We’re ALL Called to LEAD

I’ve learned some awesome lessons listening to Dr. Myles Monroe recently about how we’re all born to lead. He was talking about true leadership and how each one of us was created for leadership, but we must learn to be leaders. Leadership is a seed with a tree trapped inside. If you’re holding a seed you’re holding a tree. But it has to be going through a process.

When Jesus’ disciples were arguing over who’s going to be the greatest, Jesus said, “If you want to be great, find something to serve people. The greatest amongst you serves what we all need.” Then you become valuable, indispensable in fact.

The true value in each one of us is the gift we were born to deliver to humanity. And in the end, your value determines your wealth.

We all have a unique gift, and it’s usually the one thing that we’re passionate about. And the devil will try hard to guard you from developing that gift because if you do, you become dangerous to him. Because you then shine to your ultimum and you’re most useful to the Kingdom of God.

The devil’s tactics, however, are self humiliation, self devaluation and self cancelation.

Most of us battle with a fear of self-realization. We think, or we refuse to admit we even have a unique gift. The world all around us idolizes big names, but is quick to make you feel like a nobody. If you were born in a developing country particularly, you feel like you are not as good as those who are in the developed countries. When we were in Asia and in Africa, people immediately looked up to us simply because we were white. It’s a spirit of oppression. All countries which were once colonies have it. And they think it’s normal.

Oppression is designed to break the spirit of the oppressed. The ones at the top control people’s spirit till they’re willing to surrender.

This has happened to all of us during COVID. It was really an exercise in submission. They bypassed the word of the scientists to enforce a supreme policy through fear. And because they own the mainstream media, it was an easy exercise. It has caused everyone around the world to develop a surrendered spirit. People don’t think that they’re capable of thinking for themselves and consequently, their opinion must not matter.

That’s what oppression does, it makes you “stay in our place” and follow. We’re constantly controlled by the mindset that we’re just average. Leadership can’t be for me, “I don’t matter that much anyhow.” Oppression comes through threats, intimidation and fear of consequences.

Look at a horse; such a massive animal, and yet you can control it through pain. That bit in his mouth will cause the horse to respond, because of pain. The spirit of oppression does the same to us. We feel the pain of rejection, isolation and we would rather comply and submit.

So we need to spit out the bridle and regain our stallion spirit. We’re all born to be leaders. We don’t need a position to truly come into our leadership role, but rather we need a disposition. We don’t need power, but we need to be empowered from within. We need to fight the oppressive mindset that tries to demean our worth and our calling. Leadership is first personal, and then public. One has to come into the self-realization of his/her gift. We have to discover ourselves first.

King David was just a freckled little runt to the point that his father didn’t have him in the line up for potential king. But when he became king, he wrote in one of his psalms, “for it was You who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:14). He saw himself as God saw him.

Our culture has taught us not to express ourselves and people are quick to make you feel they don’t want to hear your opinion. That oppressive spirit has made people passive and has destroyed their spirit. If we don’t change that now, even our children will have that same defeatist spirit. 

All of us need to fight that spirit of oppression. We need to develop an attitude of faith. That’s what it is, an attitude. It’s boldness in spirit. It’s the ability to see outside the box and believe in the impossible. You’ve got to cultivate that spirit, or else fear will tie you down every time.

Deeply immersed in the nature of man is the spirit of leadership. But sadly, most people will die as followers. So much leadership potential is buried in cemeteries all over the world. We have to convert our belief system about ourselves.

You were born with leadership on the inside, along with that “something special” that you are to serve to the world. But you have to go through a process, from seed to tree. It must be believed and then planted, then the nutrients must be added, then time, and it must push through soil. It also needs light to germinate it.

Your environment can’t create your gift. Soil doesn’t create the tree, nor the water, nor the light, yet they are all necessary for its growth.

But we’ve all been in a toxic environment throughout our life. Everything around us has tried to condition us. Whether through school, TV, parents, friends, you’ve been conditioned. Now is time to be careful who you keep company with.

Mind what you feed your mind. Whoever you’re listening to is fertilizing you.

There is a misconception about leadership. You don’t need a following to be a leader. There’s a difference between a “boss” and a true leader. The boss says, “You go and do such and such.” But true leaders say, “Let’s go, follow me.” They lead you into the unknown by leading the way. They are initiators. –Not timid, not passive, but guides.

There is a Chinese proverb which says, “He who thinketh he leadeth and has no one following is simply taking a walk.”  But it’s actually not true when it comes to our God-given gifts. You don’t need a following to serve your gift. All great leaders never sought followers. You don’t need a following to be a leader. If anything, those who seek followers have personal problems. They have an ego, self-esteem problem, and low self worth. They’re after titles (Lk 14:10).

You’re not created to lead people, you’re created to deliver a gift to your generation. The tree only exists to deliver a fruit. You don’t walk up to the mango tree for the tree itself, but for the fruit. Followers will find you. All you must do is develop your gift and you won’t need to look for followers. When you know your gift, it promotes itself. People will come to you for your fruit. Find and refine your gift.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates only served their gifts to the world. True leadership is born when your gift is discovered and you serve it to the world. You’re not a servant of people, but you serve your gift to people. When you become yourself you receive wealth, people pay you to become yourself.

True leaders are not proud, seeking value or looking for followers, they’re just being themselves serving the gift they have. And people flock to them.

Leadership is not about people but about self discovery. People don’t actually love you, they love your gift. Once you realize that, it protects you from being emotionally scarred of rejection. That’s why pop stars end up taking drugs and even taking their own lives when they leave the stage. They didn’t realize that their fans didn’t actually love them, they loved their gift. They loved their songs. When the song is over, you’re over.

Look at the way people view wealthy people; for as long as they have plenty of money, they have plenty of friends because they love the money, their gift. Proof: as soon as the money’s gone, the friends are gone. If all leaders realized that it is their gift that makes them leaders, they wouldn’t be so much after the fame.

Look at Tiger Woods. They said he would never come back, nor ever get a contract again. They rejected the idol, and the gift with the idol when the idol fell. But he was smart enough to apologize, dust himself off and show his gift again. And sure enough he has a contract again. It’s the gift that rescued him. Your leadership is in your gift. 

True leadership is really self discovery. “I am and I have.” I am able and I can serve others. Jesus saw leadership in Peter; he was a fisher of fish, and Jesus called him “a fisher of men”. He called out his potential the day he met him.

You’re supposed to leave a legacy behind you. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. (Pro 13:22). What have you offered the world that made a difference in your lifetime? We’re supposed to die empty, having poured out everything. Everything that you’ve lived for, you’ve given it to others. That’s the way the apostle Paul died. He said that he had finished his course. “I am poured out. I have given all I had.”

King Solomon said, “A man’s gift makes room for himself and it will bring him before kings and great men” (Pro 18:16). Develop your gift and serve it to the world. Be a servant of all.