Thank you to Miles Welch for giving us permission to repost his blog article. This is the fifth article in his series on self leadership. Check out his blog called Developing Next Generation Leaders to read his insightful articles: mileswelch.com. Miles has served the local church as a pastor and leader for 20 years, and has been at 12Stone Church (Lawrenceville, GA) https://12stone.com/ since 2001.

This is the last post in a series on self-leadership. This post is all about making trades: self-leadership requires you to stop doing life ONE WAY and begin living a BETTER WAY.

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Self-leadership always involves a trade . This passage in Hebrews illustrates Moses’ self-leadership through the trades he was willing to make:

Hebrews 11:24-28 — By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

Moses traded in a life of luxury and status for a life of leadership and significance. This made the difference in his life.

Reading Proverbs shows that Solomon also understood the necessity of self-leadership trades.

  • Proverbs 6:6–11 — Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
  • Proverbs 10:4–5 — Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
  • Proverbs 12:11 — Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
  • Proverbs 12:24 — Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
  • Proverbs 13:4 — A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
  • Proverbs 14:23 — All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

If Moses and Solomon were not exempt from these trades, we should expect that our own self-leadership will require sacrifice for the sake of growth.  As you work toward your God-given destiny, know that you will encounter some (or all) of these trades: