
The Spirit of Leaders: Born Leadership and the Power of Who You Follow
Understanding and submitting to true leaders—those with divine vision and calling—is essential to prosperity, transformation, and fulfilling your destiny.
Every believer must understand this fundamental principle of faith: God created each person for a particular work, with different spiritual capacities, different responsibilities, and different directions. Misunderstanding this truth results in missing every level of elevation, blessing, and transformation God has ordained. The failure to recognize and submit to proper leadership creates curses upon your ground, sorrow in your labor, and a wasted life.
Teaching Overview
- Leaders are born by divine design, not created through training — every person is uniquely ordained for a particular work, and recognising this is foundational to all of life.
- You become what you sit under, not what you pray — the leader you submit to shapes your character, your destiny, and the blessing or curse on your labor.
- Listening to people who carry no vision brings a threefold curse: on your ground, on your joy, and on your labor — remove the wrong voice and the blessing returns.
- There are three kinds of people in God's order: the born leader, the servant leader, and the follower — knowing which you are determines how you are supposed to be positioned.
Divine Design and Spiritual Uniqueness
- God created everyone for a particular work with different spiritual capacities ordained for different purposes.
- Satan fell because of his failure to understand and honor the principle of divine order and authority.
- The desire to equalize everybody across the board contradicts God's design—unity in the body of Christ does not mean sameness in function.
- If anything is an auction from God, then it is unique, not replicable, not copyable, and solely unique in its function because it is for a specific purpose.
- There are men and women who are literally born to lead, and leadership is not something that can be created or trained into existence.
"In God's mind he created everyone for a particular work. We are all not made the same and we are definitely not created to do the same thing."
"Leaders are born. They are not created."
Leadership vs. Training and Delegation
- Jesus never called believers to lead; He called them to follow.
- To lead in a particular area does not make you a leader; you may be delegated a position by God, but delegation is not leadership.
- Leading a certain assignment does not make you a general leader.
- The church spends time trying to create leaders when the truth is that leaders are born, not made.
"Jesus never called us to lead. The Lord Jesus never called us to lead. He called us to follow. So we are spending so much time trying to create leaders yet leaders are born."
The Consequence of Not Following a Leader
- If you are a believer and you don't know who a leader is, you will fail in life.
- Many Christians are poor because they follow anything but fail to follow a leader—they follow what appeals to what they can relate to.
- A true leader removes you from the environment you are accustomed to and brings you to a place you never knew was possible.
- Your guarantee in life is not based on prayer; prosperity is not centered on prayer alone.
- Following people preaching prosperity without the ability to lead you into prosperity creates false expectations about financial freedom.
"If you are a believer and you don't know who a leader is you will fail in life."
"Christians follow anything but they don't follow a leader."
The Power of Sitting Under a Leader
- You become what you sit under; you don't become what you pray.
- A believer cannot reach where God wants them to go unless the Spirit of God leads them.
- God sends shepherds; a pastor is meant to point you to where prosperity is and build your spiritual life, not necessarily take you to prosperity.
- There are men of God given grace for specific domains like business, but not everyone is called to that domain.
- What works for one person may not work for another because God has not called everyone to the same thing.
"You become what you sit under, you don't become what you pray."
"You become what you sit under, that's the truth."
Success Through Leadership, Not Mere Association
- You don't succeed in life because you surround yourself with better people; you succeed because you have a leader.
- Hanging around rich and successful people does not make you prosperous like them.
- Most people who associate with successful people end up knowing about success but never enter into it because no one took their hand and led them into it.
- Those who associate with successful people are just in the vicinity, but the successful will not expose them to what made them what they are because they are not leaders—they are bosses.
"You don't succeed in life because you surround yourself with better people. You succeed in life because you have a leader."
Boss vs. Leader
- A boss and a leader are not the same thing.
- Influencers do not lead; they only influence.
- To influence means to have the capacity or power to be a compelling force, but compelling is not leading.
- Satan is very good at compelling people, but the Holy Spirit convicts people because He is a leader.
- To compel somebody and to convict somebody are two different things.
"Don't confuse a boss for a leader. No, they are not the same thing."
"To compel somebody and to convict somebody are two different things. The Holy Spirit convicts you. He does not compel you."
Influence, Popularity, and Leadership
- Popularity does not equate leadership.
