Leadership is not about power or titles or money or fame or working with important people. It’s not about YOU.
Leadership means leading others through challenges. When a plane crashes in the jungle, the leader walks in front, helping survivors find the way to civilization. The leader of a business is involved every day, working alongside employees and casting a vision for them about where the enterprise is headed. The same is true for principals and pastors, prison wardens and hospital administrators, congressmen, senators, and bank presidents.
Good leaders roll up their sleeves every day to tackle the biggest problems their people face.
Bad leaders pamper themselves with “the good life” and show up only when people demand it.
King Hezekiah was a good leader. When the King of Assyria threatened to destroy Judah with his army of nearly 200,000 soldiers, the people were terrified. King Hezekiah’s response demonstrates five traits we should look for in our leaders:
(1) King Hezekiah encouraged his people. “Don’t be afraid or discouraged, … for there are more with us than with him. He has only human strength, but we have Yahweh our God to help us and to fight our battles’ so the people relied on the words of King Hezekiah” 2 Chronicles 32:7-8.
(2) King Hezekiah tackled the problem personally. Hezekiah prayed. “Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: ‘Lord God of Israel who is enthroned above the cherubim. You are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone. You made the heavens and the earth … Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God … Now, Lord our God, please save us from his hand so that all the earth may know that You alone are the Lord God. You alone’” 2 Kings 19:15-19.
(3) King Hezekiah enlisted not only the help of Isaiah, but God Himself. Good leaders know when they need outside help.
(4) King Hezehiah stayed the course—he stayed involved until the problem was solved. “That night the angel of the Lord went and struck down 185,000 soldiers in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” 2 Kings 19:35. “So the Lord saved Hezekiah and all the people … He gave them rest on every side” 2 Chronicles 32:22.
(5) Finally, King Hezekiah remained humble. He knew victory came from God, not from himself. “God humbles the spirit of leaders” Psalm 76:12.
There is an election coming up. Vote for godly people who demonstrate these five traits of a good leader.
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