Spiritual Leadership Principles of Nehemiah (11–23)
/Continued from our post last week…
11. Spiritual Leaders Never exercise authority without being under authority. Nehemiah 2:6 – Letters from the King and to the other governors and those who control resources. Pap Singleton took the sliver of freedom granted in the Emancipation Proclamation and the army of Nashville.
12. Spiritual Leaders get up in the middle of the night. They pray about and ponder their assignment from the Lord in the middle of the night. Nehemiah 2:12 ‘I set out in the middle of the night’
13. Spiritual Leaders have a secret life with the Lord that is shared by a few trusted friends. Nehemiah 2: 12
14. Spiritual Leaders don’t deny problems. The gate and walls were broken. Though they don’t deny the problems they focus on the solutions.
15. Spiritual Leaders obtain their strategies from personal reconnaissance and not just hearsay and rumor. Nehemiah 2:11-16
16. Spiritual Leaders partner with the people they are leading; they don’t subordinate them. We vs they. Nehemiah 2:17
17. Spiritual leaders envision those who have failed at building and war and turn them into builders who win wars. Nehemiah 3 & 4
18. Spiritual Leaders take the responsibilities of ownership for something that belongs to another so that it may eventually belong to them.
David Killed Goliath for Saul the King. Before he killed the giant, he killed a lion and a bear while tending his father’s flock. He took on the responsibility of ownership of something that would never be his and belonged to someone else. He took responsibility like those sheep were his sheep and eventually God let him shepherd His entire nation.
John 10:11-13 Ownership “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So, when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
You take care of what you own. Powerful leaders own their responsibilities and they look for those who assume ownership to give more away.
19. Spiritual Leaders start out as leaders of little (cupbearer) before becoming a leader of much you have to be a leader in little. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Luke 16:10
20. Spiritual Leaders metabolize the enemy’s opposition into fuel for advancement. Nehemiah 2:19-20, Nehemiah 4, 5
21. Spiritual Leaders learn from other successful leaders. Nehemiah 3:1
Nehemiah appoints Eliashib who was the High Priest. Eliashib had been a critical leader in building of the temple.
Eliashib is the first one mentioned who began to rebuild the Sheep Gate.
He who walks with wisemen will be wise, but the companion to fools will suffer harm. Prov 13:20
If you hang out with fools you become a fool. Show me your friends and I will show you your future.
When the character of a man is not clear, look at his friends (Japanese Proverb)
Some people bring happiness where they go. Some people bring happiness whenever they go.
Every person you know carries a bucket of water and a can of gasoline. Associate with those who know how to drown your negativity and fears and feeds the fire of your calling and your destiny, rather than those who drown you hope and feed the fire of your negativity.
22. Spiritual Leaders make voluntary personal and financial sacrifices for those they serve. Nehemiah 5:14-15
23. Spiritual Leaders are willing to confront…even their old and good friends not just their enemies, regardless of the consequences. Nehemiah 13:1-14
Compromise with the enemy is never to be tolerated even when it a good friend.
Remove the enemy and keep the friend if possible.
Spiritual Leaders stay unified (Nehemiah and Ezra) in order to create revival Nehemiah 8:1-18