Courage to Lead
“Power allows us to rule over others without their consent.”
“Leaders lead. That is not to say that they do not follow. But what they follow is different than what most people follow. They do not conform for the sake of conforming. They do not do what others do merely because others are doing it. They follow an inner voice, a call. They have a vision, not of what is, but of what might be. They think outside the box. They march to a different tune.”
-Jonathan Sacks
Abraham was told by God to leave his land, his birthplace, and his father’s house and go to the land that God would show him. Why? Because people do conform. We tend to absorb the culture of the time where we live. It is natural and it can be good, but often it is not. We never know how much of who we are and how we think is not from God but simply a reflection of the thinking, values, and assumptions of those around us. We must let the Word of God reshape who we are and how we approach our lives and our leadership.
God wanted Abraham to be different. Not for the sake of being different but for the sake of starting something new. Abraham and his descendants would not worship power or the symbols of power, which is what idols are. If we are not willing to depart from all that is around us and confront the consensus of everyone else, we will end up slipping into worshiping old gods that are not true gods.
When we hear the word idol, we usually think of an old statue that people bow down to. But we must see that idols symbolize power. Power allows us to rule over others without their consent. Leaders lead. They do not control. They do not coerce. They do not manipulate. They lead by example and to do that they must separate themselves from the values and goals of the culture around them. This requires us to be ruthless with ourselves inside. Our hearts must not accept the patterns of those from this world whom Jesus says “Lords it over” others. True leaders do not use power to lead, rather, they lead by influence.
Abraham is without a doubt the most influential person who ever lived. Today he is claimed as the spiritual ancestor of 2.4 billion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims, and 13 million Jews, that’s more than half the people alive today. Yet he ruled no empire, commanded no great army, performed no miracles, and proclaimed no prophesy. He is the supreme example in all of history of influence without power.
Leadership can be lonely. Others may feel free to use power to manipulate others. But when God calls us to walk a different way, we must continue in the ways of God. It takes courage to persevere in a vision. Abraham is an example of this. He had to be patient and wait on the promises even if it looked impossible or others thought he was crazy for believing it. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe, and it takes courage to obey God. Remember, “Dead fish go with the flow. Live fish swim against the current.”
