Biblical Leadership  Man messed up and failed; God had a plan to put it all
together again. God adjusted His plans while maintaining His
GENESIS
God is the Ultimate Leader; we are to follow His example.
Men and women were meant to lead and rule, but only in the context of
God's Rules (Bible).
Genesis 1:26-28 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness: and let them have dominion...upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
 Notice that we are to rule over the earth, but not
necessarily over each other.
 We are to SERVE one another, as Leaders, in our areas
that God has given us. Leaders are to serve, not to dictate.
 As we discover the gifts that God has given us, we can
better serve Him and others in that capacity. Everyone has gifts
and areas to serve.
Genesis is an account of man deciding whether to lead, follow obey,
disobey, serve God, or live for themselves.
God as a Leader:
 Communicated with man and gave him a Vision of what
He wanted. Individuals must "See the Benefits of the Vision"
before they will commit to the vision.
 He did not Force His Leadership. Everyone Leads and
Follows Someone. To properly Lead, you must be able to follow.
 God gave man a choice. He went to one man and took
him as far as He could. Then He went to the next one and did the
same. God ALWAYS brings OTHERS with Him. He COULD
have done it all Himself.
 He laid out His plan and chose men and women to carry
it out.
Vision for man.
 God has always kept an open and close relationship with
man.
 Leaders must Win Trust - This comes by Character and
Competence.
ADAM & EVE - Failure to Communicate
God told Adam (Eve was not created yet.):
Genesis 2:16-17 - And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
 Eve told the Serpent (Satan) what she thought God
said:
Genesis 3:2-3 - And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die.
Adam did not effectively communicate with Eve.
 Lack of Communication was very costly.
 It may or may not have been Adam's lack of
communication; Eve may have misunderstood. (Lack of Clarity)
ILLUS. - Telephone Game - Word of Mouth does not always come out
clearly.
Problems With Communication Breakdown:
1. Not enough details given to have clear and effective
communication.
 Eve did not get the message correctly, regardless of
whose fault it was.
 As a Leader, you are responsible to get the message to
those that hear you.

