Leadership Tips & Training Encourage Yourself!

Being a leader can be a lonely endeavor, and when one is derailed, it can seem an impossible task to get back on track. Recently, I was having one of those derailed days emotionally and couldn’t seem to get it together. Then, I received an email with the exhortation to encourage myself. The article referred to 1 Samuel 30:6. David was in a difficult situation with no one to encourage him, so what did he do? He encouraged himself!

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:6

Leaders may experience physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual derailments. The dictionary defines derailment as: to throw off the track, or to obstruct the progress of. Leaders are often called to help members get back on track in their journey for balance. However, when a leader is thrown off the track and becomes frustrated with their progress, they are often tempted to throw in the towel and give up for lack of encouragement.

My emotionally derailed day turned around as I followed David’s lead. I began to encourage myself. How did I do that? Let me share some ways you might encourage yourself when faced with derailment.

Speak truth to yourself and over your circumstance.
The scripture says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. When there is no one around to encourage you to get back on track, then use God’s Word. That is just what I did recently when I faced a physical derailment. Shortly after arriving in Colorado to speak at a First Place workshop, I developed a terrible headache. The ladies who picked me up at the airport explained that the headache was due to the quick change of altitude and I should drink plenty of water. Several glasses of water later, the annoying headache had not eased. I went to bed that night, but did more tossing and turning than sleeping. When I awoke, I felt very ill and cried out to God, “I can’t do this! I will never be able to speak all day at this workshop.” Once I sat down to spend time with the Lord, He reminded me of the scripture I was in the midst of memorizing, II Corinthians 4:7, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. I realized at that moment that God wanted to show His power through my “cracked” jar. I began to pray that He would show His surpassing power in my life, even though physically I felt like a worn out jar! My headache was completely gone by the time the workshop started and it never returned! God showed His power and encouraged me through His Word.

Act according to the truth and not according to how you feel.
One definition of maturity says, maturity is doing what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it, even when you do not feel like it. To encourage yourself, you may have to talk to yourself (yes, out loud!), speak truth to yourself, and then act on it. For example, I did not feel like speaking the day I had a terrible headache. However, I knew God had me there for His purpose and that was to show His power. It was a choice I had to make—to believe God’s truth and to act accordingly.

There have been days where I was so discouraged that I did not want to lead my First Place class. I don’t think I am alone here! Those days that I virtually made myself show up to lead the class are the days that God showed up in big ways. During one of these times, I began to meditate on Psalm 94:19, When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Thy consolations delight my soul. The Lord is teaching me to not act on anxious thoughts, but to encourage myself in His Word. When we do this, whether we feel like it or not, He is faithful to bring delight out of despair!

Be deliberate in your plan to get back on track.
When you find yourself derailed and off the live-it track, to be encouraged in the Lord you must deliberately set out to get back on track. Rather than saying, I really need to get back to filling out that CR, set a day to get started and follow through. This past year I experienced frequent illnesses and allowed them to throw me off the live-it track. The weight crept up and I became very discouraged. I had to encourage myself. So, I asked another leader to weigh me in, write down my weight on my CR, and then to evaluate it each week. She agreed and now after three short weeks, I am losing weight and feeling great! But, I had to make a deliberate effort to get started by forming a plan and carrying through with the plan.

It is the duty and interest of all good people, whatever happens, to encourage themselves in God as their Lord and their God, assuring themselves that he can and will bring light out of darkness, peace out of trouble, and good out of evil, to all that love him and are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (Matthew Henry's Commentary)

May you take God at His Word and speak His truth over your life, encouraging yourself to press on in His plan for your life – to lead!

Lead on,

Nancy Taylor
Leadership Training Director



Nancy Taylor is the First Place Leadership Training Director and joined the First Place staff in 1997. Nancy teaches leadership principles to First Place Leaders throughout the country and at Houston's First Baptist Church where she coordinates all the First Place groups. Nancy also speaks at First Place workshops, rallies, retreats, and conferences, where she delights her audiences with humor and encourages them with boldness. She writes a monthly article, which includes helpful tips for leaders, for the First Place E-newsletter, and was a contributing writer to the Today is the First Day devotional book. Nancy is the resident First Place Bible Concordance because of her love for Scripture memory.