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Strong Convictions And Great Leaders
Great Leaders Live by Strong
Convictions
By Rick Warren
The real foundation of great
leadership is character, not charisma.
And one aspect of a leader’s
character is the convictions to which he is deeply committed.
Great leaders have strongly
held beliefs.
An opinion is something you’d
argue about; a conviction is something you’d die for.
Pastors, especially, must
define the convictions for which they will endure every kind of hardship, and
the only way to stand for those kinds of convictions is to live from a deep
sense of God’s calling.
If God has called you to the
task of leadership, nothing can stop you.
Your identity rests in your
relationship with Him, not the approval of the people you are leading or the
watching world around you.
Instead of living in the
comparison trap or the fear of what people will think, you must develop your
convictions - theological, ethical and practical - and stand by them.
Believe in advance that your
convictions will be tested from at least eight angles:
1. Derision. When
you’re in leadership, one of the first ways people will try to get you to deny
your conviction is to make fun of you.
Your convictions may very
well be a punchline at times.
2. Discouragement. One
of the enemy’s most powerful weapons is discouragement.
Why? Because convictions, by
their very nature, require courage to uphold.
Discouragement usually comes
at the halfway point when you’re halfway done with the project or halfway up
the mountain.
3. Dread. Fear
is one of the greatest threats to a leader’s convictions.
I’ve often said, even when
put on the spot by secular media personalities, that I must fear God more than other
people.
It is to him alone that I
will answer someday for how I stood by the deeply held beliefs he called me to
possess.
4. Discord. Few
things will stunt the growth of a movement or a church faster than gossip.
One rumor or false accusation
has the potential to destroy the reputation of a leader.
5. Division. It’s
a big challenge for a leader to keep people together in a movement, but it’s
essential.
And since leadership is all
about getting human beings to work together toward a common goal, this
challenge is especially difficult for a leader to face.
6. Distractions. If
the enemy can’t divide the people of a movement, he’ll provide distractions.
Some of the distractions that
cause the most problems aren’t bad things but rather good things that aren’t
the best things.
7. Defamation. Paul
was hounded by the Judaizers.
Nehemiah had to deal with
Sanballat.
Jesus was falsely accused of
blasphemy.
It’s the pioneers out
front who are most likely to get shot in the back.
It’s a side effect of an expanding
influence.
8. Danger. The
Bible never actually promised believers a life “safe and secure from all alarms.”
On the contrary, those who
lead and have a voice will also suffer persecution and encounter danger along
the way.
The enemy will try to use all
eight of these tactics to stop you from leading.
What do you do in the face of
such opposition?
Don’t give up! Hold onto your
convictions.
Be persistent. Endure.
When you are committed to
your convictions, nothing will cause you to quit.
And a “no quit” attitude is an essential characteristic of any great
leader.
Dr. Rick
Warren is passionate about attacking what he calls the five “Global Goliaths” –
spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease,
and illiteracy/poor education. His goal is a second Reformation by restoring
responsibility in people, credibility in churches, and civility in culture. He
is a pastor, global strategist, theologian, and philanthropist. He’s been often
named "America's most influential spiritual leader" and “America’s
Pastor.
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