02/08/2022
“And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].” Matthew 4:19–20 (AMP)
When I was growing up my parents would always tell us girls “be a leader not a follower”.
I also heard them say " Just because someone dives off a bridge doesn't mean you should"
Or when they would say NO you can't do that we would ask why "because I said so"
These are cliches I think we've all heard at one time or another in our lives growing up.
I totally agree with these clichés but for me I probably would have given more of an explanation of what these really meant. Parenting there is no instruction book we do the best we can.
But because of this, the word “follower” has a very negative connotation. Nobody wants to be a follower.
Everyone "wants" to Lead.
We all want to be leaders and there’s nothing wrong with that! But believe it or not, part of being a great leader is being a great follower. Even the greatest individuals in scriptures had to start out following someone before they gained a following. An Old Testament example of this is Joshua who followed Moses before others followed him. In the New Testament Peter followed Jesus then he became the rock of the church. Everybody in leadership begins "following" before they start leading. Someone seeking Great leadership follows someone who is already in Leadership. You have to follow the leader before becoming a leader. Following means being coachable. Teachable, flexible, stretchable, listening to those that God has placed in your LIFE as leadership to assist you in your JOURNEY to fulfill your purpose of becoming that Great Leader.
Following gives you the training and preparation needed to be great. Following your leader is a test for leading people! You must be able to take orders before you can try to give orders. If you can’t be TAUGHT, you can’t TEACH others. If you can’t be LED, you can’t LEAD others. If you can’t be CORRECTED, you CAN’T CORRECT others. If you can’t be GUIDED, you can’t GUIDE others. If you can’t FOLLOW, you can’t be FOLLOWED. It’s that simple. How can you be a great leader if you aren’t a great follower? You can’t! FOLLOWSHIP is NECESSARY for LEADERSHIP. In the opening scripture Jesus tells Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him and He will make them fishers of men. In other words, “FOLLOW” Me then I will have you “LEAD” people to God. Follow first, then lead. When He told them that they immediately dropped their nets and followed Him. How can we be a great follower? How do we follow the people that God has placed over us? What are some ways we can follow the leader? “
Be WILLING , Matthew 14
Be Submissive ,Hebrews 13:17 (NIV)
Be Teachable, Luke 5
Just a few ways .
