Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Gratitude is a great separator for leaders—it gives them a better vantage point from which to lead people and increases their effectiveness as a catalyst for organizational change.
In short, a grateful leader is a great leader.
Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on The Craig and Greg podcast episode We are Grateful.
And you may be interested in a whole series of posts and video where I talked about the psychological, physiological, emotional, and relational benefits of making gratitude our focus. The series was called Be Thankful.
Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.
We are grateful for you! Greg and I love talking about leadership, and it’s a great joy that you tune in to listen. In this episode we discuss why an attitude of gratefulness is so important for leaders year-round, not just around the holidays.
[0:17] We are so grateful for you!
[1:25] What is it about gratitude that make someone a great leader?
[4:28] Grateful leaders have greater influence with people around them.
[8:14] It’s easier to build consensus on our teams when we have a thankful paradigm.
[10:52] Thankful correlates with graceful. This is such an attractive quality for leaders.
[14:10] Greg asks me elaborate on how gratitude ties into my book Shepherd Leadership.
[16:09] How does a grateful mindset help us get through the tough times?
[18:56] Happiness is not the same as joy. Joy is much deeper and serves us as leaders much better because happiness can be gone really quickly.
[23:16] We give you some “homework” that will help you grow your gratitude.
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
If God has given you influence as a leader, it is never to further your agenda but to help others grow. Leadership is about servanthood. If we try to make leadership about others serving us, we will quickly get ourselves in trouble.
Check out this full conversation Greg and I had on an episode of The Craig and Greg Show called “The responsibility of power.”
He turned to God and the people put away their idols <or>
He turned from God and the people turned to their idols
It’s true: As goes the leader, so go the people.
In my life, I’ve experienced that the good things that I do over-the-top are only moderately emulated by those around me. But the unhealthy things that I even slightly indulge in are adopted quickly by everyone else.
Godly leaders must be so aware of how their example impacts everyone around them, and they must fight to maintain biblical standards. When we miss the mark, we must be quick to admit our shortcoming, repent, and get back on track.
In Hosea 4:9, God warns that the people will follow the ungodly example of their leaders, which is why God’s punishment is often more severe for those leaders.
On the positive side, in Leviticus 9, Moses and Aaron demonstrate the leadership example of spending time in God’s presence and fully obeying everything God had revealed to them there. Then verse 23 it says that after they came out of His presence, God’s glory appeared to all the people. The positive example of the leaders led to huge blessings for all the people!
A mark of a godly leader is one who increasingly aware of the power of his example.
Leaders, let’s be first to go first in…
…being in God’s presence
…obeying God’s commands
…repenting when we fall short
…asking forgiveness of those who have seen our poor example
…asking God to bless His people because of our good example
This is part 77 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.
Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.
As leaders, we are called to set the example for our organization. As Greg and I discuss in this episode, the quickest way to make a positive change in your organization is to exhibit the traits you want to see. Do that with consistency, and your team will begin to reflect those traits back to you.
[0:00] Welcome to our new studio!
[1:06] The way a leader leads influences the way the team follows.
[3:03] A leaders team will reflect the attitude they exhibit.
[5:53] Leaders need to constantly be interacting with their team to “check the pulse.”
[7:13] Recognizing innovation in your team is a compliment to your leadership.
[9:10] If there’s a trait we want our team to embody we must exhibit it first.
[10:20] If you don’t recognize potential in teammates you will always hire low-potential individuals.
[13:04] Consistency is important to how a leader reflects values.
[15:13] Leadership vs Bossing
[17:10] Jesus set an example for us of servant leadership.
[18:26] At some point your team will test you to see if what you’re saying is real.
[22:06] If you’re going through a difficult time, a coach can help you navigate. We would love to help you!
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Staying power is something special. It especially stands out to us when someone holds their position for years and continues to remain one of the go-to people in the organization. For Christians, the key to staying power may not be as difficult to obtain as you may think.
The timeline between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar:
Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 and was succeeded by his son Amel-Marduk.
