If you do these two things the Holy Spirit will speak through you and your words will be anointed by God.
- What is the key to becoming a Great and mighty warrior for the Lord where you can do the impossible? Same as above being righteous and living in the fear of the Lord. But also having faith in what God can do. You're willing to step out in faith with confidence that God will do what he says he will do.
Lord help me to live in the fear of you that I am motivated by your spirit to do what is right so that I am holy and righteous in your sight. And help me to know when to step out in faith with confidence so that you can do Great and mighty things in my life and through my life. Use me to reach lost souls.
We read about David’s mighty men in this chapter. I agree with Pastor Blair that to be a great leader, one should strive for righteousness and live in the fear of the Lord with a willingness to step out in faith.
When looking at great leaders, I also think about how they show the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
There are several other Bible verses that come to my mind including Matthew 6:33 (seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness), John 13:14-15 (serving like Jesus), Proverbs 3:5-6 (trusting God with all our heart) and Micah 6:8 (requirements). The 1st chapter of Titus lists qualifications for elders and I’m sure there are probably many other Bible verses and passages that could also be looked at to see even more qualities and keys to being a great leader.
I will share Micah 6:8 as I think that it contains a few key ingredients.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
3 Key Ingredients of a Great Leader
1. Be fair and just. Do what’s right. Don’t show favoritism. (James 2:9 & Jude 1:16)
2. Love kindness. Treat others the way that you want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12 & Luke 6:31)
3. Walk humbly with God. I think this includes both living in the fear of the Lord and walking by faith. I think it also means to not become prideful or full of selfishness along the way, but to give God all of the glory that He deserves. (2 Corinthians 5:7, Philippians 2:3, James 4:10 & 1 John 1:7)