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30 April 2013

Are you leading on empty?

Pastor Agu Irukwu, senior pastor at  Jesus House for all The Nations, and a member of the Alliance's One People Commission describes feeling burnt out reminds us to look to God to be our strength.

The first two months of this year were a nightmare for me. I had found myself under enormous pressure; and I was tired. As a result of this, I was left with a very grieved heart.

In life we sometimes underestimate the spiritual battles that we face as leaders. We know we can't run away from our calling because we are dedicated to it. However, it's a dangerous place to be when you have learnt how to lead and you sometimes get by doing it without the help of the Holy Spirit.

We don't doubt that God has called us into positions of leadership, but so often as leaders, we can find it hard to be open and vulnerable. To admit that we too can become fatigued; grow weary, and feel isolated.

But it's so important that we do recognise these things when they are staring us in the face.

The turning point for me came when I read a book called Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro.

In it, he writes: "We don't forget that we are Christians. We forget that we are human, and that one oversight alone can debilitate the potential of our future."

Yes, we are leaders, but we are also human. Our strength is in God alone, it is in Him that we trust.

Cordeiro wrote the book after he found himself completely burned out after 30 years in ministry and a decade after founding what is now Hawaii's largest church. This book is a gift to leaders who need encouragement and rejuvenation.

As leaders it is our responsibility to watch out for each other and to pray for one another.

I'm grateful for the friendships and the family support that I have around me.

I'm grateful for the friendships that have been formed around this table and I'm looking forward to the next season of the Alliance's One People Commission.

I'd really encourage leaders to take time away from the hustle and bustle of church life, and reconnect with the God they are serving.

As Cordeiro writes: "Solitude is a chosen separation for refining your soul. Isolation is what you crave when you neglect the first."

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