As the mantle of leadership was handed over to me that year, the minister that spoke that day made a statement that stuck in me till date; “There are no experts in leadership. Every leadership platform is a learning experience.” This truth is also valid in life generally.
Friend, God wants you to trust Him in all and with all. We tend to trust God in areas where we are insufficient but God wants us to also trust Him in areas where we seem sufficient. We must realize that our sufficiency is and must be in God (2 Corinthians 3:5). This is one of the secrets of getting God to work with you and for you (2 Chronicles 26:15-21).
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). What are you leaning on? To lean means, to put your weight on something or someone. It means to rest assured that something or someone would not let you down. Don’t lean on your understanding, skill, strength, wealth, connections etc. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12, Isaiah 30:1-7, 31:3).
You would need to acquire strength, build wealth, get understanding, but you must not lean on them. What God is asking you is, “what are you leaning on?” God is not against the things we acquire on the human plane but He does not want those to be our confidence (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Paul had to count those things as dung (Philippians 3:8). Paul did not throw his certificate into the garbage bin, but he did not lean on it.
Successful people are not necessarily strong people, they are only submitted people (1 Corinthians 15:8-10). If you are not careful, you are likely to fail in the areas where you are strong. The truth is, weak people fail as well as strong people but submitted people don’t fail. These are people who have learnt to submit both their weakness and strength to God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
As we move into the second half of the year, check what you are leaning on. Take your time to acquire relevant skill and anointing, build capacities, and leverage relationships. But never lean on those things (Ecclesiastes 9:11). God should be your leaning; His wisdom should be your guide and His Grace your sufficiency. You are truly strong when you consider yourself weak without God (2 Corinthians 12:10).
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria