12 Leadership Defining Moments

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

How well do you handle tough times?
Do you mask fear and doubt with drugs, alcohol, or overeating?
Do you bite your nails or smoke cigarettes?
Or do you lash out at others?
Did Jesus face tough times, and if so, how did He handle them?
Would you like to handle your own tough times more in line with the way that Christ handled His?

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” – Matthew 26:39 (NKJV)

12 Leadership Defining Moments

As a leader, your journey is full of moments when you will feel personally tested and challenged by life’s circumstances. In those moments, you can either experience the greatest growth of character, or you can compromise the very values you stand for. These are your defining moments as a leader. They are the lessons that will ultimately qualify or disqualify you, because the decisions that you make during these moments will set you apart, one way or the other, from everyone else. These are the moments when your true, inner values will speak the loudest.

As a Biblical Entrepreneur, you are an ambassador of Jesus Christ in the marketplace. You must recognize your leadership position, and once you have, you must also recognize the defining moments of your journey that are designed to test and refine your character. Pay close attention to them, so that you learn what you need to learn from each and every one of them.

Let’s look at the 12 defining moments that Jesus faced and see how He dealt with them, so that we can apply the same lessons to our own lives.

1. Moments of temptation: Luke 4:1-13 – When the lust of your eyes, the lust of your flesh, and the pride of life entice you to wrongful actions.
2. Moments of rejection: Luke 4:23-30 – When you feel dismissed or unaccepted.
3. Moments of limited resources: Matthew 14:15-21– When your needs are greater than what you have available to accomplish your objectives.
4. Moments of isolation: Matthew 27:46 – When you feel lonely, isolated, and separated from those whom you love and depend upon the most.
5. Moments of disappointment: John 6:66-67– When others have let you down.
6. Moments of personal loss: John 11:35 – When you lose someone or something dear to your heart.
7. Moments of betrayal: Luke 22:47-62 – When those whom you trust the most
   turn against you.
8. Moments of abuse: Matthew 27:32-44 – When you feel misused and mistreated.
9. Moments of accusation: John 18:28-40 – When you are wrongfully charged with doing something wrong or illegal.
10. Moments of inadequacy: Matthew 26:38-39 – When you feel unable to carry out the task or mission that is set before you.
11. Moments of anger: Matthew 21:12-13 – When you feel strongly annoyed or displeased.
12. Moments of great accomplishments: Luke 10:20 – When all that you have worked for yields success, and the temptation then arises to acknowledge your own abilities, resources, or personal successes rather than God’s, and to rely upon your own strength rather than His.

All leaders will face most, if not all, of these moments at some stage during their leadership journey. For the entrepreneur, the challenges may come during the early phases of the business when you are trying to prove your concept.

Or, the challenges may occur during the growth phase when you are overwhelmed by demands upon your time. Perhaps these moments will appear during the later phases, when you have already attained some of your goals and achieved a measure of financial success.

You may even wonder why you are still facing these challenges when you have already “made it”.

When Jesus faced these moments, He deployed the same strategy every time: He turned to His Heavenly Father. He always trusted Him and relied upon Him for protection and complete provision. 

Jesus’ primary response to hardship wasn’t to use His own power to “fix” circumstances, but rather to deepen His connection with His Father.

Defining moments of leadership are God-given opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal.

These are the moments when God humbles us, and when we must learn to rely completely upon Him.

When we do, we will find that God will begin to reveal the solutions to the challenges that we are facing. 

These are moments of great opportunity to grow and to demonstrate our integrity. 

When was the last time you had a leadership-defining moment? 

Did you recognize it as such? 

How did you handle it?

My prayer for you is that God will give you the wisdom to identify the leadership-defining moments in your life. May God also give you the grace to see and use these moments as growth opportunities as you allow Him to work in your life, transforming you into His image and likeness.