A Leader Is Self-Motivated! Do Not Expect Direction Or Encouragement From Outside!

What a difference it would make if every leader was self-motivated!

Everyone looks up to the leader for encouragement, but who encourages the leader? A true leader is someone who knows how to encourage himself whenever it is necessary. I do not look to the outside for motivation. I have learnt that I have to motivate myself. I cannot depend on external factors to encourage me.

There are many times I have been absolutely discouraged and dejected in ministry. There are times I have problems that I have no one to talk to about. Like David, I have had to learn to encourage myself in the Lord. You cannot encourage your followers until you have learnt to encourage yourself. David experienced a crisis and he had no one to talk to. He had no choice but to encourage himself.

Steps to Encouraging Yourself
1. Develop a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:26
Hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you personally. You will do this by faith. You must be able to say that God has spoken to you. When you are all alone and there is no one to speak to, the Holy Spirit will be the guide that you need. That is what He is there for! Be constantly aware of the Greater One in you. You have overcome because he is in you.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4
In my darkest moments, I have found the Holy Spirit to be someone who speaks to me personally. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as another Comforter.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:16
Jesus was the first comforter. He was available to speak to. He was there to answer questions. He was there to give guidance. Today, the Holy Spirit does this job. Leaders are often lonely people. I pity any leader who does not have the Holy Spirit as a personal friend to talk to. Receive living messages from God by the simple reading of Scriptures.

When the Bible becomes a living message from God to you, you will always have a source of direction and encouragement. When I'm in need of encouragement or direction, I believe that whichever part of Scriptures I read at that time will be God's message to me.

This makes the Bible my greatest tool of self-encouragement and motivation.

I remember a time when I had been terribly accused by some members of a church. When I arrived in that church to preach, I was so confused because of the many stories that were circulating about me. As I sat in front of the church, I did not know what to preach about, so I flipped through the pages of the Bible and my eyes fell on this scripture:

The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

Job 17:9
Instantly, I knew God was speaking to me. He that hath clean hands will get stronger and stronger in spite of what people say. I knew I had clean hands as far as what they were accusing me about was concerned. Although I had never seen that scripture before, I preached from it and encouraged myself with the power that came from it.

Are you a leader? You must learn to encourage yourself with scriptures that you read to yourself in your quiet moments!

(To be continued next week)
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By Dag Heward-Mills