Outline: A Godly Leader Takes Initiative

Note: This is the third installment in our series on biblical leadership.

 

A Godly Leader Takes Initiative

Selected Verse

Establish the need: Are you a person that takes initiative?

 

Purpose: Today we shall three points so that we would desire to take initiative as a Christian and foundation to be a godly leader.

• The importance of taking initiative
• The example of taking initiative
• How to cultivate taking initiative

 

Quick Comments about meaning of taking initiative:

• The dictionary’s first definition: “the ability to use your judgment to make decisions and do things without needing to be told what to do.”[1]
• The dictionary’s second definition: “the ability to judge what needs to be done and take action, esp. without suggestion from other people.”[2]

 

The importance of taking initiative

Even if you are not a leader right now, taking initiative is important:

1. If you know what the right thing to do is, you need to do it: “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
   1. Book of James has been called by some as the New Testament version of Proverbs.
   2. Here James practically exhort that if a believer knows what’s the right thing to do, he needs to do it.
   3. When a believer does that he is using his ability to make judgment and then taking action which is the essence of initiative.
2. The opposite of taking initiative is being lazy and being lazy is spoken of negatively in Scripture: “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9)
   1. Notice this is addressed to the sluggard.
   2. This is a call to the sluggard to initiate something worthwhile and productive.

Why is it important for leaders? 3 reasons:

1. Taking initiative helps the leaders and those under him be productive: “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:4)
   1. Initiative is the start of being diligent and being diligent is one of God’s intended factor for us to be productive (“rich”)
2. Failure to practice initiative can be destructive or harmful towards others: “He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys.” (Proverbs 10:9)= How much more destructive is it when leaders and not just individuals fail to take initiative!
3. Leadership is the challenge to reduce risks faced by those he or she is leading: “A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.” (Proverbs 27:12)
   1. Notice being someone who takes initiative involves knowing his or her surrounding or situation.
   2. Then noticing the situation the person takes the right course. That is initiative.
   3. How much more good is accomplished when leaders and not just individuals take initiative to avoid danger!

 

The example of taking initiative

The ant: “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6-8)

1. The sluggard is told to learn from the ant (v.6)
2. An ant is not micromanaged (v7)
3. Yet an ant thinks ahead into the future and act accordingly, taking initiative (v8)

Nehemiah:

1. We learn the steps of taking initiative from Nehemiah.
2. First he identified the problem[3]: “that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:2-3)
   1. In verse 2 some men from Judah visited where Nehemiah lived and Nehemiah inquired about how is Jerusalem.
   2. In verse 3 Nehemiah heard that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire” which would mean the city would not be in a situation that is safe.
   3. The first wave of Jewish exile to return to Jerusalem was in 538 BC under Zerubbabel and Nehemiah would arrive in Jerusalem in 414 BC, some 71 years later.[4] During this time Jerusalem had the problem of no city walls!  No one took an initiative all these years!
3. Second he prayed for favor to solve the problem in Nehemiah 1:4-11.
   1. We need to seek the Lord’s help.
   2. We need God’s perspective.
4. Third he planned a solution: “And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.” (Nehemiah 2:7-8)
   1. This passage shows that Nehemiah thought about what does building the wall require.
   2. What’s amazing to consider is that Nehemiah is just a cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11) and not a contractor or building engineer; yet he took initiative to study for a solution!
5. Fourth he initiated action
   1. Although Nehemiah was in Susa he was moved by reports of the distress of those in Jerusalem and how the city walls was broken.
   2. This led Nehemiah to get permission from King Artaxerxes to leave to go to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:1– 2:8).
   3. This Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 2:9-11.

 

How to cultivate taking initiative

1. Think ahead: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
   1. Planning is thinking about the future.
   2. Notice this verse teach that those who plan and initiate (“the diligent”) have this result: “lead surely to advantage”
2. Good initiative involves thinking ahead and planning which is different and contrasted with spontaneous action that is not planned: “But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5b)
3. Have an alert eye and ear to identify problem: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1)
   1. If we are keeping an alert to identify problem ourselves we are one who “loves knowledge”
   2. Also if one is keeping an open ear to hear others identify problems we are the opposite of the one “who hates reproof”
   3. This verse teaches us the one “who hates reproof is stupid”
4. Pray to God for wisdom to identify any problem and also any solution!
   1. James 1:5 teaches us we can ask God for wisdom.
   2. As an application of asking God for wisdom seek His help to identify problems and solution wisely.
5. Learn from your mistake
   1. There is something to be said about learning from one’s mistake that way you are not just only waiting for someone to correct you. If you do that, that is taking intiative.
   2. So as application intentionally think of your sins and mistakes for the purpose of changing your ways and improving yourself as a Christian, and a leader!
6. Seek more responsibility!
   1. When you think about it taking initiative is doing more work!
   2. So rather than complain about more work see it that you are taking initiative as part of a Godly character to help fight against a complaining attitude.
   3. A helpful tip: “begin working on a few small tasks over and above your normal duties and keep repeating these tasks till you get comfortable doing them and gradually increase the amount of extra work that you are capable of handling.” [5]
7. Guard your heart from discouragement:
   1. Being a leader can be discouraging; people will complain about you. You must fight discouragement that kill your motivation to take initiative.
   2. Know that being a leader is hard and you will get criticism is half the battle! You are prepared for it more if you know and acknowledge this truth than if you have a rosy idea of leadership as being praised and applauded, etc.
   3. Biggest encouragement for a leader as a Christian is to know that God is working and changing you: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
      1. Meditate on this verse!
      2. Memorize this verse!

 

 

 

[1] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/initiative.

[2] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/initiative.

[3] John MacArthur, Paul in Chains: Leadership in Action (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 22.

[4] John MacArthur, Paul in Chains: Leadership in Action (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 22.

[5] Source: https://www.thriveyard.com/17-tips-on-how-to-take-initiative-at-work/.