Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Leader

Jeremiah 3:15 - 'And I will give you pastors according to mine heart,

which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.'
 

Insecurity births bondage. When we use the pulpit or any platform to boost ourselves and make ourselves look better, we are abusing the position that God has given us and we do it at the expense of others. Be careful that you are not submitting yourself and your family to an overly insecure leader. It will only birth bondage in you and cause you to be spiritually immobilized. And be sure you are not leading with any of these characteristics listed. Let go of your feelings and rest in what God will do for you. There is no perfect leader, but some imperfections are dangerous and should not be tolerated. Seek God's wisdom before you decide to submit to any covering. There are some things we can deal with, but there are other things that may be deadly to our purpose in God and those things must be avoided. Here are some signs of an insecure leader.
 
 
1. Improper placement of gifts and callings - Whenever people are misplaced in a ministry, it's usually on purpose. People know what God has gifted them to do, but an insecure leader usually wants to place them in areas that they are not called to so they won't do too well. This keeps people looking to the leader for direction and makes an insecure leader feel like he's still the focus of the ministry or he still has power over the people. Often times, an insecure leader will give people positions so they won't leave the church. But misplacement of gifts in a ministry keeps the people looking to a man for direction and never really looking to God.
 
2. Micro-managing - This is a sure sign of an insecure person. They must know what's going on at all times. They have to know what each person and ministry under them is doing and always try to direct or lead each and every aspect of the ministry. This is to ensure that no one out shines them or no one can ever get credit for what they have done. This keeps the leader number one.
 
3. Plants - This is a very sad, yet very sure sign of an insecure pastor or leader. They'll put people around you to spy and tell them what you are doing. If you have a gift or calling and people are drawn to it, they will plant a person to come around you and sniff you out for them. They don't want your gift or calling to take the attention off them so they have to watch you with a "planted" person. What a shame, but oh so true.
 
4. Wrongfully removed - An insecure leader will move people for no reason. They will stop you if you are doing a good job or if you are too faithful to your department head because they fear that you will somehow lose your loyalty to them. They shift people around just when that person is settling into their position because they don't want you too successful in their church or ministry.
 
5. Armor-less armor bearing - An insecure leader is an armor bearer fanatic! They will have men running around them fixing their cloths, carmexing their lips, and wiping sweat from their foreheads. They can't open their own door, carry their own bible, or even drive themselves around without someone doing it for them. This is worship! Sure, men can be assisted with some things, but when it's excessive, it's a sign. A pastor should be the churches greatest servant, not served the greatest! This will put you in the position to have to prove how much you love a man before he will acknowledge your spiritual giftings. And we all know where that usually leads.
 
6. Spiritual Abortions - An insecure leader does not birth other ministries outside of their own. Check the track record. How many pastors have come out of this ministry? How many outreach ministries have been birthed? How many have been encouraged to pursue outside missions and evangelism that will reach beyond the church doors? An insecure leader will never push anyone to go do anything outside of the church because they fear losing members to them. So, they keep everything inside and never father outside ministries. And God forbid you try to leave this type of leader. They will make you feel like you are going to hell for leaving and there is nothing else out there.
 
7. Too much church - An insecure leader will always want to be at church! They love to call meetings, counsel everyone, and spend most of their family time and leisure time at the church. And they will even require you to be there at all times. When the doors open, you should be there. This is because they feel they are missing something or losing ground with the people if they don't see them. A secure leader invests in family time and allows freedom for his people to enjoy their lives and their outside interests.
 
8. No privacy - An insecure leader will almost always address your private issues from the pulpit. They will counsel with you and then preach your issues purposely to the people in the church. They will even call you up at times and embarrass you by dealing with your personal sins and issues before the whole church. A secure leader can handle your issues in private and not boost himself by making you look bad.
 
9. Masquerade - An insecure leader has to put on a mask to seem spiritual and deep. They cannot be common or seem common to the people because they strive to be feared by the membership. They depend totally on their reputation and not on the spirit of God in them. They have to make you feel less so they will feel bigger and better. It's one thing to be respected because of the Spirit of God in you, but when you demand respect it's artificial.
 
10. No gifts - The number one sign of an insecure leader is, they are always worried about what people think of them. They won't even allow certain gifts to operate in the ministry because it may make other's that don't flow in gifts jealous or uncomfortable. The ministry is always politcally correct. And usually, there are no gifts in operations. not even in the pastor. When the pastor cannot flow in gifts, the body will not because where the head is, the body must follow.
 
Be careful saint's of God. What God has given you is worthy of secure leadership and you must make sure you are not wasting space in a ministry. You must make sure you are following the right person. Sure, no one is perfect, but at least we must strive for it. And beware of leaders that cannot admit mistakes! When they never mess up or never confess to error, then beware! There is not a perfect man, and a secure leader can say "I was wrong"!
 
Suggested Reading: Eph. 4:11, Jer. 3:15, Jer. 10:21, Jer. 12:10, Jer. 23:1,
 

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