LEADERSHIP AND ITS CHALLENGES
According to Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, A leader is someone who is responsible for or in control of a group, organisation, country etc. From this definition, a leader has an important role to play during his tenure of office so as to bring out an expected result.
Challenges are regarded as encounter faced and the skill used to face the encounter/fight and win.
People are ready to follow a leader who relates properly and produces results. The Israelites devotedly followed Moses because they saw indescribable miracles of God wrought through him in addition to his being meek, considerate, passionate and purposeful. When God calls; He gives the assurance, approval, allocations and anointing. Therefore, as long as leaders obey and follow God, they would continue to get unbelievable results that would glorify God.
WHY LEADERS FAIL
1. Unfaithfulness – taking away or adding to instructions;
Saul – I Sam 15
2. Carelessness in morals – Samson – Judges 14:1, 16:1
Solomon – Neh. 13:26
3. Independent life; you don’t want to work under anybody, try to be alone, no adviser, no counsellor.
- Joshua listen Moses
- Jesus listen to His father
4. Oppression of workers under the leader II Chro. 16:7-10
5. Lack of working with goal, evaluation and invention
6. Self confidence and prayerlessness
7. Pride – taking credit for success and passing blame for failure
8. Worldliness; Rom 12:1-2
9. Laziness.
OVERCOMING LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
Preparation for leadership involves a lot of painful testing. This is because you are being trained to stand the fierce pressures that befall a leader.
Christian leadership isn’t glamorous; it is warfare. You are at war with satan and the world. Members, workers and fellow Christians may misunderstand you. Along with this, you are often times criticized by people motivated by jealousy or fear.
The Bible account of Moses in the book of Numbers is an accurate picture of what is involved in leadership. Moses was responsible for about two million and five hundred thousand people (2,500,000). They were a bunch of grumbling, complaining, backbiting rebels, easily forget God. They formulated rebellion one after another. Even Moses’ own brother and sister were critical of him and challenged his leadership (and were judged for it).
A measure of the stress that a man of God suffers in leadership is illustrated in the lives of both Moses and Elijah.
MOSES: Even though Moses had many years of preparation, the pressures became so great that Moses asked God to kill him. Num 11:11-15. Leadership has some very heavy burdens that go with it. Moses was so discouraged and depressed with the situation, he wanted to die.
ELIJAH: Elijah also had a challenge in his ministry, it came after his greatest triumph, when he had called down fire from Heaven and killed the four hundred prophets of Baal.
There is a price to pay to be a leader. If the preparation seems hard, just remember: the pressures that go with prominent leadership will be much harder than the training that got you there.
The advice for new leaders
(1) Wait on the Lord in prayer and fasting
(2) Depend more on God; Isa. 40:29
(3) Confess the Word; Phi 4:13, Lk 10:19
(4) Exchange your strength for his strength; Isa. 40:30-31
(5) Hearing God’s voice; Matt 4:4
(6) Obey God’s voice
(7) Patiently endure
(8) Maintain a right attitude
“So, my dear brethren in the Lord, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted……………” I Cor 15:58.
AKANNI CALEB ABIOLA
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
OKE-IMOLE, HOLY GHOST CENTRE
ARAROMI ZONE, OSOGBO, OSUN STATE
NIGERIA
e-mail: akannicaleb80@yahoo.com
tel no: 234-8035761347
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