“Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.” – 2 Cor 1:24

It has never been God’s will for a human being to lord or control over another human being. God calls us to have dominion over all His creatures except human beings. (Ge 1:26) The controlling spirits only came after the fall when the Lord said to Eve, “your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Ge 3:16) The word “desire” was repeated in Ge 4:7 to describe sin have “control” over us.

People will not trust a leader with a controlling spirit. When a leader is feeling insecure he will keep the team in the dark and use that as a means to control and manipulate the people around him. Tyrants who had ruled by force or threats eventually failed and left behind a bad name. As a leader we need to be open and transparent to our team so that they can have faith in our leadership. Building trust in a team starts with its leaders.

Jesus never controlled or forced anyone to follow Him, He just pursued His calling as the savior of the world, and when He got lifted up from the earth, He drew all men unto Himself. (Jn 12:32) No one was ever forced to follow Him and yet He is the greatest leader to ever live. Let us learn from our Lord’s example as a Servant leader, a Steward leader and a Shepherd leader. When we excel in our callings through exercising our gifts with love, we will attract followers in pursuit of the vision the Lord has given to us.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you for your greatest example as a leader. Help me to excel in my calling to attract people to serve you with a common vision. Amen.

Before we go, take a look at the questions below:

1. Based on your observations, how does a leader's need for control, influence the team atmosphere and the work attitude of its members? Why is it difficult for a controlling leader to gain the trust and respect of the team?

2. How did Jesus attract so many followers without forcing or controlling them? What insights and wisdom from this approach can be applied to modern team leadership?

3. Have you ever encountered controlling members or superiors in a team? How did you handle it at the time?