Amel-Marduk was assassinated by his brother-in-law, Nergal-Sharezer, two years later (560 BC), who then assumed the throne.
Four years later (556 BC) Nergal-Sharezer died, and he was succeeded by his son, Labashi-Marduk.
Before a year had passed, Labashi-Marduk was assassinated by a group of malcontents headed up by Nabonidus, who then assumed the throne.
Five years later (550 BC), Nabonidus died and was succeeded by his son, Belshazzar.
Darius—a common name for Medo-Persian rulers. “Darius the Mede” (Daniel 5:31) is a more mysterious figure who, so far, appears only in the Bible. Historians think he may have been Gubaru, an officer in Cyrus’ army who became governor of the Persian province of northern Babylon. In this case, he’s the military leader who invaded Babylon, killed Belshazzar, and effectively ended the reign of Babylon. Persia was now the new world power.
Darius I, called the Great, reorganized the government into satraps and extended the boundaries of the empire (Daniel 6:1-3). Daniel was appointed as one of three presidents over the 120 satraps but was being considered as the chief of the three.
Cyrus the Great was king of Persia from 550-529 BC. When Cyrus became ruler of the Persian district of Anshan, the district was subject to the Medes; five years later he led a rebellion against the Medes that resulted in the capture of King Astyages and the overthrow of the Median Empire. Thereafter Cyrus called himself king of Persia. In 539 BC the kingdom of Babylon fell to Cyrus.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Let’s say you are thinking about buying a particular book. Are you more likely to buy that book because the author says it’s good, because a book reviewer says it’s good, or because a close friend says it’s good? I think all of us give more weight to the suggestions from our friends, especially because they have nothing to gain from making that suggestion.
In the same way, when someone close to us says, “I know from personal experience that following Jesus is the best decision that I have ever made. Making Jesus my Lord and Savior has completely changed everything for me,” it’s easier for us to make that same decision for ourselves.
The deeper the level of our intimacy with someone usually means we have more influence with them.
Jesus told us all about the Holy Spirit when He was discussing His ascension. He wasn’t going to leave us as orphans, but told us of the intimate connection the Spirit would make for us. For instance, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever—the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17).
Notice that Jesus considers the Holy Spirit an irreplaceable and coequal part of the Godhead—I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor (see also Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 10:21; Matthew 28:19).
The word Jesus uses for Counselor is parakletos. This means One who comes alongside to help us. I like all the words the Amplified Bible uses: “Comforter—Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby.” Indeed, Luke records numerous instances where the Holy Spirit is alongside Christians to strengthen and encourage them (for instance: Acts 4:8, 6:10, 9:31).
Notice as well that Jesus tells us that as a part of the Trinity the Holy Spirit is eternal: “to be with you for ever.” Because the Holy Spirit is fully God, He knows the end from before the beginning. His perspective is infinite, so He can guide us in ways that only One who can see everything could guide us. For example, He leads us to places we might not have chosen on our own (Luke 4:1; Acts 8:29), or stops us from going somewhere at the wrong time (Acts 16:7), or talking with people we might have overlooked (Acts 10:19, 11:12).
Jesus also calls the Him the Spirit of Truth. He reveals things that we could not have perceived with our natural minds (see Acts 5:1-9).
And Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a great Teacher, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). So we see the Holy Spirit helping us apply Scripture to our prayers (Acts 4:25-26) and to incredibly complex and delicate situations (Acts 11:15-18, 15:1-21).
The Holy Spirit is not a force to fear but a Person to know ever more intimately.
When our lives are transformed and expanding because of an intimate, ongoing, vibrate relationship with the Holy Spirit, we are witness (Acts 1:8). You cannot exhaust all that the Spirit has for you, so keep abiding and growing in that intimate relationship. Let it be said of you as it was said of Peter and John: “We can tell you have been with Jesus!” (Acts 4:13).
David was the gold standard for every king of Israel who followed him. Numerous times throughout the history of Israel, we will see a note that a certain king either followed God like David, or turned from God unlike David. Yet there exists a wart on David’s portrait: an adultrous affair with the wife of a man in his inner circle, and then subsequent lies and a murder to cover up the affair. “The thing David had done displeased the Lord” (see 2 Samuel 11).
But I’d like to turn your attention to when this affair occurred: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war … David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). He was without his usual comrades. The men who knew David best, who could probably sense if something was amiss, weren’t around to warn him. When David tried to find out the identity of the bathing beauty on the roof next door to his palace, an unnamed attendant tried to remind him, “Isn’t that Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah?” but David dismissed him.
Elijah was arguably the most forceful and fearless prophet in Israel’s history. Not only did he stand up to the evil kings of Israel, but he spoke out against the kings of surrounding nations, too. In answer to Elijah’s prayer, God brought a drought on the land, and again in answer to Elijah’s prayer, God sent rain. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of the god Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah to a duel to the death, which ended up in a decisive victory for Yahweh. Yet, shortly after this massive victory, Elijah was depressed to the point that he wanted to die.
What led to Elijah’s depression? Something very similar to David’s slide into adultery: He was alone. Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel’s death threat, left his servant behind, and proceeded all by himself into the desert. It was when he was without a comrade that he prayed to God, “I’ve had enough. Take my life” (see 2 Kings 17–19).
And what about Peter? He boldly claimed his loyalty to Jesus, even to the point of wielding a sword at the guards who came to arrest his Master. But when Peter was alone, after the other disciples fled, he denied three times that he knew Jesus (Matthew 26:33, 51, 69–75).
God designed us to be in relationship with others. His statement to Adam in some of the earliest words of the Bible—“It is not good for you to be alone”—are words for us still today.
In a recent episode of “The Craig And Greg Show,” Greg and I discussed one of our favorite verses in the Bible: Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:6).
If you want to go far, don’t try to go alone. If you want an accountability partner that can keep warts away from your leadership legacy, don’t go alone. If you want to extend your leadership influence, don’t go alone. If you want to honor God’s investment in you, don’t go alone. Get those friends around you who love you enough to speak the truth!
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Twice the 80th psalm declares—Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make Your face shineupon us, that we may be saved (Psalm 80:19).
But if we are already a Christian that has been saved from the penalty of our sin and saved to an eternal reward, then that also means that God’s face IS already shining on us, He HAS already restored us, and He HAS already given us His favor.
I like how the Amplified Bible renders this verse: Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine in pleasure, approval, and favor on us, and we shall be saved!
What we have received is too wonderful for us to keep to ourselves, so we must let His pleasure, approval, and favor now shine out of us!
“If the result of our experience of God does not compel and propel us into global mission, it is doubtful whether we have really encountered the God of the Bible.” —Dick Brogden
Jesus stated His mission simply and then sent us out on the exact same mission (Luke 4:18-19; John 20:21). We do this best by living closely among people so they can also see us shine with God’s favor.
Paul called us to shine as well: Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people (Philippians 2:15). I believe this is a perfect definition of the word influence.The origin of the word meant the supposed flowing of ethereal fluid from the stars thought to affect the actions of men.Christians that let their good deeds shine in the darkness can influence the entire culture around them!
“Radical Christianity is not going on a missions trip or a big conference. Radical Christianity is staying steady for decades.” —Mike Bickle
Being a person that shines with favorable influence requires staying involved for the long haul so that you can build trustworthiness. It’s being in visible places not to get glory, but to let people see God’s glory. When they see His glory shine on you and out of you, they will want what you have too!
Solomon said, By the blessing of the influence of the upright and God’s favor—because of them the city is exalted (Proverbs 11:11). So, my fellow Christian, let me ask you:
Has God shined on you?
Are you letting Him shine out of you?
Are you living a noteworthy, trustworthy, visible life in your dark community?
“It’s your choice: You can be a part of your city’s elevation or its deterioration.”
Craig T. Owens 