Stretching Your Leadership Capacity: Embracing Growth and God’s Call
“To whom much is given, much will be required.” – Luke 12:48
Big Idea:
You can’t lead others further than you’re willing to go yourself. Your leadership ceiling is determined by your willingness to confront hard truths, grow intentionally, and pursue God’s bold call on your life.
Point 1: Embrace the Hard Conversations
Key Thought: Avoidance limits growth—yours and others’.
- Teaching: Hard conversations are often the catalyst for breakthrough. Jesus never avoided truth, even when it was uncomfortable (John 4, John 6). Leaders must confront in love and lead with courage.
- Reflection Question:
What’s the last hard conversation you avoided? Why did you avoid it?
What impact did your avoidance have on your leadership and others?
Point 2: Choose Challengers, Not Just Cheerleaders
Key Thought: Growth requires friction.
- Teaching: Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Leaders need people who challenge assumptions, call out blind spots, and call you higher—not just those who praise you.
- Reflection Question:
Are you surrounding yourself with people who challenge and sharpen you, or just those who affirm you?
Who currently has permission to speak hard truth into your life?
Point 3: Stop Tolerating What You Should Be Transforming
Key Thought: What you tolerate today will dominate tomorrow.
- Teaching: David tolerated passivity with his sons, and it cost him dearly. Leaders must identify weaknesses and intentionally work toward growth (2 Samuel 13–18).
- Reflection Question:
What’s one leadership weakness you’ve been tolerating instead of addressing?
What’s your next step to grow in that area?
Point 4: Prepare for the Platform God is Building
Key Thought: God prepares leaders in obscurity before revealing them in influence.
- Teaching: Joseph led in a prison before leading in a palace. David shepherded sheep before leading a nation. Growth before glory.
- Reflection Question:
How are you proactively preparing for the next level of leadership God is calling you into?
What disciplines, relationships, or resources are you engaging to grow now?
Point 5: Pursue God-Sized, Faith-Fueled Goals
Key Thought: If your vision doesn’t require God, it’s not from God.
- Teaching: God calls leaders to pursue faith-stretching, kingdom-impacting goals (Ephesians 3:20). Comfort is the enemy of calling.
- Reflection Question:
What’s the boldest, most God-honoring goal you’re currently pursuing?
If there isn’t one, why not—and what might God be asking of you?
Closing Challenge:
Leadership is stewardship. You are responsible for growing what God has entrusted to you. Will you settle, or will you stretch?
If you are interested, we have some helps to go with this teaching.
- Living it out with action steps
- Weekly rhythm for growth
- Small group discussion questions