When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island."

. . . Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons.

. . . And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land. (Acts 27:21-44)

Spiritual leadership is not easy. It is almost always accomplished in the face of those who do not share the leader's faith in God, at least initially. In fact, others may be going in the opposite direction—toward independence from God.

But most people in any given situation desire to be led, even if they don't realize it. That's why God speaks to leaders, instilling them with faith. He leads through leaders.

So, in the midst of others' disbelief, what are leaders to do? Trust. This is their greatest calling and usefulness.

Leaders Don't Point the Way—They Lead the Way

The best thing leaders can do for those around them is find where God is going and join Him. He is the Good Shepherd who leads in all the right paths "for His name's sake" (Ps. 23:3). There is no greater help leaders can give anyone than to boldly follow Christ. Whether people resist or embrace their leadership, they must continue to walk in faith. Their faith carries others. That's why it's called leadership.

For example, consider a young husband wanting to give good spiritual leadership to his family. A situation arises which calls for faith to step out on God's promises and direction, but his wife is not ready to follow. The husband must stand in faith. He must be gracious and patient, recognizing that good leadership entails understanding the process of faith that is developing in his wife.

He knows that she must ultimately come to Christ herself on the issue, but his greatest help to her is his faith. He must do whatever is necessary to arrive at bold dependency—not blind, mindless faith, but confidence that springs from pouring over Scripture and seeking God through prayer and godly counsel until God births faith in his heart. This is the price of leadership.

Nowhere is this needed more than in the church. Wherever you find a church moving forward in the flow of God's power and direction, you will find responsible leaders who hear from God and move forward. When the cloud moves, they move, and they know that this is their primary job even in the face of adversarial opinions and doubting hearts.

A Leader's Faith Infuses Faith

Paul's faith was so solid that he stood up in a storm, gave thanks, and starting eating a meal like nothing bad was about to happen. This restful confidence in God pushed faith into the hearts of the 276 people that were with him. It "en-couraged" them, infusing boldness that was previously non-existent, and making it possible for them to be nourished in the midst of grave difficulty.

No one had elected him a leader except God. He was a prisoner on the ship, but his aggressive faith made him the leader.

Storms are consuming thousands around us in the absence of this type of guidance. Your faith plays a far bigger role in the lives of others than you realize. It can bring them "safely to land." This is why God has given you the responsibility of leadership.