We live in a world where comic books, movies and cartoons about super heroes have glorified courage and risk taking. Unfortunately, the impression left is that only a few “specially qualified” individuals have what it takes to change the world. Leadership, whether in a family structure, the corporate or ministry world, the military, or in politics, requires courage and risk-taking. Leaders don’t have to be super heroes to demonstrate the courage to take risks if they understand who empowers leadership. Read Ezra 3:1-13.

In 538 BC, the Persian King Cyrus decreed that the exiled Jews could return to their homeland and rebuild the temple. Under the leadership of Jeshua, a priest, and Zerubbabel, from the lineage of David, approximately 50,000 of the one million exiled Jews responded to Cyrus’ offer. Those who did risked all they had to leave a relatively comfortable life in Babylon to endure a difficult journey and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple in a very hostile environment.

Leadership, by its very nature, inspires people to move in directions they would not otherwise have been willing to go. From time to time, good leaders inspire their team to be part of excursions into unexplored territory. This kind of risk taking will draw on a leader’s courage and can challenge their team to accomplish far beyond what they believed was possible.

The same source of courage that empowered Jeshua, Zerubbabel and the team they led from Babylon to Jerusalem in 538 BC is available today for any leader who is willing to look to the source of all power. When faced with a risky decision, the godly leader will look to God in prayer and to God’s revealed Word, the Bible, for the perspective and courage to make the right choice.

What situations are you facing that require courageous leadership and involve taking a risk? It serves a Christian leader well to remember God’s words found in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

A wise leader relates to their team. Read Ezra 1:1-7.

King Cyrus of Persia understood how to relate to those in his kingdom. The Persian forces had conquered the nation of Babylon. Babylon had been a great power and at the height of their power they had captured Jerusalem and exiled most of the Jewish people living there to Babylon. Not only the Jews but many of the people that Cyrus now governed were exiles that the Babylonian army had relocated from their homeland. This potentially made Cyrus’ governance more difficult. As we have seen in modern days with the breakup of the Soviet block of nations, ethnicity and national loyalty are not easily forgotten. Cyrus could have had several exiled national groups resistant to his rule and his army could have been paralyzed battling internal rebellious people groups who were seeking their own identity.

Cyrus chose a non-military leadership strategy; he studied the needs and desires of each people group and related to them through their needs thus becoming a conquering hero rather than an enemy to be contended with. Leaders can learn some practical steps in relating to their team from Cyrus’ leadership:

The simple definition of a leader is a person who has influence. Most of us will have influence in our family, our workplace and maybe, if God decides we can be trusted, we may be given some degree of greater influence up to national leadership like the President or world leadership such as Billy Graham. By contrast, God is the only influencer of the universe. Read Ezra 1:2.

The Jewish people would not turn from idol worship, a violation of their covenant with the one true God, and as a result, God withdrew His protection. The Babylonian army captured Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and carried most of the people into captivity in Babylon. The Babylonians were ultimately defeated by the Persian army and the exiled Jews were now under the rule of Cyrus the Persian king. The book of Ezra picks up near the end of their 70-year exile when God is about to move in the hearts of national leaders and allow his people to return to the land of Judah.

Yesterday, we looked at leaders becoming winners by winning the internal battle. Effective leaders know that it is not enough for them to win the inside battle; they know their team also must win that battle for the organization to go to another level. Read 2 Chronicles 34 and 35.

Josiah is remembered as a king of Judah that “…walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (34:2b). His legacy is that of an effective leader and godly king. No leader can leave this kind of legacy without a quality team surrounding them. Josiah’s reforms affected the whole nation because his beliefs and core values became the beliefs and core values of those that surrounded him in leadership.

Have you ever thought about what separates the leaders who achieve victory from those who suffer defeat? What does it take to be a winner? Winning is an inside job. The leader that achieves is the one that first wins the internal battles. Re-read 2 Chronicles 34 and 35.

Josiah remained faithful to his covenant with God throughout his entire life. Some elements of leadership we can learn from Josiah: