You Can't Lead Without Passion

I am passionate about the call that God has placed upon my life. It motivates me at the deepest level of my being.

I've always been suspect of guys who have lost the fire in their belly. You know, those guys who used to be propelled by a mission that gave way to a full blown vision but somewhere along the way they kicked into auto-pilot and started repeating a routine. I've always had this tiny fear tucked away in the back of my mind that I would one day become one of those guys who allows their fire get doused.

Lately I've been thinking about the passion that presses me forward. Where does it come from? How do I keep it alive? How important is that passionate vision?

I'll start with answering the question, "How important is that passionate vision?" My opinion...you can't lead without passion. Otherwise, what's the motivation? I cannot lead another person or organization to the fulfillment of a vision that I am not passionate about. It is passion that causes me to find a way when everyone says it can't be done. It is passion that presses me past the naysayers. It is passion for the vision that motivates me to sacrifice and press forward.

Where does such passion come from? I'm not a business guy and I've never been much on being passionate toward temporal goals...I'm geared toward spiritual results that are eternal. So, where does my passion come from? It comes from the Presence of God. When I encounter the Presence of God through intimacy with the Holy Spirit I "catch" the heart of God. I sense the things that are important to God and the fire that He is stoking in my belly. This incredible passion arises when I am in the Presence of God and this passion motivates me, propels me forward. For me...this is always where the passion comes from.

How do I keep it alive? I've got to stay connected to God's Presence (you notice that I capitalize the "P" in Presence...it is because I equate the Presence of God with the person of the Holy Spirit so to me God's Presence is not a ethereal aura but it is contact with the person of the Holy Spirit).

The Presence inspires the passion for the mission, the passion paints the vision, the vision begs the goals, and the goals guide the implementation.

I can't lead without passion and I really don't think any other leader (particularly spiritual leaders) can lead people on a mission unless they (the leader) feels the mission on the deepest level.

I love feeling the mission, I love being engaged in God's plan, I love the passion that arises in my heart, and I love pulling people around a vision to engage in building things that will last, literally, forever.