Born to Lead

Yinka Adekoje, July 2013.

Special Youth Alive Service -21st July, 2013

@ The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus Sanctuary, Mafoluku, Lagos.

Every child of God is born to lead. However, we must realize that this revelation of our leadership destiny alone does not guarantee manifestation. We must embrace the developmental process that makes for impactful leadership, which is the responsibility aspect of our leadership mandate. Mark 1.17

-Insight-

Gratitude & Acknowledgement: On behalf of the youth, I would like to appreciate our pastor and father, Pastor James and the entire leadership of this church for this opportunity. We are most grateful sirs. Youth in the house, can we please appreciate the pastorate for this? Similarly, as a middleman, on behalf of the church leadership, I want to submit openly that the Church leadership values the place of every youth in this church and in this mission as a whole. Ill like to quote Daddy Go in one of his message recently to help bring home the point. He said; I have said it again and again; we must give our youth priority, because they represent our tomorrow. If there are old churches that are closing down, its because they ignored the youth. But we embrace them, we love them, we appreciate them. They are our priority. Because as long as the youth are there, our future is secure. They may have their own peculiar ways, but so did we in our own time. Please give the youth priorities in all our churches, because thats where our future lies. Daddy GO, August, 2012. From this Daddy Go word, we youths matter in Gods Programme now. Truly, success without successors is a failure in disguise. This is our opportunity. At the same time, its a responsibility. . Think about it. We had absolutely nothing to do with the timing of our births. Its Gods plan. Looking forward to this day, God determined that we would be great tools in His hands to fashion the Kingdom of God. Psa 8.2 Paul encouraged Timothy in 1 Tim 2.12 that, dont allow anybody to look down on youand I mean anybody. Rather, position yourself as an agent of Change. And thats my word to us this morning. The entire world is poised for swift, radical change. It is therefore imperative that the Church youths embrace and fully receive a bold anointing. This anointing will aid us in formulating preparations for influencing our culture. We are to be catalysts of extreme changes. And thats what todays message is all about.

BORN TO LEAD
The reference for todays youth Alive service theme is taken from Matt 5.13-16. Several years ago, there was a popular school of thought that leaders are born, they are not made that is, its hereditary or for some selected few. And this theory kept many people to the background coupled with the oppression that went on with it. But with time, people challenged this school of thought on leadership and eventually jettisoned the theory when it was discovered that, with relevant mental attitudes and constant exposure to quality information, leadership skills are transferrable. And what a world of difference this has made globally since then. And taking it a bit farther, what comes to our minds when we hear the word Leader? For most of us, it is a picture of someone who occupies a particular position, perhaps in government or any other organizations. Does that mean that the rest of us cannot lead?

How do you describe the impact of parents, teachers, Coaches, and colleagues who help people to discover and realize their potentials everyday around the world? I want us to understand that the key word in leadership is influence, and all of us have the potential to do it. Leadership is the ability to influence people to achieve great goal and fulfill their potential. Its all about service to our generation. (Acts 13.36) So every child of God is born to lead. And the scripture is very specific about this. Matt 5.13-16 Salt and Light of the World. Here, Jesus used the metaphors of Salt and Light to indicate our leadership influence as we penetrate the secular society your office, business, school and neighborhood. 1Pet 2.9 Royalty implies leadership influence. 1John 4.17 As Jesus in the world unlimited capacity for influence. Zech 8.23 And this scripture is referring to you. Thats Global impact. Deut 28.1,13 No other option than to be a change agents. Above only So every child of God is born to lead. You have a leadership destiny in Christ. The capacity to lead is hidden in every one of us. Your current position or experience notwithstanding, if you are a child of God, born again, you are born to lead. None of our experiences can substitute the authority of the word of God, because the scripture cannot be broken. John 10.35. The bridge However, we must realize that this revelation of our leadership destiny alone does not guarantee manifestation. We are born to lead, but we must become those leaders. The Born leaders must familiarize themselves with required wherewithal (process) that makes for impactful leadership. There is a path to dynamic leadership that will turn your leadership potential into a potent reality. True leadership is not something you grasp but something you become. You dont become a leader by default. Nothing great happens on its own. There is no rise without a price. Your mandate of leadership is intact, but you must take responsibility to actualize it. Gal 4.1 Heir is a born leader, but he needs to grow up! Quickly, what are the basic things involved in leadership development? Well be considering two (2) these things. 1. Discover your leadership potential You become a leader when you finally discover who you are your own leadership potential and your purpose in life. Without this you tend to imitate others and get on their ways trying to be like them. And unfortunately, thats the problem with the world, thats the problem with the church.

