Spread the Load

Deuteronomy 1:9

And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

God set a principle in the Garden of Eden that many leaders ignore. The Scriptures teach the essential principle about Adam being alone in Genesis 2:18, And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. God saw that man could not live this life alone; therefore, God gave man someone to help him bear the load of life together through the woman. The man and the woman together can bear the load of life if they will work together.

Likewise, God knew the believer could not bear the Christian walk alone; therefore, God gave the believer the Holy Spirit to help them to succeed in the Christian walk. Notice what Jesus said in John 14:16, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; John 16:7 enforces this truth when it says, Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. In other words, the believer can face any problem in life IF he allows the help of the Holy Spirit to guide him and lift the load that he carries.

The leader is no different from the man or the believer. Moses declared, I am not able to bear you myself alone. Moses knew that no leader is able to bear the load himself. The leader must share the load if he is not to crumble under the weight and pressure of the load. Let me share a few ways you can spread the load as a leader.

First, accept that you cannot do everything yourself. You limit God’s ability to use you if you try to lead all by yourself. God gave you people to grow, and you will never grow them if you don't let them help you with carrying the load.

Second, you must live by schedule. Unscheduled people will become overloaded with life’s pressures and responsibilities. A schedule helps you to spread the load by dealing with a little of the load at different times. Scheduling is simply spreading the load so that you don't become overwhelmed with the whole load at one time.

Third, you must learn to delegate. A leader who will not allow others to help him with the work limits his potential, frustrates those they lead, and squelches the growth of their followers. Delegation is a great way to help others reach new heights, and it helps you to carry the load.

Fourth, you must walk with God in His Word. God’s Word has the wisdom for every leader. You will find that God will either teach you a new principle on how to carry your present load or remind you of a principle you already knew if you will read His Word daily.

Fifth, you must spend time in prayer. Prayer is the way you unload your burden of the load. Prayer is where you place your frustrations on God instead of taking them out on people. You will be a better leader if you take the time to pray daily.

Sixth, you must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. God gives every leader the ability to carry their load if they will stay yielded to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power that keeps the load from crushing you if you will yield to Him and allow Him to empower you as you lead.