Proverbs 8.14-16
“I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.”
The strength we need for leadership comes from the Lord. When we fail to trust God and his standards, we are weakened. Such was the case for the prophet Elijah.
Faith is a condition of the heart/mind. So is fear. Whether you operate by faith or operate by fear is a matter of what your heart/mind focuses on. Faith and fear are opposite ways of thinking. The mind of faith focuses on God’s presence, principles, and power. The mind of fear focuses on self and circumstances. Fear restricts and narrows your perspective. It distorts your thinking and produces poor decisions. Faith expands and widens your perspective. It clarifies your thinking and produces wise decisions.
Faith empowers you and makes you stronger.
Fear enslaves you and makes you weaker.
It is a timeless principle: Where the mind goes, the man goes. For this reason, when you begin to fear, it is imperative to recognize that your mind is focusing on the wrong thing, and then do the inner work of redirecting your mind to focus on what really matters. If you continue to dwell on self & circumstances, you simply feed your fear.
This is especially true in leadership, because the mindset and emotional state of the leader affects the mindset and emotional state of the group.
Unfortunately, Elijah fell into the fear trap. Rather than focus on the Lord’s presence and power, Elijah got caught dwelling on himself and his circumstances. The result? “Then Elijah was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life.”
Over the years, I have seen this play out again and again in the lives of Christians. I have experienced it in my own life. Something happens and we are confronted with a challenging or difficult situation, and rather than trust God and focus on what we need to do in response to the situation, we focus on ourselves and fixate on perceived threats and problems. As a result, we get anxious or angry or afraid, which causes us to make bad decisions, which only causes us to be even more anxious, angry, or afraid.
Our lack of faith weakens us.
Proverbs 8 tells us that the strength, stamina, and courage to lead is found in the Lord and his wisdom. This is especially true when a leader faces difficult, challenging circumstances.
Throughout scripture we are told the Lord is the source of our strength.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.” (Psalm 28.7-8)
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40.30-31)
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18.1-3)
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18.10)
Fortunately, after Elijah endured his time of fear and weakness, he turned his focus back to God, he regained his strength, and the Lord continued to use him mightily.
