5 ways to build your energy
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord" (Rom 12:11).
Spiritual zeal fuels #leadership.
How do you build your energy and maintain your daily drive? Several verses are instructive for filling our followers—and ourselves—with the ambition required to succeed in our work.
1. Be ready for bad stuff. The Israelite workers rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem were always ready for attacks:
"Those who carried materials did their work with one hand & held a weapon in the other" (Ne. 4:17).
In the same way, we should temper our positive attitude with the possibility that something could come along and spoil it at any time. When we're on the lookout for critics, naysayers or setbacks, we're not completely taken off guard when a shoe does in fact drop. And when things go smoothly, our battle readiness translates into overall leadership strength.
"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils" (Is. 2:22).
People have built-in fallibility.
I just received an attitude-spoiling email from a new business acquaintance. We'd only talked once and exchanged a few emails since our initial discussion a week earlier. In his note this afternoon, not only did he misinterpret something I'd said, but he accused me of lying and operating "in bad faith."
After I fumed at my screen, I had to laugh at the irony. Apparently the Lord wanted to use me as an object lesson!
2. Grow your roots. When we immerse ourselves in God's Word, prayer, worship and fellowship with other believers, our spiritual strength grows, increasing our joy and energy as a result.
"Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong" (Eph 3:17, NLT).
3. Pay attention to your physical needs. Sometimes it's as simple as eating, sleeping, exercising or just refraining from regular work.
Worn out by #leadership? So was Elijah. "I've had enough, Lord," he said. (1 Ki 19:4) An angel said, "Get up & eat." Good advice!
Jesus to his leaders: "Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mk 6:31).
4. Fulfill desires. You know what it's like to reach a lofty goal. Can you help others experience the same rush of accomplishment?
"A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul" (Prov. 13:19).
Why #leadership should help people achieve dreams.
5. Remember who your real boss is. Sometimes we need to look past our earthly superiors at the King who watches our every move. It is he who will ultimately judge our work. He will fulfill his purposes through what we do on earth. When we seek his guidance and his strength—and we're willing to follow his lead—our zeal for the task at hand will be refreshed.
"Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." (Col3:17).
A daily #leadership reminder.
Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership, by Tom Harper (DeepWater Books, 2019). Also available in Spanish and Amharic.
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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