Being Spirit-led and having humility are two of the fundamental ways in which we should exercise leadership.

The Problem of Pride

Following a proud leader can make us feel frustrated and stifled. However, the problem of pride has a wider impact. Pride causes us to:

• block people and their ideas
• fail to listen to advice
• value personal success above all else

Eventually, pride left unchecked leads to moral failure in leadership.

How To Avoid It

In the second session of our series Jesus on Leadership, we looked at two of the values that Jesus showed whilst on Earth: being Spirit-led and having humility – the complete opposite of being proud. As we’ve mentioned before, Jesus is the ultimate model for leadership and we should aim to develop the traits that he exhibited.

Here are some passages that you could study to consider Jesus’ approach to living humbly and being led by the Spirit:

• Philippians 2:5-8
• Luke 4:14-19
• John 5:19
• Matthew 11:28-30

Being Spirit-led and Having Humility go Hand-in-Hand

On the surface, humility seems to empty its holder of power. However, the deeper you dig, you will find that one who is humble has freedom from the desire to impress or to be right all the time. They tend to be able to use their losses as an opportunity to grow and reject the labels society places on them. Humility is not something you see in yourself, but what someone sees in you.

Being led by the Spirit is as simple as being open to God’s leading. Humbling ourselves makes it much easier to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Humility + Being Led by the Spirit = Anointing

Anointing is when God supernaturally blesses our efforts and works through us in a such a way that it is clear it wasn’t merely ourselves. It is the wonderful result of wholly submitting ourselves and our plans to God. Now that we know that being Spirit-led and having humility brings anointing, consider the following question:

What actions do you need to take in order to be more Spirit-led and have more humility?

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