Leadership is all about influence the contribution you were put on earth to make, and your optimum influence basically comes from who you are, your uniqueness. Your value is in your difference. Your leadership is in your purpose. A discovery of purpose is essentially a discovery of your area of leadership influence. You must discover it! Joel 2.7-8 Apostle Paul said with confidence, in Gal 2.8 the same person but different influences. You must discover the natural leadership qualities lying dormant within you. The reason why some people have not discovered their leadership potentials is because they are still trying to be like other person. Remember, imitation is limitation. How do I discover my leadership potential/my purpose in life/what I was born to lead? -Your leadership potential can be discovered through any of these three (3) scriptural ways, although its deeper than that. *By Gods voice direct Call from God/Visionary encounter God is a God of purpose. Take time to pray sincerely for direction and discovery of Gods purpose for your life. God has a unique mandate for every life, be interested to know it. God told Jeremiah, before I formed you -Jer 1.5. Paul the Apostle came and confirmed the same truth, that you leadership mandate is settled before your birth. -Gal1.15. Take time to seek Gods face on this. Please dont think it falls on people when God is ready. No, it does not work like that with everybody. In Hab 2.2 I will stand upon my watch! not God speak for thy servant heareth. Jer 29.11, 13 When you seek genuinely, then heaven will open.

*Through your unique gifts and talents your natural inborn abilities
In case you have not heard any voice from heaven, and there is no agenda delivered into your heart, then look inward, there must be some unique gifts God has put in your life. You see, in finding your place in life, one person you cant leave behind in that search is you. Your gifts, your talents, your uniqueness, your temperaments, your inclinations, your interest and your design are all Gods messengers of purpose in your life. I believe, there is something God is trying to tell you about what comes naturally to you. Get clear about that. All our natural abilities come from God. (Rom 12.6, Prov 18.16, 1Pet 4.10.) -Romans 11.29: Gifts and callings are ranked equally in Gods view. God told Moses, what is that in your hand - Ex 4.2, Elisha told the prophets wife, what do you have in your house 2kings 4.2 And this is what God is telling you too. What is that in your hand? To some it could be musical talent like kunle Ajayi, to some it could be flair for figures like Akintola Deliote, yet to some it could be anything medical like ben Carson or to some, it could be computers like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, and to some it could be business abilities like that Gods businessman - RG LeTourneau.

This is what Bob Gass, the publisher of original Word for Today says on this, as captured in one of his publications titled Work from your core strength. He said that In life, your purpose is always connected to your giftedness Aristotle also made a profound statement long time ago. He was a Greek philosopher who lived between 384 322 B.C. He said that Where your talents and the need of the world cross lies your calling -Aristotle So every time you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling. Thats your leadership. You remember Bezaleel with unusual dexterity and his impact in his generation. Exo 31 Take time to take inventory of your life, because those gifts are there deep down on your inside. The natural abilities you do have are a strong indication of where God wants you to lead. Pay attention to your gifts and talents, and give it appropriate approach required. Gift put in right context Mike Tysons story of transformation and impact of Cus D'Amato - The undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Held the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years. Earned US$30 million per fight, before he retired from professional boxing in 2006. But before this, Tyson was repeatedly caught committing petty crimes and fighting those who ridiculed his high-pitched voice and lisp. By the age of 13, he had been arrested 38 times. He ended up at the Reform School in Johnstown, New York. Tyson's emerging boxing ability was discovered there by Bobby Stewart, a juvenile detention center counselor and former boxer. Stewart considered Tyson to be an outstanding fighter and trained him for a few months before introducing him to Cus D'Amato who was used to refine Tysons gift.

*By the passion in your heart -What are you passionate about?
Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo said that your future is in your passion. Mike Murdock said Your passion is a pointer to the problem you are created to solve. Sincerely speaking, what are you passionate about? -that is a pointer to your leadership potential. The renowned Mother Teresa was not known to have heard any voice from heaven or carried any special gifts, but she had a burning passion for the helpless lepers of India. That passion was what made her. She died a legend. The Bible uses the term HEART to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interest, ambitions, dreams and affections you have. It represents the source of all your motivations what you love to do or care about most. Psa 33.13-15, Prov 27.19 Honestly, without passion life is empty. Please find your passion. What fires your passion? What makes you come alive? What you love or what you hate are a strong

indication to your purpose and leadership potential. Because other people saw the same thing and were not bothered. Just like Jesus John 2.13-17 And you know what, when you are passionate about something people tend to give you space to operate. What are you passionate about? What are you enthusiastic about? Ponder on the passion in your heart. Listen to your heart. Hear what scripture says about Moses: Acts 7.22-23. (Also see Jer 20.9, Prov 4.23)

