I’m starting a series with this article giving specific leadership principles, practices, and promises for Christian women. I’d love to hear your comments!

While I love to teach the stories of biblical women and glean leadership principles from their lives, I really believe there is an even more important tool with which a Christian woman must be equipped for leadership: the ability to read and interpret the Bible for yourself. If you can do that, you can stand firm in your knowledge of Scripture that has the power to transform your life and the lives of those you serve as leader. Whether you are leading in a secular organization or in the church, this skill is vital for you as a woman. Your mind–and what you allow into it–determines everything you do and are capable of doing. Therefore, if you fill your mind with God’s Word, your actions are more likely to imitate that Word.  

Leadership Principle No. 1 for Women: Change the way you think.

“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do , and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

“Put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it” (Colossians 3:10 CEB)

• Leaders need discernment abilities.
• Leaders must have minds that can filter options to choose between good, better, and best.
• How do you know if you are exercising this skill?

Leadership Practice No. 1 for Women:

Here’s an exercise: The next time you are faced with a decision, analyze your own thought process by asking yourself these questions.

• How am I approaching the decision-making process?
• Am I jumping right in with an answer of my own?
• Am I seeking out other people for answers?
• Am I reading books or articles?
• Am I comparing my own idea to what Jesus would do?
• Do I even know what Jesus’ answer, decision, or plan of action would be?

If you discover that it seems easier to seek out other people or books or articles than to consider how your idea compares to what Jesus might do, then let me encourage you to try to reverse the process. Here’s a suggested process:

Step 1: Before you make the decision, verbalize out loud the question needing an answer or type of decision that needs to be made. Hearing your own voice can actually help your thought process.

Step 2: Stop and pray asking God’s Spirit to give you wisdom. This can be a quick, silent prayer in your heart that only God hears or a joint prayer with others on your team. The form of the prayer is not important. The fact that you take time to pray and seek God’s wisdom is the issue.

Step 3: Imagine Jesus in this situation. Visualize what he might do. If you can’t see that in your mind, take a few moments to read scripture (use a Bible app on your phone if you don’t have access to your Bible). Start in Matthew 5 (or another place of your choosing) and read Jesus’ teaching until something stands out to you. Ask God for a solution that will allow you to act in such a way that demonstrates that you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and that you love your neighbor as yourself.

Step 4: Give God time to answer. You may read the answer in scripture, get a feeling of peace and assurance, or have a sense your decision is pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide you. You may discover that God’s answer will be to direct you to other sources for help in making the decision. And even if you end up seeking out the same sources you would have consulted in your previous decision-making process, the point is that now you are approaching them with a Spirit-led motivation and not just your own need for a quick answer. You may actually be able to “hear” their advice differently now than you would have before.

Leadership Promise No. 1 for Women:

“Anyone who needs wisdom should ask God. . . . Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask” (James 1:5 CEB).

Leadership Proposal for Women:

Reply YES in the comments below if you’d like to read more leadership principles, practices and promises for women in the coming weeks.