Kingdom At Work
[The information referenced in this blog is from a Kingdom at Work Webinar on the topic “Leading with Heart of God” presented by Jeanna Roach, CEO of Betenbough Companies. You can watch the full webinar here.}
Humility is not a place to which we arrive, and humble it is not something we can be. It is and should be a never-ending pursuit of every Kingdom leader. We must both desire and seek to lead with the heart of God and this can only be done if we are walking in humility.
We see in the Bible that King David, a King deeply loved and chosen by God, a King known for being after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14) would still fall short. The root? Pride, selfishness and abuse of power. So how did King David continue to walk in his calling of leadership despite his many mistakes – He pursued God’s heart with humility. And we can too.
Let’s explore what the Bible says about humility and why it’s a necessary characteristic for leading like the King.
Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” As most Kingdom principles, this is upside down from the what the world assumes. However, meek does not equal weak. In Greek, the word meek means strength under control. To be meek is to surrender. This is our first challenge in pursuing humility as leaders – surrendering our all to God.
A few chapters later we see God reveal humility as a characteristic of His own heart through Jesus. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,” says Matthew 11:29. In this verse, we see God’s call for action, followed by a promise.
Kingdom leader – you are a part of God’s redemptive plan to inherit the earth and restore work for His glory! As earth as it is in Heaven! Will you recognize the invitation, act, and receive His promises?
We hope your desire is YES! But to choose humility and reflect the heart of the Father is to reject pride. Jeanna Roach, Betenbough Companies CEO describes pride as a me versus we attitude and mindset and gives practical examples of how identify this sneaky trait.
- Pride seeks power, prestige, control and profit for SELF – not the Kingdom.
- Pride shows up in entitlement, judgement, superiority.
- Pride is in small criticisms that places yourself above others.
Once you can identify pride, you can combat it with humility. Let’s define that. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself – but thinking of yourself LESS.
- Humility is agreeing with who God says you are!
- Humility is a proper estimate of oneself – no more and no less.
- Humility can only stay if invited and pursued regularly.
Jeanna shares that over the years, she has had many career highs and lows that have given her opportunity to hone the pursuit of humility. In this, Jeanna recognized a few habits of the humble that any Kingdom leader can practice. (With inspiration from Didn’t See It Coming by Carey Nieuwhof.)
- Begin with gratitude! People in the Kingdom of God are grateful. They look for blessings happening now and see goodness in everything.
- Seek to serve, not be served! (Leaders don’t make this a competition!) Just be with your people – know them, help them, and love them. A Kingdom leaders job is to be with the people and to help them reach their highest potential.
- Be curious! Leaders should be learners. Leaders can learn from anyone at anytime. Know that your people hold some of the best solutions and opportunities for growth. Ask open-ended questions to truly hear and learn.
- Practice active listening! When you have a humble heart, you are going to seek to understand. Avoid the urge to proactively create a response or think of a rebuttal. Stay present and listen to the person giving you the gift of their time and words.
- Put the spotlight on others! Leaders have a lot of time in the spotlight – but look for opportunities to elevate others. Invite them to share their craft, to add value to a decision, and to praise them in public as the Lord prompts you!
- Apologize when wrong or out of line & actually mean it! Apologizing makes you human and it is a gift to the people you serve. Leaders are not perfect, and we mess up. Pull back the curtain and show your people it’s okay to mess up, own it and move on from it.
Kingdom leader what’s in your heart today? Is pride getting in the way of your God-given identity? Ask the Holy Spirit where you can be made low so he can rise up in you! Let’s be leaders after God’s heart just like King David.
We encourage you to listen to the full webinar on Leading with the Heart of God and to also register for our upcoming webinar, here. You don’t want to miss it!