**Its when you get clear on these three (3) ways of self-discovery that vision is ignited in
your heart. Vision is buried in purpose. Its discovery of your leadership seed that births vision and confidence in you. Let me share this story, it will help someone. Its how Pastor Sam Adeyemi began. He was in a meeting where his pastor encouraged the congregation to look inward to their inborn abilities and their passion in life, quoting among other scriptures from Matt 6.21 where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. As a student at Kwara State Polytechnic, He got back home and prayed, having taken serious inventory of himself. And few days later, it was vivid in his mind that he would be a teacher and motivational speaker. 2. Develop yourself Commitment to self-development We read earlier in Gal 4.1: You have to grow up to step up into leadership. Isa 9.6 Without commitment to self-development, you wont be presentable. You are born to lead, and that we have confirmed from the Word, but you must subject yourself to the process of becoming a leader. Leadership is your heritage but you must step up to your covenant position in God. And thats the responsibility aspect of our leadership mandate. Turning point begins when you accept this responsibility - Youve got to refine your gifts. Luke 10.2-3 Lamb among wolves. The way Jesus paints our leadership picture; it leaves every one of us with no choice, but to develop ourselves. Spiritual growth is imperative! You are born as a sheep to lead, but you assume your leadership position as a lion, if not the wolves around wont let you. If you dont want to be perpetually vulnerable as a Christian, you have to grow up in your walk with God. Very important! You may have all the gifts in the world and have all the prophecies on you, if you dont embrace the responsibility of consistent self-development, you are going nowhere. You remember Reuben in Genesis 49.3-4 He was everything in terms of leadership potentials but ended up a nuisance because of his indiscipline & lack of personal responsibility.

This is what Stephen King says, "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. -Stephen King. Mahatma Gandhi said, -an Indian Statesman We must strive to become the change we want to see Socrates also said that, a Greek philosopher Anyone who will move the world must first move himself It simply means that it is only changed men that become world changers. So you have to develop yourself! It is the developing of the Writer, the Thinker, the Preacher, the Leader, the Inventor, the Accountant, the Computer guru and the Businessman that is hidden deep in you that is important. Dont settle for a half-developed gift. Stretch yourself and learn all you can. **There are many things involved in leadership development, of which our time cannot accommodate. But central to all these, is the power of information or knowledge in your quest to lead. Jesus said in Luke 6.39 Can the blind lead the blind? There is no substitute for information or knowledge in our quest to become a leader. You cant lead a course you dont know anything about. What you dont have you can give. You cannot go beyond the information at your disposal. You cant rise above your knowledge. So our ignorance puts a lid or limits on our leadership potentials. But we will grow above that! We are to make learning a lifestyle. If you want to be an influence in the world, you have to be a reader. 1Tim 4.13-15 The truth is Leaders are readers. Every great leader is a committed reader. And very interestingly, every committed reader is a potential leader. All impactful leaders around the world have the same habit of keeping a current library, because of their passion for knowledge and the demand of leadership.

+There was a time a learnt that Daddy GOs personal library as we speak competes
shoulder-to- shoulder with the main library of Redeemers University. Learning is that important! Even the anointing needs constant supply of quality information for maximum impact. You remember Eph 6.17 sword of the Spirit.

+Something funny also happened sometimes ago in Pastor Sam Adeyemi Home office.
Two of their house maids were asked to clean the office and dust off the shelves in his libriary. Unknown to them that he was reading in the other room. When theyre done, one of the ladies made a funny remark. She said in pidgin, How one person go read all these books and his head no go correct i.e. how could one person read all these books and wont be intelligent.

