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We need to pray for our leaders to be people who can convince people to believe in them. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. John 1:47-49 Jesus got Nathaniel to believe in Him. Nathaniel had a personal conviction that Jesus was a good person and that he should follow him. No one can truly follow your ideas unless he believes in you personally. One of the reasons why leaders must be open is so that people get the chance to know them personally. I sometimes wonder as I watch leaders who say nothing about their personal lives. Could it be that they have no example to give or no testimony to share? Dear friend, the people you lead need to have faith in you as a person. How can this happen except you open up to them. People get to know what is in your heart by your words. �for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matthew 12:34 When people can relate with the things that are in your heart, they will more readily go anywhere you want them to. They will be ready to do anything you tell them to do. It is not impressive when people just read speeches that have been written for them. You cannot know much about the person until you hear him speaking from his heart. It is the heart that really matters. When people can feel your passion, drive and vision, your leadership flows naturally. If you don�t have a passion for anything or a drive to accomplish something, you are not a leader. If you are a leader, pray for a passion and a conviction. Learning some rules about delegation, authority and management does not make anyone a real leader. That can only augment true leadership, which is from the heart. The reason why there are so many schools and books on leadership and yet we have such few leaders is because leadership is from the heart. People will not follow you with their hearts until they believe in you with their hearts. Five Ways A Leader can Make People Believe in Him 1. By being open about your private life. When there are many mysteries surrounding your life people will not naturally gravitate towards you. 2. By being honest about your problems. Everyone has problems, including leaders. People rally around leaders whom they perceive to be real. A real leader is someone who has the same challenges as everyone else but overcomes them. You can admit your problems openly and share how God helps you to overcome them. 3. By speaking from your heart. I once heard a head of state complain about his priest. He said, �I make speeches and I speak from my heart. Why should a priest who hears from God read his message to me?� When you just read sermons your hearers may doubt your sincerity. Everything that is written is carefully thought out. What we want to hear is what is in your heart. Speak from your heart! But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matthew 12:36 4. By sacrificing towards your vision. People can see the sacrifices you are making towards what you believe. Your sacrifice will speak louder than a hundred sermons. I have sacrificed my medical profession for the ministry. That one act has given me more credibility than anything else. People will believe in you when they see your sacrifice. 5. By being prayerful. Prayer generates spiritual authority. Authority is that �not-easily-defined, invisible, magnetic aura that surrounds a man of God.� Authority emanates from your closeness to God. The closer you are to a person, the more confidently you will speak about him. People will believe in you because of your prayer life. This is a secret that many prayerless people do not know. People do not follow prayerless leaders. Your private prayer will make people believe in you. May we continue to pray for our leaders to be able to convince people to believe in them! [email protected]