Guard What Guides You

Aug 1, 2025 | 31 Ways to Grow Your Leadership, Leadership

31 Ways to Grow Your Leadership – #3

The Challenge

Every decision you make flows from somewhere deeper – the control center of your emotions, motives, and decisions.

Your heart.

If your heart is cluttered with anxiety, bitterness, or selfish ambition, your leadership will be, too. If your heart is grounded in God’s wisdom and humility, everything you lead – your family, work, team, relationships – benefits.

Leaders can fake skill, but they can’t fake heart health. Eventually, what’s inside leaks out.

The Remedy

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT):
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Process It

Three big ideas in these verses:

  1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart – Surrender your inner life fully to God, not halfway. A divided heart leads to divided leadership.
  2. Do not depend on your own understanding – Your instincts aren’t always reliable; God’s wisdom is. Leadership requires humility enough to say, “I don’t see the whole picture.”
  3. Seek His will in all you do – Leadership isn’t just about “spiritual” moments. God cares about every decision – budgeting, hiring, parenting, studying… everything.

The promise? He will show you which path to take. Not instantly. Not always as clearly as you’ll want. But faithfully, as you walk with Him.

Apply It

Guarding your heart means actively aligning it with God’s wisdom. Here’s how to live this out in four areas:

  • At School:
    Before major tests, conflicts, or choices about friends, pause and pray: “God, help me trust You, not just my gut.”
  • At Home:
    Create a “gratitude list” with your spouse, kids, or roommates each week. It trains your heart to trust God’s goodness instead of obsessing over what’s missing.
  • At Work:
    Start your day by surrendering your calendar: “God, these meetings, projects, and challenges are Yours. Guide me today.”
  • At Church:
    Involve God in your serving. Instead of just “doing the task,” pray for the people you’re impacting. That heart posture changes everything.

The Bottom Line

An unguarded heart makes a leader vulnerable; a guarded heart makes a leader strong.

Leave a Reply

Topics

Faith

Leadership

Three Minute Theology

Discipleship

Ministry

Resources

Productivity

Culture

Current Events

ABOUT JIMMY

Jimmy McLoud is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Canton, Ohio. His passion – and the vision of First Christian – is to share the good news that Jesus is for all people by helping them find hope, purpose, and a place to belong. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Solomon Foundation and as a Ministry Consultant for The Unstuck Group. Jimmy and his wife, Ashley, live in North Canton with their four kids: Braylon, Carter, Ellie, and Grace.