The Saul Spirit

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

Do you possess the Saul spirit?
Are you insecure about your position? 
How do you treat other ambitious leaders within your organization?
Do you make room for them to grow, or are you threatened by their growth?

The Saul Spirit

No matter how successful a leader is, if he is insecure, it will show up in the way that others around him are treated, or in how comfortable he is in making room for others to grow within the organization. Insecure leaders are threatened by anyone who seems to be accomplishing more than they are. They prevent others from having growth opportunities within the organization.

King Saul became the first King of Israel and won many battles. Later in his reign, a young man named David joined his organization. David was being prepared by God to succeed Saul because God was displeased with Saul’s leadership. Despite that fact, David was committed to serving Saul unconditionally. However, because Saul was insecure, he saw David’s accomplishments as a threat to his leadership and became angry and jealous of him. He went so far as to continually threaten to kill David.  

That same Saul spirit manifests within insecure leaders of today. The root is fear. This spirit prevents them from allowing anyone they feel threatened by to progress or to be elevated in either their position or their level of responsibility. Instead, insecure leaders surround themselves with people who will appease rather than challenge them.

There are many factors that contribute to the success of any organization. One major factor is leadership that is strong but also balanced and secure. An organization cannot grow beyond its leader’s ability and security. Anyone can become a victim of the Saul spirit because it has nothing to do with one’s level of competence or character. The Saul spirit is fed by the inner fears or areas of insecurity that we may be harboring, and we are often unaware of until our own position is challenged.

How do you prevent yourself from being influenced by the Saul Spirit?

1. Stay in fellowship with God
2. Do not put your trust in your position or resources
3. Guard your heart with all diligence
4. Trust God to protect you against anyone who threatens your position
5. Support potential “Davids” and celebrate their accomplishments
6. Stay active in your mission
7. Repent when God confronts you

Balanced leadership means that we need to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually so that we can take care of others and lead them effectively. If we lack adequate physical and spiritual exercise and rest, any insecurities or fears that we have will tend to be amplified, and we may find ourselves exhibiting Saul-like characteristics. 

If you are continually feeling tired and overwhelmed, if your quality fellowship with God is diminished, or if you find yourself dealing with failure after failure, these could be warning signs that you may not be taking care of yourself. These scenarios can cause us to lose confidence in ourselves and thus become insecure. This can happen to anyone. The key is to recognize when it is happening and make the necessary personal adjustments so that your leadership does not fall.

My prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit will help you to reflect honestly on your current leadership to see if there is any Saul spirit within you, and if so, that you will make the appropriate adjustments so that God will release the grace for you to finish the race.

The Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community will be doing a 21-DAY FAST & PRAY as we prepare for Nehemiah Week 2024!

Join us live daily at 6:00 AM PACIFIC/ 9:00 AM EASTERN beginning JULY 29, 2024 to pray.

Click HERE to join us live.