Leadership is the current hot topic in church lingo.

Everybody wants to be a leader.

This verse has been running through my mind lately:

1 Cor. 11:1

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Paul understood that the church in Corinth looked at him as their spiritual leader. But Paul followed just as much as he lead. Paul was worthy of following because he followed Christ’s example.

God has me asking myself this question everyday…

Am I worthy of following?

In other words, am I imitating Christ to the extent that others can point to me and say, “I want to follow his example because he is following Jesus.”

Are you worthy of following?

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of David. We are in a series at Cornerstone called “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” in which we are discussion the difference between David and Saul. Here are some personal insights as I have read through their stories…

• David was constantly building - Saul was destroying

• David feared only God – Saul feared man

• David worshiped God freely – Saul had others worship for him

• David was quick to repent – Saul allowed his sin to destroy his legacy

• David was humble before God and man – Saul operated in pride and selfishness

The story of Saul is a sad one. The worst part being that Saul was his own worst enemy. God had chosen him to be the first king of Israel, but Saul’s heart did not belong to God.

Here is the question for all of us today:

Who or what is guiding your heart?

This is the second part in this series. If you want to read part 1, go here.

Key #2 – Lead with Conviction

I pull this principle from the popular story of David and Goliath (read it here). David had no clout or any pull with the people in charge. He was just a kid. But when he heard Goliath bashing his God and his people, David felt a conviction deep inside his soul. A convition so powerful that it pushed him to battle someone twice his size, twice his age, and probably 10 times his fighting skills.

David did not gather the troops through some inspiring speech or take charge with a brilliant battle plan. Instead, he got his shepherds staff and picked up some rocks on the way and just got down to business.

Keys to remember from this story:

• Conviction causes you to do things for the right reasons, not to impress the right people.
• Conviction brings real change to people and circumstances.
• No matter how insignificant you may feel, if you have a strong conviction about something, it is your responsibility to pursue it.
• Conviction does not require great talent, just big ideas and passionate people.

What problems do you see in your world that are begging for you to change them. That’s conviction! So get down to business.

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes.

Of these leaders, each individual has something unique about them that can make them great. A common leadership model is the type “A”, up front flashy leader. The reason this leader is the most prevalent in positions of power is because they not only have the leadership ability to get things done, but they also carry a air of confidence that people want to follow.

But this is not the only type of leader. There have been numerous studies about leaders who are more introverted and quiet. Personally, I am this type of leader and occasionally I wish that I was gifted like the powerful type “A” models. But over time, I have learned that You Don’t Have To Be Loud to Lead.

Key # 1 - Lead & Follow

• Currently at Cornerstone Community Church, we are studying the life of Moses. Moses was not your typical upfront leader. He actually tried to convince God that he was physically incapable of doing the job (Read it here). The thing that set Moses apart was that he allowed God to do the speaking for him, and God spoke loud enough for Pharaoh to change his mind!
• Moses led a huge number of people, but he easily understood that he was not in charge. He Led While Following.

The point for those of us who do not lead loudly is to allow the one who speaks the loudest to lead us. God has a history of using the inadequate to accomplish incredible things.