TRANSFORMED LEADERSHIP SERIES by Abu Bako
The Seven Fundamental Leadership Questions you must answer to be successful as a leader:
Today, we will look at the last installment of the last major aspect of our conversation on this question of identity as a leader . . . WHO AM I, WHO ARE YOU?
We seek to conclude with a discussion on THE HEART!
In the last post, we looked at the fact that to be true leaders, we must be LEADERS AT HEART, SHEPHERDS, WHO KNOW & CARE FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS . . . TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE READY TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE “SHEEP or Livestock” . . .
In fact, Jesus invites us to imbibe His gentle and humble heart: the heart of a true shepherd, ready to lay down His life for the sheep/followers . . . How ready are you?
As a matter of fact, we are NOT and Cannot be possessed by our positions &/or our possessions! These are the least of our concerns, we are more concerned about the LORD’s reputation and the welfare of those we lead, like Jesus, the perfect example of a ‘meek & lowly heart’ and Moses, ‘the meekest man on earth’ (Matthew 11:29 & Numbers 12:3) . . .
We saw that TRUE IDENTITY IS OF THE HEART & NOT ABOUT STATURE. Also, that God’s standard of identification, evaluation & validation is the heart: To truly know anyone, beginning with yourself, you need to look at the heart . . .
Since according to Proverbs 27:19, your true identity and that of others, is that of the heart. In the NIV it says, “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”
Today, we look at the examples of Mary and David.
THE HUMBLE & SUBMISSIVE HEART (MARY)
In Luke chapters 1 & 2, we see the story of the coming of Jesus through Mary. According to Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel went to Mary, who was a virgin (pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David), and told her she would conceive by the power of the most High and give birth to the Son of God! This seemed an impossible task and a most unreasonable thing to expect of a virgin . . . How can it be, what will people say, what will they think?
So, she asked him how this could be since she was a virgin (v34)? He tells her about her relative, Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant by now and that the word he brought, had the power of accomplishment within it (v35-37)!
She submitted herself to the word of the LORD (difficult as it was) because of the humility of her heart. She said in v38, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
How many times has the LORD asked us to do things that looked ridiculous, embarrassing or impossible? Do we know our identity at the level of the inner man (the hidden man of the heart) enough to focus on God’s validation rather than what people will think or say of us & submit to His will regardless . . .?
Her visit to her relative, who was specifically mentioned by the LORD, sealed it for her (v 39-56).
In v46-55, her HUMBLE heart enables her:
- Soul to glorify the LORD
- Spirit to rejoice in God her savior
- Appreciate her humble state as a bond slave/servant of the LORD
- Appreciate the enormity of God’s power to shift/change the global and historical balance of power
These are the qualities we all need to cultivate . . .
Let me conclude with:
THE HEART AFTER GOD’s HEART (DAVID)!
A leader’s heart must be one set on God and His heart.
Looking at the life of David, it is evident he had his heart in the right place in God! Since he knew who he was, he didn’t allow his circumstances to define him. Keeping his father’s sheep was seen as service to the LORD, not a menial job as alluded to by Eliab his senior brother!
This enabled David to see his job as a platform of expression of the LORD God almighty. Through this walk with God, he had experiences that were unprecedented. As a result, this teenager killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands!
What was the secret of his life? He gave the highest premium to his heart . . . Psalm 78:72 testifies of David, “he shepherded Israel with integrity of heart and with skillful hands he led them”.
We need more spiritual, political, business leaders, academics, etc., who lay their primary emphasis on the integrity of their hearts before the skillfulness of their hands or of their followers.
For such leaders, the most important IQ to consider is the Integrity Quotient, Not the Intelligence Quotient! They fear infection with the spiritual AIDS virus more than the physical! That is, they fear being infected with Acquired Integrity Deficiency Syndrome more than the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome!
The LORD help us to have such identities that will enable us serve His purpose in our generation before resting with our fathers like David in Acts 13:36!
My prayer is that the LORD will grant us Hearts that are set on Him: Humble/Meek, full of Integrity & Love for Him, His people and true service!
Abu Bako 