I was exposed early to ministry right from my secondary school days. I was privileged to be taught by some older brothers who would tell us something like; “If you are to take a five minutes slot in fellowship program, you need to pray for five hours.” I believed what they said at the time, and it helped me to see the need to always go yonder as a leader.
Friend, the call to leadership is the call to go yonder (Luke 12:49-50). It is the call to do more. You are not a leader just because you are in front. You are a leader because you provide direction and inspire motion. You are not a husband just because you can impregnate your wife or order her around. It is because you can go the extramile to provide leadership for the family (Genesis 18:17-19).
You need to go yonder. You need to do more than those you are leading (Matthew 26:36-39). The easiest way to gain leadership is to do more than the average person would do. The average person does not pray beyond a certain duration. The average person does not pay attention to details. The average person does not commit to a daily habit of study (1 Timothy 4:15, 2 Timothy 2:15).
As a leader, challenge yourself to believe that what the most committed person does in your group is your own minimum (1 Corinthians 14:18, 15:10). You cannot be loafing around as a leader when the people in your team are going the extramile. If people see leadership as being and doing more, they would think twice before signing up for leadership positions (Judges 9:8-15).
In what area of life do you need to go yonder (Genesis 22:5)? Like Abraham told his servants, you also need to go yonder in worship, prayer, study, fellowship, commitment to service, giving, etc. That is what leadership is about. It is not about occupying position. It is about inspiring commitment and change. It is about modelling excellence and progress (1 Timothy 4:12).
As a leader, if you see anyone in your team who always does more than what others are doing, he or she is a potential leader (2 Timothy 2:2). Anyone who pays prices without being asked to or without occupying a position is a real leader. Don’t give leadership positions to people who are not paying prices in their private lives. They are not likely to do well in their leadership (Jude1:12). Where do you need to go yonder?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria