Leadership and Encouragement Part 3

Recently, I purchased a book simply because of a quote on the front cover:

If you do not learn how to encourage yourself, you cannot fulfill your destiny.

That quote is a valid principle of life and leadership. Probably the clearest example of this principle is found in the life of David in 1 Samuel 30:1-8.

¹And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; ²And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

³So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. ⁴Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

⁷And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. ⁸And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

As the scripture says in verse 4, David and his men, “wept until they had no more power to weep.” David was beyond discouraged and his men were so distraught that they contemplated stoning him.

The turning point in the whole story in verse 6b: 

But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

I want to focus on what David did as a leader that day to “to encourage himself in the Lord.” There are principles and practices in this story that can help us as leaders to learn how to encourage ourselves.

1. Self-encouragement begins with you. David, having no one else, “encouraged himself in the Lord His God.” While it might seem straightforward, it is not an often-practiced principle.

As a leader, there are times when we are emotionally and physically depleted, circumstances are not encouraging, and those closest to us seem to turn against us. (Thankfully no one wants to stone us!) It is how we decide to respond on those occasions that determines our destiny!

David made a decision to act. Based on past experience, he knew when he entered the presence of God, his perspective changed.

Leaders lead, making decisions based on what they know, not on how they feel! David knew from past experience what he needed to do in his present situation.

David did not decide to not be discouraged—he did decide to worship! I am not suggesting that self-encouragement is simply a positive attitude or a “Pollyanna approach” to life. David realized he had to get a different perspective on his situation.

2. Self-encouragement flows from your relationship with God. Our worship is essential to conquering discouragement and distress. From what we know about David, it is easy to surmise that he took his harp, went to his solitary place, and worshiped the Lord. He was a worshiper before he was a warrior. His ability to lead his men in public flowed from his history of spending time with God in private.

Who we are in private determines what we do in public. In solitude as a shepherd, David had learned worship. When everyone else worried about what to do, he knew that worship was part of the answer, whether he felt like worshiping or not!

Although it may seem too simple at first, when you are discouraged, getting alone with God and worshiping is key. This is a decision, NOT a feeling! Perspective has everything to do with whether we are encouraged or discouraged. In the presence of God, your perspective changes and your focus is adjusted.

In times of uncertainty and upheaval, God is our constant because He never changes—even on the worst day of our lives, He is still faithful. Worship is essential to the life of a leader. Worshipers are encouragers and encouragers are worshipers! It is impossible to encourage yourself or others without worshiping God. 

Worship magnifies your perspective of God, making Him bigger and your problems and troubles smaller. Worship creates an atmosphere for faith to be released. It is the pathway for joy and prepares us to hear God

We live in a culture today of unparallelled change and uncertainty. People—specifically those who follow you as a leader—are looking for someone to reassure them and encourage them. Being intentional in your practice of encouraging others will have lasting benefits in the Kingdom because encouragement energizes people.

However, as we encourage others, we cannot neglect first encouraging ourselves. Have you ever noticed that an encouraged man in a multitude of discouraged men stands out in the crowd? This is why David stood out from the crowd—he was able to encourage himself in the Lord! This is a vital attribute of effective leadership.

3. Self-Encouragement results in making wise decisions—a leader seeks answers from the Lord.David encouraged himself through getting alone with God, taking the time to worship, seeking answers from the Lord, and was then able to take action and make wise decisions.

Worship always prepares us to hear and receive a word from the Lord and encouragement enables us to act according to faith, NOT our feelings! There will always be Ziklag experiences in our leadership journeys. How we respond to these experiences determines our destiny and impacts the lives of those who follow us as leaders. Because David lived by principles of self-encouragement, worship, seeking, and then wise actions, he was able to lead his men to victory and recover everything the enemy had stolen. Then came rejoicing and celebration!

When we encounter a Ziklag experience, remember that it is natural to weep and mourn for a time. But then, we must encourage ourselves, worship, seek a word from the Lord, recover that which was lost, and THEN we can celebrate!

The benefit of self-encouragement is that it enables leaders to lead others through discouraging experiences and seasons. David is a model of a leader who, even in his worst moments, knew how to experience the empowering and energizing effects of self encouragement. People need leaders who have learned the principles and practices of encouraging themselves and are fulfilling their destiny.