When Did You Become A Leader?

Leadership is not a singular event. It is not a position we hold or status we hope to achieve. Leadership is a process - a journey. 

Jesus knew the Scriptures better than anyone and constantly referenced them in conversations. He knew the leadership models God gave the Jewish people generations before He walked the earth. A careful assessment of the Scriptures shows that Jesus, as the Word of God, never changes His leadership development program from Genesis to Revelation. 

If we flip back in our Bibles to Exodus, we read about how God prepared Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. God prepared Moses not through a single event but through multiple events over a span of years in a variety of environments. It was indeed a process and the process, not the destination, is arguably the most important part. 

The work God does in us and through us over time determines our leadership potential. Through God's leadership development program, our maturity is deepened, our perspectives are widened, and our understanding and knowledge turn to wisdom. What we deem as unfruitful preparation and time lost, He uses as a training program to determine whether or not we will choose to recognize and seize the opportunities that come our way. 

By studying the leaders before Moses, we learn that God gives visions without timely details. Noah was told to build an ark for the inevitable flood but had to wait 120 years before the rains came. Abraham was promised a son at an old age yet had to wait 25 years before Sarah gave birth to Isaac. And Joseph was given the dream that he would rule over all his family but was sold by his brothers and imprisoned for 14 years for a crime he didn't commit. 

Everyone has leadership potential and can become the leader they were born to be. But it is a process. Who will be your biblical inspiration while God prepares you for your leadership role?