In 2Tim 2.15, the Bible says Study to show yourself approved unto God. Reading illuminates your mind, widens your horizon, expands your capacity, helps refine your gifts, and transforms your entire person. Please take grace for a studious life. Daniel said that I Daniel understood by books in Dan 9.2. Because you must study to understand life -that is just the truth. Otherwise, you will mystify almost everything. And thats the hallmark of superstition and spirit of religion Ignorance! I understand that commitment to reading requires a lot of discipline and at times faith because you have no proof in advance to demonstrate that the preparation will pay off. You simply have to believe, deep within yourself, that everything you do of a constructive nature to refine your gifts and develop yourself will come back to you in some way. That the dot will connect some day. Abraham Lincoln, very early in life had a philosophy towards reading and preparation for the future. It was a statement he made when he was a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. He said, I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come. And when he had been well read, he was ready for the presidency. If you study and prepare yourself, your chance will come as well. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish if youll invest the effort to get yourself ready for the success that you desire. And there is nothing that can stop you but your own lack of preparation. Earl Nightingale once said that if a person does not prepare for his success, when his opportunity comes, it will only make him look foolish. Youve probably heard it said repeatedly that luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. Prov 24.3-4 TLB Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. TLB *Get book, Tapes, takes courses, attend seminars, and further your education. just keep developing yourself. Lastly, in your leadership development and your quest for knowledge, Gods word, the Bible should be on top of your preference. In Acts 20.32: the Word builds you up and kits you up. In Jos 1.8, God told Joshua the impact of The Word on his leadership destiny. Joshua at this point was a new leader, not in terms of age, but the new responsibility. And God told him, this book of the law shall Joshuas success in leadership was tied to this Book. So there is something about this book we are yet to know particularly as young men & ladies. Our Bible reading or study is not to please our pastor, but essentially to preserve our destiny and to develop ourselves. Deut 32.46-47, 4.6-7.

Matt 7.24-25 (msg) 24-25 These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hitbut nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. (The Message Bible.) Moses in Exodus 3, after Word encounter, purpose was discovered, gift activated and his vision redirected. A vagabond turned a national leader! An aspect of the Word every youth should understand and engage is the impact of the Word on our mentality and overall self image, which is very crucial to our leadership development. In His book, The Spirit of Leadership, Myles Munroe explains two leadership concepts. -Leadership spirit is your inborn abilities, gifts, passion, Gods calling on your life. -Spirit of leadership is the mentality, your perception of who you are. He said it is not ability; it is mentality that makes a leader out of any one. So what you think about yourself is more important than what you do. You do have the abilities, but your mentality must measure up to your ability before you can manifest leadership. Leadership spirit must be supported by spirit of leadership before you can truly lead, and thats a function of your belief. No one can live beyond the limits of his belief. All of your abilities to lead are still being buried under your lack of belief that you cant lead. You can have potential, but if you dont have the belief, your potential will soon become a victim of your present belief. You cant fully carry out your mandate of leadership if you dont have the mentality of leadership. You see, It does not matter how gifted you are, or how many degrees you have, or how intelligent you can be, its your mind that keeps you small. And it does not matter how disadvantaged you may think you are its your mind that makes you a leader. The supremacy of the lion in the jungle is a function of what he believes and thinks about himself. And he acts the way he thinks. -Lion vs. Elephant. The secret to anyone rising is what happens in his mentality, which is the product of in his belief system. Matt 9.29, Hab 2.4 The just shall live or Lead by his faith. Your mentality and overall self-image is a product of your belief What you believe about yourself. And that is where the Word of God comes in. The word helps transform your belief system. Faith/Belief as we know from Romans 10.17 is an impaction from the word of God. The Word of God refines your mind, helps work on your thinking and belief system, and changes your perception of who you are.

In The Spirit of Leadership, Myles Munroe tells his story on the impact of Gods word in transforming ones mentality. Having being bullied by his teacher as a monkey and uneducable one day, he wept all the way from school to home. But through the help of his mother as she took him through Eph 3.20, his self-image change and he move from F student to A student in one semester. Can you see the impact of the Word of God? Lets spend time with the Word. When you are sufficiently worded, it shows in your word, because it illuminatesIsa 8.20 Genuine encounter with the Word does not only illuminate you, it transforms you into an illuminant. -2Cor 3.18, John 1.9, Isa 60.1-2. Conclusion: You are born to lead and you must partner with God in these two (2) areas to actualize your leadership destiny. Remember, your leadership development is determined by; 1. Your perception of who you are. 2. Why you think you exist. 3. Your sense of significance. No matter where you are now, if you can get these three things to come alive in you, nothing will stop your leadership destiny. God bless you. Prayers: *Dedicate yourself to Christ, our supreme leader Follow me and I will make you become a leader. Mark 1.16-17 *Lord, empower me to lead. We must never confuse our abilities with Gods anointing. Zech 4.6 Anointing is Gods input on your life that makes all the difference. *Pray for Divine Opportunity Ability is nothing with opportunity Winston ChurchHill. Eccl 9.11 Lord, give me opportunity that will give lasting relevance to my gifts and your call on my life.

References:
Becoming a leader Myles Munroe In pursuit of Purpose Myles Munroe Finding your place in life Mensa Otabil Multiply your success, lead Sam Adeyemi Purpose-driven Life Rick Warren Spirit of Leadership Myles Munroe Knowing your purpose Sam Adeyemi Knowing Gods purpose for your life E.A. Adeboye Towards empowerment for a change David Oyedepo