- You can be popular for anything—pornography, comedy, sports—but popularity does not make you a leader.
- Charismatic presidents and popular figures can talk and attract followers, but that does not make them leaders.
- The most popular soccer players have millions of followers but only have the power to entertain, never to lead.
- The social media age has deceived people into believing that followers equal leadership.
- Going viral does not make you a leader.
- Viral people do not last because they must constantly do something new to go viral.
- Somebody with a thousand people watching once in a while is not a leader; somebody with 50 people watching every day is the leader.
- The quality of a leader is known by how many people's lives you have changed.
"Popularity does not equate leadership."
"Going viral doesn't make you a leader."
Leadership as Transformation
- The only way you make a difference in life is by leading, not by influencing or popularity.
- You are where you are in life because of whom you chose to follow as a leader.
- Even in the kingdom of God, there are rankings and order because anything that has order will always have one vision bearer.
- Even angels follow other angels, not because they are running or leading by themselves, but because there is divine order.
"The only way you make a difference in life is by leading."
Divine Order in Marriage and Vision
- Even in marriage, the wife is called to be a helpmate, not a leader.
- A wife is there to assist in counsel, to assist in advice, to be a support for the vision the man has been given by God.
- If a man has no vision, he has no business getting married.
- A man is called a man when he has a vision—being grown in age does not make you a man.
- Being a man means to be a visionary, to be a leader, and to be a husband.
- The word husband means master.
"You become a man when you have a vision. Being a man means to be a visionary and it means to be a leader."
Adam's Leadership Failure
- When Adam was given companionship with Eve, he did not lead her; he merely called her a woman.
- When Adam left her to contend and deal with things for herself, the serpent approached her.
- The serpent came to see how much Adam had taught her and how much he had constructed and molded her.
- Seeing that Eve was of little knowledge, the serpent deceived her.
- After the fall and curse, Adam understood his role and called her Eve, meaning mother of every living thing.
- Adam missed an opportunity when he called her woman to call her Eve and give her that additional identity and authority.
- If he had given her that identity and authority, she would have been able to identify the serpent as being under her feet.
"He missed an opportunity when he called her woman to call her Eve and give her that additional identity and authority."
The Three Curses of Not Following a Vision
- The first curse is that the ground becomes cursed because you listened to somebody without a vision.
- The second curse that follows a cursed ground is sorrow; you will always experience pain in your labor.
- Sorrow is distress caused by loss and affliction.
- The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow, but when there is sorrow, you have listened to the wrong voice.
- People addicted to pain believe that progress requires struggle and sorrow, yet progress has nothing to do with sorrow or pain.
"Whenever there is sorrow, you listen to the wrong voice."
"Sorrow is loss."
Adam's True Mistake
- Adam's mistake was not eating the fruit; Adam's mistake was listening.
- The Bible tells you that the woman was deceived, making her the transgressor, not Adam.
- Adam never sinned; Adam's mistake was to listen to somebody who did not carry a vision.
- Your mistake in life is you listen to people who do not carry a vision.
- When you listen to somebody who does not carry a vision, the repercussions are on your labor and life becomes difficult.
- Because you listened to the wrong voice, the ground will be cursed, and everything you work for will have struggles.
- Some people are dealing with curses on their life because of witchcraft, and some are dealing with curses on the ground because of who they listen to.
- Remove the voice of somebody in your ear and your ground will be blessed.
- As long as you listen to somebody you are not supposed to listen to, you will struggle.
"Your mistake in life is you listen to people who do not carry a vision. Adam's mistake was to listen to somebody who did not carry a vision."
"If people only listened, life would be so much better."
The Curse of Sorrow in Labor
- Not only will you struggle to eat, but there will always be sorrow accompanied with eating.
- Sorrow means you will eat with tears because there will always be pain and a sense of loss.
- People live in sorrow saying, "I feel I should have been a business owner. I feel I should have been this. I feel I will never be there. Other people are blessed by God."
- This constant sense of what you should have been but are not is the definition of sorrow in your labor.
"The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and adds no sorrow."
Following Those Who Match Your Destiny
- You are supposed to follow those who match your destiny, not those who rejected you.
- Many people live to fit in with people who never regarded them.
- David never followed his father; he made his father popular (Son of Jesse), but he honored him because he was respectful.
