As I studied Nehemiah I came to 2 conclusions. Leaders don’t shrink or shrug! Nehemiah was so bold in his approach to everything he encountered.  Look at his every action and you will find a leader who avoided shrinking at enormous pressures or shrugging during difficult choices. He did all this with a foundation of certainty because he knew he was “with God.”

So, the first job as a leader should be to make sure we are ALWAYS with God. Know Him better than your favorite teams stats, know Him better than your girlfriends schedule, know Him better than your bank accounts, know Him above all else and THEN act like you know Him better than anything else in your life.

Lead those in whom you have been given or earned influence. When the time comes to act be decisive and avoid cowering. If you tend to cower in critical moments I have good and bad news. Good news, you may not be a leader. Bad news, you may not be a leader. In watching Nehemiah deal with the King and those who would ruin the efforts at rebuilding the wall he was not a “shrinker.”What if he had been a “shrinker?”

He was also not one to shrug. The hardest lesson I am learning these days has to relate to the “shrug.” When the King asked him what he needed he didn’t say, “I dunno.” He jumped and made huge requests that would launch the work of God into a new stratosphere with the King’s own resources. When given the chance don’t shy away or shrug and simnply defer your chance to lead to someone or somebody else’s agenda. I love how Nehemiah took charge for God’s goals. He is an encouragement and challenge to me and I hope this is to you as well.