Spiritual Leaders

Spiritual Leaders 
The 2020 Awakening! 
Terry R. Baughman

“If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves” (Galatians 6:1–3 NIV). 

Sometimes, we think of Spiritual Leaders as being those who are very spiritual people, even icons of perfection. Because we see our own imperfections, we may feel inadequate for leadership and ill-equipped for positions of responsibility. In reality anyone who desires it, can become a spiritual leader.

The spiritual ones are those who are simply striving to follow God’s leading. Living in obedience does not imply perfection, it just exemplifies a willingness to submit to God and seek His direction. 

In the same way men in the home are called to be leaders in their families. Some are overcome with the heavy weight of responsibility and fear that they will fail to fulfill the expectations of those to whom they have been called to lead. Fathers and leaders in the home have a tremendous duty to provide direction for those under their care. Some flee from the weight of that task when they experience the burden of leadership, feel their inadequacies, and refuse to accept the responsibility.

The role of a father is fulfilled naturally. It is not a talent that you are born with but rather a skill that is developed through life experience. It is not a responsibility to flee away from but rather a challenge to be accepted and skills to be practiced. All leadership roles require time and exercise to overcome the learning curve inherent in any new endeavor. 

We should not allow the term spiritual leader to intimidate us or dissuade our resolve to rise to a new challenge. God has called us to leadership in whatever ministry He allows us to enter. Whether we are a father of children, a teacher of the Bible, a small group facilitator, or a nursery director, we have been called into leadership. We must rely on the Spirit of God to enable us to be effective leaders. We must recognize the call of God is to serve. Positions are not to produce pride and self-sufficiency, but the recognition that we are in leadership to serve God, our church, and those who have been committed to our care. 

Paul was clear. When we deal with problems among those we lead, we must also recognize that we are capable of the same mistakes and prone to the same sins. He warned us, “Watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1 NIV). The principle of the harvest is that what you sow, you will also reap. Paul said, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8 NIV). As we labor for God seeking the things of the Spirit, the reward will be a reaping of spiritual blessings. 
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Let us seek fervently the things of God and expect the harvest to be revealed in our area of ministry. We are leaders and when we seek the leading of the Spirit we will become spiritual leaders.


Theme passage:
“Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). 
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