- The one David followed was Saul, even though the prophet anointed him; Saul was his spiritual father.
- His father gave him spiritual reinforcement, but he had to be with Saul who matched his destiny to be king.
- Some called to be business people want to remain in church instead of being mentored in business by those with expertise.
- Some called to prophesy want to follow an evangelist; some called to be apostles want to follow a pastor.
- This mismatch of calling and leadership results in failure—prophets without prophecy, trying to talk about the prophetic.
- The church does not know a leader and does not know how to follow.
"You are supposed to follow those who match your destiny. Not those who rejected you."
"You are supposed to follow leaders in your calling area."
Following as a Spiritual Skill
- Following is a skill that must be developed and understood.
- If Jesus came in our time and told many to follow Him, most would refuse.
- Those who followed Jesus in Scripture did so by divine revelation.
- Some disciples needed to see a demonstration of divinity to drop everything and follow.
- Peter needed to see so much fish that his boat was ready to sink before he followed; without that sign, he would never have followed.
"Following is a skill. Following is a skill."
The Three Types of People in God's Order
- The first type is the born leader.
- The second type is the servant leader, meaning a servant who leads by following a leader, having delegation of people serving under him as he serves the vision of the leader.
- The third type is the follower.
- Some people need to follow not only because they don't know where to go, but also because they cannot be trusted with a vision.
- It is safer for followers to be under leadership where they are protected; if they make a mistake, they are secure because somebody can rescue them.
- If you put a follower in a position of leadership and they mess up, people die.
Teachers and Prophets Judged More Harshly
- Teachers will be judged more harshly than others.
- This judgment is not about preaching but about sticking to the vision God assigned.
- God does not judge you as another because what He assigned you is not what another was assigned.
- When the Lord gave His servants talents, He never expected them to multiply beyond their capacity.
- The one who had two gained two more; the one who had five gained five more; all received the same reward and entered into their master's rest.
- God does not expect you to go beyond the vision He has given you.
- You can only beget after the vision imparted into you.
"God does not expect you to go beyond the vision he has given you. You can only beget after the vision imparted into you."
Staying True to Your Assigned Vision
- Pastors trying to have mega churches because they saw somebody else with a mega church are following the world's trend, not God's vision.
- Maybe you were supposed to be a community pastor where a David will rise in your small town, having greater impact than leading millions you cannot raise.
- Following trends like LED screens and worship styles instead of asking "What is the vision of God?" leads away from your assigned purpose.
- There is nothing wrong with keeping up with the times and understanding the bait needed for your time.
- The question must always be: What did the Lord say? What is the vision?
"You have a greater impact raising a David that will change the whole world than trying to lead millions of people whom you cannot raise."
Having Leaders in Different Areas of Life
- Success comes from surrounding yourself with leaders in areas you are not leading.
- Being athletic does not mean you train yourself; you honor your leaders in that area.
- Even though you may be athletic and know you can run, knowing technique requires being led by an expert.
- If you are not led by an expert, you may get injured, not work out, or be in the gym long and get no results.
- The only way to guarantee success is having somebody who is an expert in that area.
"The only way I can guarantee my success is having somebody that is an expert in that area."
Valuing Your Leader
- Some people value themselves more than the leader, not understanding that you become the leader you follow.
- If you don't put value on your leader, you dishonor yourself—a Chinese proverb states, "He who honors his teacher honors himself."
- Many people are sick and instead of listening to doctors' advice, they get advice from social media and make their condition worse.
- Anyone who has a leader has been favored by God.
- Having a leader does not make you less; it determines where you are going—it is a projection of your future.
"You become the leader you follow. He who honors his teacher honors himself."
The Greatest Blessing
- To be led is the greatest blessing one can ever have.
- A person without a leader is a doomed person—a ticking time bomb.
"To be led is the greatest blessing one can ever have. A person without a leader is a doomed person."
Satan's Fall and the Rejection of Authority
- Satan's fall was orchestrated because he failed to look at his superiors and wanted to be superior himself.
- Satan was not a high-ranking angel; he was an angel in high places, but not a chief angel.
- The common teaching that Michael insulted Satan because Satan was higher is not biblical and is a lie.
- Michael is the same angel who kicked Satan out of heaven; God does not send lesser officers to execute judgment.
