7 ways to reduce sin in the life of a leader
"I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." (Rom. 7:21) Sin creeps into even the best #leadership.
Our will is weak. Even when we want to obey, Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mt 26:41). C.S. Lewis said, "No one knows how bad he is until he tries to be good."
Despite this sobering fact, there are still things we can do when it comes to fighting sin. Or rather, things to not do. Here are seven:
1. Don't look at things you shouldn't.
"I will set before my eyes no vile thing." (Ps 101:3) #Leadership begins with self-discipline.
2. Don't let your anger control you.
"In your anger do not sin." (Ps 4:4) Even the most passionate #leadership must have self-control.
3. Deny yourself physically.
We have power over sin; "therefore don't let sin reign in your body so that you obey its desires." (Rom 6:12)
4. Don't think about how to satisfy sinful desires.
"Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Rom 13:14) #Leadership power can feed these desires.
5. Don't think you're exempt because you're a leader.
"Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst." (1Tim1:15) #Leadership recognizes what the self lacks.
6. Don't sin just because others do.
"Do not imitate what is evil but what is good." (3 John 11) #Leadership is vulnerable to culture. We must resist.
7. Don't set yourself up for future regret.
"What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!" (Rom 6:21)
To put a period on the don't-do theme in this chapter, let's not forget the cardinal sin of omission:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. — James 4:17
In other words, when you have a chance to do something you know is good, take that chance! God gives us the ability to choose good or evil in virtually every waking moment.
This choice is the essence of leading ourselves—and a prerequisite for leading others.
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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