This is an excerpt from chapter six of "How The Mighty Have Fallen."  Follow this link to order your copy.

So the women sang as they danced, and said: "Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, " Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" 1 Samuel 18:7-11
 
No matter who you are or how great your success, there will always come another who seems to be better, smarter, and more talented. But what do you do when that person is one of your own workers? And what do you do when the people in your church or organization praise and admire him or her more than they do you?

Young David had accomplished an incredible feat. He boldly confronted Goliath and rid Israel of a terrible menace. Through this, he demonstrated his loyalty to God and country as well as his own greatness as a leader. It’s not that he made Saul look bad. He simply looked “better” than Saul. He did what Saul could not—or would not do—and all Israel knew it. “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands,” the women sang as they praised David in a celebration of dance. It would seem, at least it did to Saul, that the people believed David was a better man than him. 

So what is a leader to do? How should one react when a subordinate receives more praise and applause then the one in charge? If you are like Saul, the choice is clear. You simply pick up a spear and throw it at him. You ruin that “usurper” before he or she steals your kingdom from you.

 Absurd? Outrageous? Indeed, it sounds extreme but this is exactly what many leaders in the Kingdom of God are doing to the aspiring and talented workers under them. Subordinates who take initiative and succeed, whose special gifts and abilities are praised by fellow workers and church members, are often met by the suspicion and resentment of the leaders they serve. Their fear is that these young “Davids” will not only steal their popularity, but they could steal the “kingdom” that the authority believes is his by right.
 
THE MANDATE OF LEADERSHIP

A leader throwing spears is an offense to kingdom leadership. Imagine Peter being so envious of Paul’s success that he forbids him from planting a church. Or picture Paul being so threatened by Timothy’s popularity that he spreads rumors about him. Or imagine John the Baptist labeling Jesus a fraud because he is afraid of losing his followers. This is not leadership, it is self-preservation. It is not advancing the church for the glory of God; it is expanding an empire for the glory of self.

In the world, leaders aspire to greatness by achieving positions of power and authority. They measure success by the amount of people under their control and the largeness of their popularity. Unfortunately, many “Christian” leaders have come to define greatness in similar terms. To them it is building big churches, commanding huge crowds, and achieving fame. Their attitude is also the same as the world’s regarding people—especially subordinates. They are seen as objects to manipulate and control for the leader’s own benefit. In fact, followers who show promise or have some better quality than the leader are perceived as threats to be suppressed and are denied opportunity for promotion.

This was a great failure of King Saul just as it is for many church leaders. The mandate of kingdom leadership is to raise others up and release them rather than hold them down and repress them. Ephesians 4:11-12 says apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are to equip the saints for the work of Christ’s ministry, not suppress them for the sake of one’s own popularity. Clearly, scripture requires spiritual authorities to identify and prepare potential leaders for future ministry office. Failure to do this is a  serious betrayal of leadership. In fact, it is a betrayal of the very mandate given to leaders through the Word of God.

THOSE WHO LEAD MUST HAVE A VISION GREATER THAN THEMSELVES

Moses is one of the Bible’s greatest leaders whose achievements are still impacting the world today. His success remains, not only because he led Israel to the Promised Land, but because he was a leader who raised up other leaders. In Exodus 18:25-26, Moses “Chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times.” Furthermore, in Numbers 11, Moses rejoiced to learn that seventy of his subordinates had received the same anointing he had and prophesied among the people. When others expected him to be threatened and put a stop to it, Moses declared, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” Why did Moses have such a passion for raising, training, and releasing leaders? Because he had a vision greater than himself.

On the contrary, leaders who are threatened by their apprentices have a weak and limited vision. By suppressing or attacking subordinates they reveal how small-minded and inferior their caliber of leadership truly is. They care only for their specific interests in the here and now and no vision for advancing the Kingdom of God by advancing those He calls. 
 
THOSE WHO LEAD MUST HAVE A HEART TO MENTOR FOLLOWERS

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul told Timothy, “…the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” The biblical model of leadership is concerned, not only with influencing the masses, but also on mentoring the few. 

Almost every great leader in God’s Kingdom was first entrusted to a mentor before released into ministry. Paul had Barnabas and Timothy had Paul. And Timothy, in turn, was instructed to raise up elders in his church. Kingdom leaders must understand the sacred trust they have in recognizing, training, and elevating the aspiring leaders under them. God’s plan for preparing, conditioning, and training future pastors, teachers, and missionaries begins with an established leader who is willing to pour himself or herself into up and coming protégés. Those who fail to do so could be preventing the rise of another David or depriving the world of the next great Joshua.

THOSE WHO LEAD MUST BE WILLING TO LET GO OF STATUS

John the Baptist said, “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30). The crowds were curious that people were being drawn to Jesus and leaving John behind. John was losing his status and popularity. But to his credit, he did not feel threatened. John realized his purpose was not to establish himself but to prepare the way for another. His purpose was to recognize, raise up, and release the next leader who would bring the next great anointing.

In a very similar way, all leaders carry the mantle of John the Baptist. We all exist to prepare the way for another; to seek and search for the next one to lead, to raise him up, and release him into leadership. Even more, we should realize that part of that preparation is to decrease our own status or importance in order to increase the status and importance of the one we are raising up.

Leaders must be willing to let go of control and give it to others. We must allow them to have authority and make decisions and enjoy the success and praise of those decisions. Kingdom leaders are not to grow in popularity and prestige like kings and heads of state, pulling more power and control to themselves. Instead, they should delegate and diminish. People should become less dependent on us and more dependent on those we are raising up. We should be decentralizing our power, decreasing our influence, and shifting it to others who will grow and learn from it and take it further.

Raising great leaders doesn’t just happen. It happens because one is an intentional mentor. Our role as leaders is not just to promote a vision for an organization and manage its operations efficiently. Our role is also to raise up other potential leaders for that organization so its survival will surpass our own influence. The greatest compliment to your leadership is the legacy of leaders that you have raised up to follow you. Do not limit the scope of your ministry by focusing only on the organization that is here and now. Have a long-term vision that transcends the present by raising up leaders whose influence will extend into the future. Sow into your church, ministry, or organization’s tomorrow by raising up leaders today.

This is an excerpt from chapter five of "How The Mighty Have Fallen." 
Follow this link to order your copy.

And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” - 1 Samuel 17:8-11
   
The true quality of a leader is revealed when he is confronted by a Goliath.

 Almost any leader can develop a vision and lay out a strategy for achieving it. Almost any leader can recruit people, motivate workers and supervise a team. The real test of leadership comes, however, when that leader faces obstacles. When resistance rises and adversity threatens success—when challenges loom as insurmountable—what does the leader do? Does he hesitate? Is he intimidated? Does he second guess and back pedal or does he remain firm and undaunted when the going gets tough?

The duty of leadership is to confront status quo and pull the people to a better place. Rosalynn Carter, wife of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but where they ought to be.” In the course of such an act, a leader will undoubtedly face resistance. “Goliath-sized” obstacles will rise to challenge both the leader’s vision and his resolve. How a person responds to Goliath reveals if he or she is a true leader, or just a custodian sporting a fancy title.

Saul had a title, but that didn’t make him a leader. Men may have called him king, but that didn’t give him command. Sure, he could organize the infantry for a march and arrange the chariots for a parade, but when it came to the business of battle—the hard work of overcoming obstacles to success—he fell apart. Rather than meeting the antagonist on the battlefield and inspiring his followers forward, he brought the people to a halt and the ranks became stagnate. 

Leadership is ten percent vision and ninety percent overcoming the obstacles that hinder the vision. There will always be obstacles. People will always see some giant standing in the way of their progress. It could be a lack of resources, conflict within the organization, or resistance from outsiders. Whatever the obstacle, the leader’s job is to stand with confidence against it, plot a course to overcome it, and cheer his followers on to victory.

To the contrary, nothing will destroy the credibility of a leader like a spirit of fear. It wasn’t Goliath that paralyzed the Israelite army. They were paralyzed by their own leader who surrendered to fear. King Saul, frightened by Goliath’s challenge, retreated from his post and Israel’s advance was halted. If he had faith, if he had met the challenge with confidence and courage, his army would have followed him like they followed David. When David entered the scene and demonstrated his faith, the Israelites arose and defeated the Philistines. All they needed was a leader who believed God for success no matter how dire the circumstance.

People need leaders who have faith—even those who are critical and defiant. They may say, “It can’t be done; it’s impossible; we don’t have the means or resources.” But, in reality, they are hoping for a leader who will stand with confidence and say “God is able.” They will respond to a leader like young David who declares, “If God is for us who can be against us. Don’t give up; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

Therefore, if there was one thing I could pray into the leaders of my church it would not be a new vision, smart ideas, fancy programs, or even great resources. The one thing I would pray into our leaders would be a good attitude—an attitude of faith. 
 
