Spiritual Leadership is Bold. You need to remember that you are a Child of God. We each make ethical decisions every day.
Pastor Tom Holliday of Alexandria Presbyterian Church spoke on Sunday in his series on Spiritual Leadership.
I sat forward, taking notes. These talks have been deeply treasured in the sermons and the small group meetings. I pass along a few quotes.
He emphasized that a Leader is one that is able to be a “Bold Petitioner”. His meaning was clarified as he went to one target point.
A leader is one that is able to Pray Boldly.
That means that he (or she) is able to go before God with boldness and ask specifically for what is needed. More, it is asking with audacity which means fearlessness. We are taught that this kind of fearlessness is gained through deep faith in God and by the power of the Holy Spirit in petition.
When we plead in prayer on behalf of others or for the needs of God’s Kingdom, the heart’s passion increases in proportion to our ability to see the great outpouring of God’s Heart. We gaze into the majesty of His Nature. Seeing His miraculous love, we plead the burdens of those that we pray for.
We all have a “work” to do in this world, he explained. God’s Kingdom is filled with all kinds of people. We are advocates, legislatures, professionals, homemakers, parents, we are the ethical decision-makers in homes everywhere, cities, nations. This is life.
But when we step forward, and live in step with the Holy Spirit we learn that our lives are not only about ourselves. We are to love as we have been loved- our hearts are to turn outward.
A Leader learns that Our lives are not only about ourselves, The heart turns outward
We plead in prayer, on the behalf of others for the sake of God’s Kingdom. It is most effective though when we learn to become desperate. He explains that the word desperate does not mean anxious, it means “your deepest longing”, the first need of your heart in life.
He explained that Leaders need to be desperate because they need to develop the insight, stamina and courage to see the enemies poised against the Kingdom of God. There is evil perpetrated against the Kingdom of God. You will become desperate when you see this, he says. He quotes Ephesians 6:12–
Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Leaders remember that they are a Child of God.
He asked, Are you playing it safe or are you saying, I am a child of God? He continues, Who are you pleaded for? Is it for your family?
Again, Pastor Tom asks us to remember that this life is not just about ourselves. Not even just about our own families. They fill our hearts tenderly. They teach us to love. In our communities we extend to fellowship and we reach towards one another. As we grow in life and especially in the life of prayer, we witness that we are part of God’s Family.
We are all part of The Family of God, this is His Kingdom.
Our work is not just for ourselves. Imagine that you were a potter fashioning a work to be sent out, know that everything that you ‘make’ matters. It is useful. Each decision that we make has an effect on all of the lives around us.
He used the word “Ethical-decision makers”. That is all of us. It is our hearts, the clearinghouse within that is subject to God’s review. Each moment contains a “decision” that we are making.
Every decision that we make is an ethical one.
No moment is stagnant. The potency of life is seeded by God within us by His Spirit. Knowing this, can we afford to be wasteful? How can we not realize our potential to be good and effective spiritual leaders? Each person has a role. We can all act and be potent in our lives. Each ethical-decision is ours to make. We are all leaders. Let us Pray Boldly as a part of leadership.
© 2019 Linda Willows
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