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Day 1

Most people want to make a difference. We want to feel like our lives matter and we’re living on purpose for a purpose. It’s why many of us volunteer to lead.

But you don’t have to look far to find leaders who have burned out… or been taken out by sin and struggles. And it isn’t always a moral failure or addiction that destroys a leader. More and more leaders are falling to the wayside because of anxiety, depression, or just plain exhaustion.

How do we lead others through their struggles when we’re in the middle of our own storm?

For these three days, we’ll be exploring the answers through the lens of Jeremiah 17:5-8.

This passage starts with the Lord saying, cursed is the one “who thinks they can make it on muscle alone.” (MSG) In other words, if you think you can lead from a place of your own strength, you’re doomed to fail from the start.

We’ll never lead well (or for long) from a place of isolation. We need Jesus. We need community. We need to acknowledge our weaknesses, shortcomings, and struggles so we can tap into God’s strength, grace, and help.

God doesn’t want you to lead from a place where you’re gritting your teeth just to make it through. He wants you to lead from a place of peace, confidence, and strength.

The Lord equates the person who trusts in their own strength to a desert shrub living in the wilderness. Jeremiah 17:6 says this kind of person “cannot see when good comes.”

That means relying on our own strength might make us miss the good around us, not because it isn’t there, but because we overlook it. It’s possible to be surrounded by manna, but still miserable because you don’t recognize it as the miracle it is (Exodus 16). However, when we practice relying on God’s strength, we’re more likely to perceive His provision, which not only protects us from pride but also fuels our gratitude. Studies have shown it’s impossible for anxiety and gratitude to coexist simultaneously in our brains. If you’re a leader who feels held back by anxiety, could it be that you’re focusing on what you don’t have and can’t control and missing the good God has put inside of you and around you?

If you want to be in this for the long run, don’t start by hitting the ground running — start by hitting your knees. Admit you can’t do it alone. Ask God for help every step of the way and then look for His provision in the process. Ask Him to open your eyes to the manna in places where you’re tempted to focus on your misery.