Scripture says that men are supposed to be leaders. What does that really mean? According to LeRoy Wagner, men who don’t embrace their call to leadership can often become passive deserters. A passive deserter believes the lies and fails to embrace leadership opportunities.
“When he has an opportunity for leadership, he will almost inevitably run away from it. He listens to the lies of Satan echoing in his heart and he operates from a foundation of failure and weakness.”
What are some of these lies the passive deserter believes about himself?
You’ll never change.
This will never get any better.
Your marriage will never be what it should be.
Believing these lies turns men poised for leadership into men passive to God’s calling on their lives. LeyRoy explains the thought process that takes place,
“It keeps him from rising to the challenge of leadership. Instead of fearing God alone and trusting in Him, he’s motivated by fear and he just retreats further and further in his cave. He cannot will himself to get up and leave because all he can think about is his past mistakes. He’s not looking to God, trusting him, and trusting His strength.”
“Every time something begins to go sideways, fear begins to pound him again and so he backs away. He doesn’t rise to the challenge.”
When men exert servant leadership in a Christ-honoring way, they reflect the image of God and his character. But when they fail, Satan pounces.
“We know that we’re supposed to be a spiritual leader, but for most men, we fail at that critical point. If a man is a failure at home, a failure to be what he knows in his core he needs to be, then he feels like a failure all the way around.”
Fortunately, our success in this life isn’t based upon our ability to avoid failure. God uses our failure to grow us and show us that we need Him every day of our lives.
LeRoy Wagner has served as a pastor and speaker for more than thirty years. He is the co-author of .
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