LEADERS PICK FIGHTS WITH GIANTS
 
People who achieve greatness think differently than most people. They talk differently, they pray differently, they look at challenges differently. To the man or woman who achieves greatness, challenges are not hindrances; they are opportunities for God to demonstrate His greatness on our behalf. The time has come for us to abandon the safety of the tent and move into a place where we are dependent on the provision of God to keep us secure. The time has come for us to be leaders who don’t just talk about miracles, divine provision, and glorifying God. The time has come for us to experience miracles and get some of our own testimonies of divine provision. But that can only happen if we kick the cowardly Saul who lives in our hearts out of the tent and pick a fight with Goliath.

This is an excerpt from chapter four of "How The Mighty Have Fallen."  Follow this link to order your copy.

He was the most revered and powerful man in Israel. An entire army obeyed his command. No one compared in status, wealth, and respectability. Yet, by his own admission, Saul “feared the people.” As a result of this condition, God deemed the king unfit for leadership and prophesied the removal of his authority. The lesson is clear: in the Kingdom of God it is impossible to lead people when you are afraid of them.

God gave King Saul a clear vision of His will. The Amalekites were to be utterly destroyed as retribution for their mistreatment of Israel years before. Man and beast, woman and child, none were to survive. 

Apparently, en route to battle, someone had an idea: “Let’s save the plunder, sheep and oxen, and offer them as a sacrifice to God in Gilgal. And while we’re at it, let’s spare King Agag; he seems like a nice enough fellow and could be a good friend to us.” The idea had wide appeal and general consensus determined that destroying“everything” was unnecessary. The result was a new vision—one more suited to the preferences of the people.

The essence of leadership is to confront status quo and pull the people to “the place they ought to be.” It often requires the leader to challenge unhealthy cultural norms in the face of disagreement and strong resistance. Although he may be misunderstood, maligned, and even mistreated, it is in those times the leader simply must lead!

This is exactly what Saul could not do and what disqualified him from leadership. He feared the people, consented to their rebellion, and permitted Agag to live. Samuel would soon teach him that to condone wrong behavior, even tacitly, is to bear as much blame as those who commit the evil blatantly.

The nature of leadership is to stand out in front and call others to a higher place, but this spirit causes leaders to lag behind with apathy and malaise. When they should be pointing the way, challenging the prevailing attitudes of mediocrity, this spirit induces leaders to sit idly on the sidelines with hands in pocket blending into the background of status quo.

Leadership is not just having a title. It’s more than sitting on a committee. Leadership is about movement and change and influencing people toward a certain direction. To lead is to be in the “place” God wants for His people and then “pull” people into that place by the power of one’s own passion. It is having such an effect on people that they take ownership of the same attitudes, values, and convictions of the one leading them. Sadly, many believe that because they have a respected title or attend meetings that they function as a leader. They are mistaken. Pastors who fill churches but fail to produce cross-carrying disciples are not leading. Trustees who manage a place of worship but do not show people how to worship in that place are not leading. Deacons who affirm their belief in prayer but do not attend prayer meetings are not leading. Elders who “amen” their agreement with the concept of holiness but do not openly demonstrate repentance and display a passion for personal purity are not leading.

Leaders are“first.” They do not wait for an invitation or rely on encouragement from their peers. They lead. Leaders are the first ones to sacrifice, the first ones to give, the first to pray, worship, repent, and weep over sin. They are the first to serve, the first to shout “amen” and the first to the altar for deeper consecration. Leaders constantly look behind at the ranks that follow and challenge complacency by the force of their own example. They do not wait for someone else to determine the environment. They decide how the environment should be and set out to change it. Culture is every leader’s battlefield, status quo is the enemy and victory is decided by the transformational results of their influence.

True leadership can be likened to a thermostat regulating the temperature of a room. If the spiritual climate of a house grows cold, the leader turns up the heat by the intensity of his own passion and converts the environment to his own character. On the other hand, leaders having gone the way of Saul are more like thermometers. Instead of influencing the environment, they are influenced by it and conform to it. When watching the character of a Saul, one will not see a passionate example of where God is calling His body to; instead, one will see a mere reflection of the tired lukewarmness that has gripped the community and is destroying it.

It’s time to confront the spirit of Saul in the church today. It’s time to slay the Agags and slaughter the sheep and lead the people into full obedience of the Word of God. Will some people reject  this standard? Certainly! Will some people leave and find another king to follow? You can count on it. But the people who stay will be those who are serious. There may only be twelve of them. But with twelve disciples, sold out for Christ, you can turn the world upside down!