FOLLOW THE LEADERIt is important to remember that a loss of self-control usually happens
in an area of strength rather than an area of weakness. In the areas where
a leader recognizes his natural weakness, he tends to stay alert and “be
on guard.” In the area where he is usually strong, he feels more confident
and secure. He relaxes and “lets down his guard” – and finally loses
self-control in that area. Let’s look at a couple of very familiar Biblical
examples of this.
Samson’s Strength: It was Samson’s physical strength that finally became
his weakness. At first he used his God-given strength for the good of
God’s people. After many great physical exploits and victories, he began
to relax. He became more and more confident – even cocky! He lost his
humility and dependency upon God. He knew that he could tease and
tempt fate – and always win in the end. His physical strength and agility
became a game that he used to toy and trifle with. With each victory over
the Philistines, he became more and more self-confident – and less and less
self-controlled. What he thought he had mastery over ultimately mastered
him. His strength was turned to weakness – and finally destroyed him.
He not only lost his leadership, he lost his life.
Solomon’s Wisdom: The same thing that happened to the strongest man
in the world also happened to the wisest man in the world. Solomon had
prayed to God for wisdom, and received it to a fuller degree than any of
his peers. In fact, he was wiser than anyone before or after him. He was
given God’s wisdom for every area of life – and became the foremost
teacher of wisdom in his world. For much of his life he humbly lived by
the wisdom that God communicated to him, and through him. Gradually,
he began to make a common leadership mistake. He succumbed to the
subtle deception of equating information with application. It wasn’t that
Solomon did not know what to do – it was he did not do what he knew! He
ceased to practice what he preached – and the wise man became a great
fool! After a forty-year reign, Solomon died in infamy, leaving a foolish
son behind who divided and destroyed the Kingdom.
It is in the area of self-control that so many leaders have fallen – and
often in the “sunset years” of their life. It was a lack of self-control in
some crucial area of their lives that caused them to become prideful
and unaccountable. They made foolish decisions that caused them to