 You ,must make sure that they
understand your directions and
communications.
2. Listened to the wrong person.
 Adam listened to Eve instead of
to God.
 Eve listened to the Serpent.
3. Accountability Failure.
 Adam did not hold himself
accountable. He blamed Eve.
4. There are ALWAYS
Consequences of our Actions.
 Adam forgot what God said
about the consequences of
disobedience.
 Eve exerted her influence to get
Adam to do wrong with her. The
consequence was that Adam
followed Eve instead of God.
5. Failure to take responsibility.
 Adam did not take responsibility
for the results of his communication
problem.
 We are responsible for the
information that is given to us,
especially from God.
ADAM - Leaders Have a 
RESPONSIBILITY to Lead
God put Adam in charge of EVERYTHING.
 It was HIS responsibility to
oversee the garden.
 He was to be the head of the
house at home.
 He was to be a good steward of
what God had given him.
Adam mismanaged his resources. He
Dropped the Ball.
-2-
 He mismanaged the garden at
work by eating God's creation.
 He mismanaged his wife when
he allowed her to usurp his authority in
the home. He remained passive instead
of actively taking a stand.
 He blamed others when things
did not go well.
Adams Mismanagement Affected
Everything!
 It affected his relationships (with
his wife and with God).
 It affected his workplace (the
garden).
 It affected his neighborhood
(where he lived).
 It devastated the entire world.
NOAH - Man Chooses Righteousness
 Noah was not chosen randomly.
 God chose Noah because Noah
chose righteousness.
 God did not use talent, ability, or
skill; He chose the one who chose to do
right. Noah chose righteousness.
 Noah chose to walk with God
and to obey His commandments.
GOD, ABRAHAM and the Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel came about
because the people had MOMENTUM.
 Momentum is the Leader's
friend.
 The people were:
1. United
2. Spoke the same Language
3. Had the same Vision
4. Put Effort into their work.
5. They had MOMENTUM and
were moving forward.
  The problem was that they were
moving in a direction that went against
God!
GOD "CONNECTED" WITH ABRAHAM
TO MOVE THE WORLD ANOTHER
DIRECTION.
 God took them down by "Divide
and Conquer" methods.
 God divided the group by
different languages, which were very
confusing to the people. They were no
longer united.
 God had a heart to heart talk
with one of the Leaders, ABRAHAM.
 He told him about the blessings
and the promises of God, if he would
just do things GOD'S way.
 God had FIRST touched
Abraham's heart, and THEN He asked
for his help.
VISION - Abraham Looks to the FUTURE!
 Leaders see things from a
distance; they look to the future.
 They dream about what it
COULD BE, not just what it is today.
 They look at eternity; not just
today, tomorrow, this year, even this
lifetime.
 Leaders look at the big picture.
VISION - Abraham Obtains the Vision.
1. Vision begins with God's
Priorities in Mind.
 God initiated the Vision;
Abraham just latched on.
 Genesis 12:1-2 - Now the
LORD had said unto Abram, Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:
 When you start with God, your
motives are pure and your direction
is clear.
2. Visions Meet Needs and
Connect.
 The Vision God gave Abraham
and Sarah met their needs exactly.
 God KNEW what they needed
and provided direction.
 Genesis 15:2-4 - And Abram
said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give
me, seeing I go childless, and the
steward of my house is this Eliezer
of Damascus?And Abram said,
Behold, to me thou hast given no
seed: and, lo, one born in my house
is mine heir. And, behold, the word
of the LORD came unto him, saying,
This shall not be thine heir; but he
that shall come forth out of thine
own bowels shall be thine heir.
 Fulfilling the Vision would end
up Serving Others.
3. Visions Include Others BOTH
are Blessed
 Abraham would be blessed by
blessing others.
 When you serve others, God will
bless YOU as well.
 Genesis 12:2-3 - And I will
make of thee a great nation, and I
will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth
be blessed.
4. Visions are bigger than the
Leader himself.
 Abraham was just content to be
a father.

