The Heart of a Leader: Lessons From the Life of David Exemplo

Day Four — Integrity 

Even the greatest leaders make mistakes. It would be unfair to discuss David’s success and skip over the times he dropped the ball. Even with the moniker of “a man after God’s own heart,” David still had his sinful moments — Bathsheba being the most infamous one. 

David wasn’t even supposed to be in the palace at the time he laid eyes on Bathsheba. Israel was at war, and as the king, David was supposed to be out there with his men. As a leader, he wasn’t where he should have been, which set him up to do something he shouldn’t have done. Bathsheba was a married woman and David knew that, but David moved forward in entitlement instead of taking a step back in integrity.

Perhaps David was in a season where he stopped flipping his power to praise and as a result, his power turned to pride. And in the end, his pride left him in the middle of a mess that would have consequences for decades to come. Instead of chasing after God’s heart, David chased down his own desires, which ultimately resulted in the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. 

Thankfully, David’s story doesn’t end with his greatest mistake. When David was confronted with his actions by the prophet, Nathan, he didn’t make excuses or cast the blame on those around him. After a series of wrong decisions, we see David finally do the next right thing. In Psalm 51, David humbled himself and took full ownership for his actions before God and the Israelites. 

This part of David’s story reminds us that if we’re not actively moving forward, we will naturally slide backwards. If we’re not chasing God’s heart, we’ll eventually find ourselves pursuing lesser things — and those things could not only cost us, but haunt us for the rest of our lives. Andy Stanley says, “Don’t ever make a decision that will make you a liar for life.” 

Is there an area of your life where you feel you’re above boundaries and accountability? When you make mistakes, are you willing to take responsibility right away or are you quick to assign blame? Ask God to make you sensitive to even the slightest sin so you can lead with integrity and humility.