- God sends a lesser officer to warn, not to bring judgment.
- Satan could insult Michael because Satan has his own vision, but Michael cannot insult Satan because Michael is fulfilling somebody else's vision.
"Satan was not a high-ranking angel. He was an angel in high places, but he was not a high-ranking angel."
The Authority of Fulfilling God's Vision
- When you are fulfilling somebody else's vision, you can say, "The Lord sent me; if you have a problem, you're insulting God, not me. May the Lord deal with you."
- Michael's position to Satan was essentially: "You are not my problem" — the battle was not Michael's to fight personally; he referred it back to the Lord who sent him.
- Michael said to Satan, "May the Lord rebuke you," because the rebuke was not from Michael but from the Lord who sent him.
Definition and Nature of a Leader
- A leader does not only carry the vision of God; a leader also carries God's sight—the ability to see whom God has placed his finger on.
- A leader is somebody who has a vision from God they are supposed to execute, and they also have eyes to see God's choice.
- The devil can also see who God has placed his finger on, but with malicious intent.
- Haters come when they see the manifestation of God's hand on you, not His finger.
- God's finger works in private; God's hand works in public.
- When God holds you by His right hand, He is showing off, because the right hand means power and means He is showing you off to everybody.
- A leader can see who God has marked.
"A leader also carries God's sight. To see whom God has placed his finger on."
The Advantage of Being Led by Experience
- A leader will always lead you according to his experience, not just theory.
- A leader uses his own experience and knowledge to guide you.
Key Takeaways
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Leaders are born, not created. Understanding this truth transforms how you approach leadership development and who you choose to follow for transformation and prosperity.
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You become what you sit under, not what you pray. The person or people you choose as your spiritual mentor shapes your character, destiny, and level of blessing more than your personal prayers alone.
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Following is a skill that requires submission to those who match your calling. Matching your spiritual leadership with your specific calling and gifting determines whether you enter into true transformation or remain in a cycle of struggle.
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Listening to people without vision creates curses on your ground and sorrow in your labor. The wrong voices in your ear result in financial struggle, constant pain, and the loss of destiny, not because of witchcraft, but because of misaligned leadership.
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True leadership carries both God's vision and God's sight. A real leader not only knows where to go but can identify whom God has chosen and called, protecting and developing them according to divine purpose.
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To be led is the greatest blessing; to be without a leader is to be a ticking time bomb. Having a true leader in your calling area is not weakness but proof of divine favor and a projection of where God is taking you.
Reflection Questions
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Who are you currently following as a leader, and does this person match the specific calling God has placed on your life—or are you following someone out of familiarity, rejection, or social proximity?
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Where in your life are you experiencing ongoing struggle, sorrow, or a sense that something should be different—and could it be because you are listening to voices that carry no vision for your specific destiny?
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What would change in your character, your finances, and your future if you truly accepted that you become what you sit under, and made the hard choice to sit under someone with proven experience in your calling area?
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Are you trying to create leadership in yourself or pursue a vision that God did not assign to you—and what would it look like to surrender to the vision God actually gave you?
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If to be led is the greatest blessing, what pride, independence, or fear is keeping you from fully submitting to a true leader who matches your calling?
Scripture References
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Genesis 3:16-18 — "Unto the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow shall thou bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, but he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam, he said, because thou hast hearken unto the voice of thy wife, and has eaten of the tree which I commanded thee, saying, thou shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake." (KJV)
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Proverbs 22:3 — "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." (KJV)
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Proverbs 10:22 — "The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." (KJV)
Golden Nuggets
"In God's mind he created everyone for a particular work. We are all not made the same and we are definitely not created to do the same thing."
"Leaders are born. They are not created."
"You become what you sit under, you don't become what you pray."
"If you are a believer and you don't know who a leader is you will fail in life."
"Don't confuse a boss for a leader. No, they are not the same thing."
"To compel somebody and to convict somebody are two different things. The Holy Spirit convicts you. He does not compel you."
"Going viral doesn't make you a leader."
"The only way you make a difference in life is by leading."
"Your mistake in life is you listen to people who do not carry a vision."
"To be led is the greatest blessing one can ever have. A person without a leader is a doomed person."
"You become the leader you follow."
"A leader also carries God's sight. To see whom God has placed his finger on."
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