 God wanted him to father entire
nations.
 The vision would take a lifetime
to achieve, and maybe beyond a
lifetime.
5. Visions Connect with the
Leader's deepest Desires.
 God goes far beyond what we
even think about. He knows our
desires and even gives us HIS
desires to fulfill dreams and visions.
6. Visions should be Easily
Compared and Easily Seen.
 God told Abraham to look at the
sands on the shore; look at the stars
in the sky...
 God used Visual Aids to help
Abraham SEE the Vision more
completely.
 The more the vision can be
realized, the more likely it is to be
fulfilled.
7. Visions should have Eternal
Value.
 Abraham's Vision went far
beyond his own lifetime of wealth
and fame.
 His Vision would affect the
eternity of millions of souls.
JACOB - Levels of Influence
Jacob used his INFLUENCE to do many
things. From getting the birthright from
Esau to founding the 12 tribes of Israel. He
was wealthy, strong, influential and blessed.
But is wasn't until he was broken, that God
could really use him.
Levels of Influence (Worst to Best):
1. Force - Using physical strength
to get what we want.
-4-
2. Intimidation - Bullying others
verbally or emotionally to act against
their will.
3. Manipulation - Coercing others
to act.
4. Exchange - Giving something to
receive something (I'll scratch your back
if you scratch mine.)
5. Persuasion - Use of verbal skills
to persuade others to act.
6. Motivation - Energizing others
to want to act.
7. Honor - Communicating esteem
or praise to others by serving them, thus
inspiring them to want to act.
JACOB - The "Git-R-Done" Leader:
 A Leader finds a way to achieve
results.
 Leaders find a way to Win-Win
for all sides.
 Leaders are "Whatever it Takes"
people.
 They are the "Go to..." guys
when the chips are down and things
need to get done.
 Even when Laban changed
things up for Jacob to marry his
daughter, Jacob found a way to keep
gong and get it done.
 He did not give up; he worked
around the problem until he found a
solution.
ESAU - Lack of Vision - He Did Not See the
BIG Picture.
Esau had alot going for him - skillful hunter,
strong, resourceful, a man's man. He had
alot of self-reliance, which may have clouded
his vision for the big picture.
 Focused on the temporary here
and now; tomorrow never comes.
  He relied on his natural abilities
rather than on God.
 He traded the eternal (birthright)
for the temporary (soup).
 He was favored by his father,
Isaac, and may have thought dad could
bail him out if he got in trouble by poor
decisions.
 He did not marry according to
God's plan. (He married a Hittite).
 Esau's lack of vision blinded him
to the deception of his brother, Jacob.
He did not see it coming.
 His poor judgment caused his
people to be a perpetual stumblingblock
to the Israelites.
 He eventually got the big picture
much later in life, but what could have
been done had he gained the insight
sooner.
JOSEPH - The Process of Growth
Growing is a Process.
 It does not happen in a day.
 It is Developed over Time.
 It's what you do day by day,
over a period of time, that matters the
most.
JOSEPH - Four Stages of Growth (Personal
Development):
1. I don't know what I don't
know.
 Everyone starts out not knowing
what to do or how to do it.
 We all lack the skills needed to
do what we need to do.
 We not only don't know the
answers, we don't even know the
questions.
 Joseph started out in ignorance,
just like everybody else.
 He probably lacked the people
skills even with his own family.
 His brothers despised him
because of the way he announced
that he would rule over them.
 This lack of judgment caused
him to be sold and alienated from
his own family for many years.
2. I know what I don't know.
 Personal Development is the
key.
 You have to work on what you
need to know.
 Again, it is a Process of Time.
 He began to learn when forced
under Egyptian slavery; there is alot
of responsibility with Leadership.
 He learned about humanity and
betrayals with the relationships he
developed. (Butler & Baker;
Potiphar and his wife...)
 He learned how to go from the
Pit to the Palace.
 Eventually he learned that God
was the source of his blessings and
power
3. I know and grow and it will
show.
 When we learn what we need to
know, then God can use us more
fully to do His work.
 Leaders begin to show what they
know when the opportunities arise.
 Leaders "Show" when they have
paid the price over time.
 Preparing, Learning, Growing,
Teaching, Working...all over a
period of time, allows the Leader to
"Shine" when the right opportunities
prevail.
 Leaders do not simply "become
leaders." They have "Developed into
Leaders" through wisdom and
discernment over time.
 -6-
4. I GO because of what I know.
 Once we have learned the
formula for leadership and success,
all we have to do is to GO. Get God
into our plan and move forward!
 Joseph had seven years of
plenty, because he knew what to do
and simply did it.
 Not only did he see the seven
good years, he foresaw the lean
years as well. This allowed him to
continue to be a blessing to the
whole world by sustaining them in
famine.
 He even saved his own family
that had forsaken him long ago.
 He was now able to see his
dream and visions fulfilled!
 Realize also that it is not just
time that allows you to grow. You
must develop yourself along the
way.
 Many Christians never move
forward and so never really do
anything.
 It is only those that have a
Personal Development Plan in place
and are moving forward toward a
goal that will excel.
JOSEPH -Tested By the Trials of Life
All through life, we are tested to see how we
handle ourselves in the midst of troubles.
Joseph LEARERD the Lessons that God had
in store for him.
1. VISION from God.
 Notice that Joseph's troubles
began after a high note in his life.
God gave him a dream or vision for
his life. Immediately, troubles came.
 Do not be afraid of the Vision
God has given you. Move Forward
Toward the Vision.
 Look for God's Purpose with
your life and start early in life.
Joseph knew that God had
something special for him in life.
The same is true with everyone.
 Our job is to find out what God
wants and do it!
2. Relationship with God - WWG
 You cannot face the adversities
of life without God.
 Maintain a healthy relationship
with God at all times.
 "The Lord was with" Joseph.
3. Strong Character is Developed
through Adversity.
 Do not run from your problems;
solve them.
 Trials of life make you a
stronger Christian.
 You grow closer to the Lord
through trials of life.
 How you handle life will
determine what God does with you.
4. Practical Experience Gained
through Difficulties.
 Joseph influenced many lives
because of the experience he gained.
 Every trial became a teaching
tool used by God to form Joseph's
character and ability.
 As a slave, he learned to work.
 In Potiphar's house, he learned
business and how to deal with false
accusations.
 In prison, he learned people
skills and problem solving along
with wisdom from God.
  With Pharaoh, he learned to
apply all of his experience to save
many people.
5. Talent, Skills, and Ability are
Gifts from God.
 We can do nothing in and of
ourselves.
 God has given each one of us
gifts and abilities to do His work
and His will.
 It is up to us to use those gifts
for God.
6. Blessings are the Result of a
Good Attitude.
 Joseph had many reversals in his
life and God blessed him greatly.
 Many times it was said, God was
with Joseph and He made him to
prosper.
JOSEPH - Nurturing His Followers
Joseph's family was somewhat insecure
when Joseph revealed himself to them.
Joseph had to nurture them along to gain
their trust, because they had betrayed him
once. Joseph did several things to gain their
trust and to nurture them to follow his
guidance and leadership.
1. He gave them Security.
 Genesis 45:4 - And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Come near to me,
I pray you. And they came near. And
he said, I am Joseph your brother,
whom ye sold into Egypt.
2. He Identified with them.
 Genesis 45:4 - And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Come near to me,
I pray you. And they came near. And
he said, I am Joseph your brother,
whom ye sold into Egypt.
3. He had Empathy for them.
 Genesis 45:5 - Now therefore
be not grieved, nor angry with
yourselves, that ye sold me hither:
for God did send me before you to
preserve life.
4. He showed them a Strong
Purpose.
 Genesis 45:5 - Now therefore
be not grieved, nor angry with
yourselves, that ye sold me hither:
for God did send me before you to
preserve life.
5. He had a Strong Sense of
Perspective.
 Genesis 45:6-7 - For these two
years hath the famine been in the
land: and yet there are five years, in
the which there shall neither be
earing nor harvest. And God sent
me before you to preserve you a
posterity in the earth, and to save
your lives by a great deliverance.
MOSES - A Leader Without Followers
The first few years of Moses Leadership was
a Disaster. The problem was not so much
with Moses as it was with his Followers, or
Lack of Followship. When Moses went up
the Mountain to meet with God, the
Israelites lost focus. They did not have the
same Vision that Moses had.
Downward Spiral of Bad Followship:
 Israelites failed to cooperate
(Did their own thing).
 Doubted the Vision ( Did not see
things as Moses, their leader did.
 Disobeyed the rules (Golden
Calf)
 Worshipped Material things

