Is your leadership balanced with divine sovereignty and human responsibility? (113-5)

Effective leaders find the proper balance between putting into practice the knowledge and skills God has already given them and dependence on God as the sovereign ruler of their life and leadership. Read 2 Chronicles 32:1-8.

Psalm 4:5 tells us we need to “Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.” Second Chronicles 31:21 says this about Hezekiah, “In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” Ever notice how much easier it is to trust God and depend on His deliverance during your time of need if you have your relationship with God in tact and flourishing?

Hezekiah had been faithful to God yet, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, the greatest military power in Hezekiah’s known world, attacked Judah with the full intent of conquering Jerusalem and making them subject to Assyrian rule. Hezekiah responded decisively and proactively to the impending Assyrian invasion. By fortifying the city and also encouraging the people to depend on God and not their own strength. Hezekiah struck the right balance between dependence (divine sovereignty) and discipline (human responsibility).

Effective leaders use every skill and gift God has given them to work through daily situations all the while seeking God and understanding that the ultimate outcome is in God’s hands. Godly Christian leaders not only understand the outcome is in God’s hands, they truly desire God’s outcome not their own.

Proverbs 3:4-6 (tlb) “If you want favor with both God and men, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

Proverbs 16:9 (tlb) “We should make plans – counting on God to direct us.”