Effective Christian leaders are not paralyzed by change. They seek to analyze situations so they can make changes that actually fix the problem. Read Jeremiah 9:1-12.

In verses 1-11 God uses His prophet Jeremiah to point out how the people of Judah had rebelled against Him and to foretell of the terrible results of their actions. In verse 12 He asks the question “What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? Defining what needs to change is often the toughest part of the change process.

One measure of a leader’s effectiveness is their problem-solving skills. Read Nehemiah 6:1-14.

While the walls were taking shape in Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s enemies Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, themselves powerful leaders, tried to sidetrack him with a number of different strategies:

Proverbs 16:11-12tlb says, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established the principle. It is a horrible thing for a king to do evil. His right to rule depends on his fairness.” Wise leaders understand the power of fairness when developing team unity. Read Nehemiah 5:1-8.

Nehemiah had faced and handled plenty of external conflict from other nations around Jerusalem in the process of rebuilding the walls but often the most debilitating conflicts to progress come from internal strife.

Every leader will face opposition. This opposition might come in the form of ridicule, resistance, rumor or even a physical way. One of the great tests of leadership is how a leader handles opposition. Read Nehemiah 4:1-23.

Nehemiah has mobilized the people living in Jerusalem and the surrounding communities to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem. With a wall in place around the city, Jerusalem would become a defensible city and potentially a regional political and military powerbase. Even though Judah and the surrounding nations were all subject to Persia, the favor of the king went to those cities most strategic to the wealth and defense of Persia. Up until now Jerusalem did not figure into that picture. The people in the surrounding territory were not eager to chance losing the favor of the king or dividing the wealth with Judah and Jerusalem.

Effective leaders have a vision for their destination before a project begins and they know the strengths of their team to achieve that vision. Read Nehemiah 1:1-3:32.

The Jewish people had returned from exile and had been living in Judah for about 80 years. The temple had been rebuilt and worship restored; Ezra the priest had returned approximately four years earlier and brought religious revival to the people and in God’s timetable, it was time for Jerusalem, the city housing His temple, to have the walls rebuilt and the people’s trust in Him renewed. God chose Nehemiah, the Persian King’s cupbearer for the job. God gave Nehemiah the desired result before he allowed him to start the project.