 Forgot their Goals (Moving
Forward for God to the Promised
Land)
 Turned on their Leader, Moses.
 Whined and Complained about
everything (Even complained
against God)
The strange thing about the Leadership of
Moses and the Lack of Followship from the
Israelites is that God can be seen so clearly
in the Leadership role.
 Cloud by Day
 Pillar by Night
 God meeting with Moses in the
Mountain
 Clear Leadership of where and
when to go
MOSES - Lessons in Leadership:
1. Leaders need time and
experience to grow and prepare for
leadership.
2. Leading requires planning. Plan
your work; Work your plan!
3. Leaders cannot do everything
alone or by themselves. Get others
involved.
4. Leaders should plan on things
going bad (Murphy's Law)
5. Leaders should remind
themselves and others of their past
success.
6. Leaders must continually keep
the Vision and dream alive. (Focus)
PHARAOH - Carrot and Stick Leaders:
You have several types of Leadership and
Supervisors and Managers. Some lead with
extreme Authority and use fear as a Leadership
tactic. That is the STICK. here are Others who
Lead by Example and Relationships. That is the
Carrot type of Leadership.
-8-
Pharaoh Led with Fear and a Stick:
1. When the Jewish Population got
too big, Pharaoh oppressed them and
forced labor. He should have Positioned
the Jewish Leaders to help form
relationships to better control them.
2. When the Jewish babies were
born, Pharaoh tried to kill all the Jewish
babies. He should have tried to help
them and equip them to lead.
3. When the Jews complained,
Pharaoh worked them harder as slaves.
He should have lightened heir loads to
help them succeed.
4. When there was racial conflict,
Pharaoh tried to ruthlessly dominate
them. He should have worked on
building better relationships.
Life is made up of relationships. Everything we
do to affect the quality of life is built on
relationships. Secure Leaders Empower their
workers; they give power to others. Pharaoh
mishandled his leadership by limiting the Jews
talents and resources instead of using them
wisely.
MOSES - Learning to WAIT on God
Many times, God does not always answer or
move in our timeframe. We often have to
"WAIT on God." This does not mean that God
is not there or working in our lives. On the
contrary, He is often preparing us or other
people to do His work.
1. Moses - Had to wait on God in
the desert, in the palace, working with
people...
2. Noah - Waited 120 years before
it even rained.
3. Abraham - Waited 25 years for
Isaac, the promised son, to be born.
 4. Joseph - Waited 14 years in
prison for a crime he did not commit.
5. Job - Waited a lifetime (60-70
years) for God's justice to prevail.
MOSES - How God Chooses a Leader
(Exodus 2:11 - 4:20)
 Moses received a 40 year
"seminary course" in the desert.
6. God Instills the Work Ethic in
the Leader's Value System.
 Moses may not have worked
much in the Egyptian Palace, but he
learned it's worth in the desert.

1. God gives the Leader a 7. God Gives the Leader a Vision

Passion or an Emotional Attachment for the Future and What can be done.
to the Work.  Moses had the Vision from God
 Moses already had a passion for concerning the Promised Land, long
the freedom of the Israelites (even before the Israelites did.
killing a man) before God had called
him to lead. 8. God Brings Others along to
Complement the Leaders
2. God Confirms the Leader Weaknesses.
through others.  Aaron - Spokesman
 When Moses told Jethro about  Joshua - Military General
the burning bush, his father-in-law  Hur - Moses' Assistant in the
confirmed it. Battle

3. God gives the Leader Mentors

to Help. MOSES - Problem + GOD = PROBLEM
 Moses asked for and received SOLVED
help from Jethro, Aaron and others.
We all have problems and excuses in our life.
4. God Builds on the Leaders Most of the time, we only see the problems,
Strengths, Experiences, and rather than focusing on the solutions. God and
Background. His Word have all of the answers to life's
 God used everything in Moses' problems. God had called Moses to do His
background to help him fulfill his work and immediately Moses saw the problems
calling. and formulated his excuses. (Genesis 3:11-
o Refined Education at the 4:14)
Palace in Egypt
o His knowledge of 1. Excuse: Who am I!
Pharaoh  Moses did not feel qualified to
o His understanding of do what God wanted him to do.
Egypt  He thought God picked the
o His time in the wrong man for the job.
Wilderness Solved: It does not matter who you
are; God is with you!
5. God Refines the Leader's
Character Behind the Scenes. 2. Excuse: Who are You?
 - 10 -

 Moses felt that he did not know Leaders must develop plans, but also be
God as well as he should. prepared to make adjustments along the
 He felt like perhaps he had not way. Most plans do not work right "out of
WWG as much as he should. the box." Adjustments must be made! The
Solved: I AM THAT I AM! God is wise leader plans for the adjustments.
always there and can meet any need
that we have. PLAN AHEAD
 P - Pre-Determine your Course
3. Excuse: What if they do not of Action.
Listen?  L - Lay Out your Goals.
 Moses was intimidated by the  A -Adjust your Priorities.
prople; he worried about how  N - Notify key Personnel.
they would react.
Solved: God told him to just do  A - Allow Time for Acceptance.
it...When God is through with them, they  H - Head into Action.
will know.  E - Expect Problems.
 A - Always Point to your
4. Excuse: I am not a good Successes.
speaker.  D - Daily Review your Progress.
 Moses felt inadequate. He did
not feel like he could do what God PLAN AHEAD
asked.  P - Pre-Determine your Course
Solved: God said, don't worry; God of Action.
mad your mouth and will give the o You must devise a Plan.
words.
o How you are going to
accomplish what you want to
5. Excuse: I know you can find
do.
someone else.
 L - Lay Out your Goals.
 Moses had an inferiority
o You need to know where
complex. He compared himself with
others instead of trusting God. you want to end up.
Solved: God gave Moses a speaker, o Break things down into
Aaron, but God was STILL calling organizational packages.
Moses to do His work! Yes, God can use (Mini Goals)
others, but He wants to use us all! o Have your Main Goal,
Then add smaller goals along
the way to see your progress.
MOSES - Plans Ahead  A -Adjust your Priorities.
o Things will change as it
God had given Moses the Task of Leading progresses.
the Israelites out of Egypt. God had also o Priorities will Change as
told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh's the Plan Changes.
heart. The Plan would work, but not right o These are the
away. Adjustments that need to be
considered.
 N - Notify key Personnel.
o Leaders are not an Island
to Themselves.
o Every Leader will need
good people to help and
support along the way.
o A TEAM can do more
than an Individual.
o Everyone on the Team
need to know the Plan.
 A - Allow Time for Acceptance.
o Most people are not
given to change; they will
need time to assimilate the
changes and accept them as
their plan too.
 H - Head into Action.
o Action is the Key to
Getting Things Done!
 E - Expect Problems.
o Murphy's Law is as old
as the Devil Himself.
o Expect for thing s to
happen and Plan Ahead.
o THINK - What will I do
if THIS happens...?
 A - Always Point to your
Successes.
o People are Attracted to
Success.
o It may not be THEIR
Success, but they want to be
a Part of Some Success.
 D - Daily Review your
Progress.
o You must have a way to
Measure How you are
Doing.
o REVIEW is the Key to
Moving Forward and
Adjusting for Change!
MOSES - VISIONS From God Will
Motivate
If we are going to do anything for the Lord,
we must be motivated. Without motivation,
nothing will get done. The best motivation
is a VISION from GOD!
1. PERSONAL to the Leader
(Vision must be owned by the
leader.)
2. PRACTICAL (Meets a Need.)
3. POSSIBLE (Vision matches the
leader's spiritual gifts.)
4. PARALLEL to who they are.
(Compliments their Passion &
Personality.)
5. PORTABLE (It goes wherever
YOU go.)
6. POWERFUL (Stretches to
Accomplish More than they could
on their own.)
7. PROFITABLE for what they do.
(It gets Results.)
8. PLEASURABLE Brings
Fulfillment & Satisfaction.)
9. PURPOSEFUL (Fulfills their
God-given Mission in Life.)
10. PROVIDENTIAL for where
they are heading (God-Directed
Destiny.)
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Moses needed more than just himself to
accomplish his goals and visions. He needed a
TEAM; a group of individuals that shared the
dream and united to make it happen. It was his
Inner Circle.
 Aaron
 Hur
 Jethro
 Joshua
 Others
 - 12 -

Moses & God - 4 Tools of Leadership

There are several ways to earn leadership.

God and Moses teamed together to establish
Moses' Leadership credentials.
1. Production - He made a way for
His people to cross the Red Sea safely.
2. Protection - Eliminated the
Egyptian Army in the Red Sea.
3. Provision - Provided manna and
quail for His people to eat.
4. Problem Solving - Produced water
from a rock.