A Leader Controls His Natural Instincts

The Art of Leadership

There are various things that are innate or that come to us naturally. This is also what the Bible calls “the flesh”. Those are the things we do not need to make an effort to do. These natural instincts do not necessarily lead you to do what is right and honourable. We know that the human nature is prone to corruption. We know that the human nature is fraught with weakness and will easily take the path of ease, which is usually the option to be avoided.

You will discover that many dangers will fly at you if you do not control your reflexes. Imagine feeling like giving somebody a dirty slap and following through with it. Imagine the person's reaction if you said it was just a reflex action. It would not be acceptable. The dangers of not controlling your natural instincts are very great. The Bible describes the human body with four terrible adjectives. Each of these things is waiting to consume us if we allow it. Every leader must guard against the destruction that comes through the flesh. If you do not protect yourself against this natural flow of your body, you are likely to slide into regrettable actions.

• If a leader does not control his natural instincts, he will be in danger of CORRUPTION. Beware of all your negative tendencies and fight them when they rear their heads. Be determined to do the opposite if your natural instinct is directing you to corruption.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:42).

• If a leader does not control his natural instincts, he will be in danger of DISHONOUR. Many times the human flesh has the tendency to lead us to do dishonourable things. It seems the flesh wishes it could just manifest in any way it pleases. You will realise that in order to avoid embarrassment, you have to rein in your reflexes.

“It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:43).

• If a leader does not control his natural instincts, he will be in danger of WEAKNESS. Why weakness? “It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:43). This is because when you are led by your flesh, you will not take the path of strength. You are likely to do that which is untoward. You must be able to rule over your body and make it do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is. Remember that the Bible says:

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

• If a leader does not control his natural instincts, he will be in danger of becoming NATURAL instead of spiritual. We are spiritual beings operating in a natural body. But the body often wants to have pre-eminence. Let us be determined to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us so that our flesh yields to the spirit. That will produce a better outcome!

“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44).

You must first control yourself before you try to control others. That is one of the things that make a leader special. Imagine a group that goes mountain climbing and have to continue with another task the next day. The natural tendency is to sleep longer the next day. But the leader will rouse the rest of the group from their slumber and lead them to accomplish the next day's task. This is because a leader learns to control and direct his natural desire for carnal things. If this carnal instinct is unchecked, a person will discover that he can lead no one. You cannot be a good leader if your natural instincts lie unchecked.

Remember that God is working through men and women who have what I call “carnal instincts”. God is not working through angels! “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The earthen vessels in this Scripture are referring to the flesh. We have to take control of our negative natural tendencies and direct them aright. May the grace of God enable you to have the upper hand in dealing with your natural weaknesses. May you not be drowned by your negative natural instinct! May you rise above and control your reflexes! And you win the battle over your flesh!

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By Dag Heward-Mills