Effective leadership in our companies requires wisdom, but wisdom does not start with the latest business book we ordered online. It starts with fearing God (Proverbs 9:10). What does it mean to fear God and what does this unique style of leadership look like?
To fear God does not mean we are scared of Him. Rather, it has to do with respect, awe and ultimately obedience. In this context, whoever we fear most is ultimately who we are serving and obeying. If we fear God, we are following Him, but if we fear our peers, employees, vendors or customers more, we end up serving their desires.
Leadership rooted in fearing God requires a hard head.
An example of this is when God called Ezekiel to prophesy against the Israelites. Ezekiel knew he was walking straight into persecution as he was condemning his own neighbors, and relatives, his people. Fortunately, God provided him with a specific tool to accomplish what was needed. “I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks” (Ezekiel 3:9). Without a genuine fear of God, Ezekiel did not stand a chance in carrying out his responsibilities.
Now, I have never thought of a “hard head” as a good thing, but God equipped Ezekiel in this way. As a result, Ezekiel was able to fear God (obey Him) more than his own people. Ezekiel was able to stay focused on what God called him to do and not be persuaded, moved, or manipulated by the opinions of the Jews he was called to help.
Ezekiel’s hard head was God’s immunity vaccine to the people’s virus of negative looks and words that could have stopped Ezekiel from fulfilling God’s will. God uses the word “rock” (something that blocks/rejects) as a word picture throughout the book of Ezekiel to understand both people’s head and hearts. Not only do we see a “head as hard as the hardest rock” to block and reject the fear of people, but later in Ezekiel we see the word picture continue. God takes out the “heart of stone” and replaces it with a new heart so that His decrees and regulations are not blocked or rejected by His people.
Leadership rooted in fearing God requires a soft heart.
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
“I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20)
A hard head is balanced by a responsive heart. We need hard heads to fear God more than the people we work with each day. Yet we need God to remove our hearts of stone so that we can be responsive to His word.
This all comes back to the wisdom of fearing God. Godly wisdom is more valuable than anything else we can work towards in life. It is essential to leading our companies in ways that bring glory to God. Soft heart to love, hard head to follow God
Personal Conviction:
Our decision making as leaders must be rooted in the fear of the Lord. Our hearts must be soft enough to hear Him, and our heads heard enough to obey and not be swayed. As I self-reflect, I realize just how much work still needs to happen in my heart and mind. I have a mind that is often too soft towards other people’s opinions, views, and stances; giving them more influence than God in my decision making. My prayer is that God will continue to work on me, giving me a hardness and softness where I need it most.
What areas of your life need to be hardened or softened by God to fear him more–to grow in wisdom–to develop as a leader?