Becoming the kind of leader God can trust
Forget the hype: leadership isn’t about credentials, being seen, or pushing hard. The leaders who truly stick with us have something more real—a quiet, genuine heart that draws people in. The best news? This kind of heart can be grown, and it starts where God starts: inside you.
Sure, success can feel like doors flying open overnight. But God’s approach? It’s gentler, more solid. He skips the surface stuff and zeroes in on your heart. Titles get you in the room; character keeps you there. Get your heart right, and leading just… flows. People breathe easier around you.
This kicks off our Life of David series with one goal: help you nurture a heart God trusts and others want to follow. We’ll root it in Scripture, mix in some practical psychology, and toss in a quick stoic nod to discipline. This post offers simple steps you can practice—calm, practical, and doable.
Before we jump in, these set the tone: Speak Life: Make Hope Overflowing, Your Leadership Tone, and Business Leadership that Honors God. They set the stage; this one moves you to action. This is for parents, teachers, managers, team leaders, pastors, and executives. Let’s talk about your heart.
The Heart God Trusts, Shapes the People God Uses
Your heart is your inner person renewed by God and entrusted with His purposes. Acts 13 calls out David as a man who pursued God’s will in his time. That’s our roadmap for CEOs, entrepreneurs, school principals, team managers, parents, teachers, pastors—anyone who wants their decisions to echo beyond the next deadline. Heaven measures leadership by a heart that seeks Him and does His will, and when God trusts your heart, He trusts you with people.
The Testimony That Defines a Life
In Acts 13:22, 36. God Himself testifies about David: a man after His heart who would do all His will; a man who served God’s purpose in his generation. This is why we will be taking a deeper look at the life of David. Your heart—your inner person before God—shapes real obedience and real purpose in real time.
We all face many pulls, and how do we handle that? Begin by aligning with God. As your heart steadies in Him, pressure does not bend your truth, and decisions become clean. In this blog post and the next parts of the series to follow, we aim to see what David saw about God and how that vision formed courage, repentance, restraint, and worship.
You will find that as your view of God sharpens, integrity becomes natural. The clearer your picture of God, the sharper your daily decisions become.
Foundation, Not Ceiling
Putting the Story of David in Covenant Context
In 2 Corinthians 3:7–11. David lived under the old covenant, but you live in the new, better promises, greater glory, and the Holy Spirit within us. Keeping this in mind, you will see that David is your foundation, not your ceiling. Build forward with what Jesus has given you.
For leaders and decision‑makers, this reframes ambition. You are not chasing an old highlight reel; you are stewarding today’s call with God’s present grace.
God sets David as a foundation so you can lead and decide with greater grace today.
The Anointing of David’s Heart
David’s story starts in 1 Samuel 16:1–13. God corrects Samuel and tells him that people focus on appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Let this govern your hiring, promotion, mentoring, and home decisions.
- Prioritize character over flash. Ask questions that surface humility, teachability, and honesty.
- Honor hidden faithfulness. Remember that David’s time spent as a shepherd forged his lion‑and‑bear courage before his Goliath moments arrived.
- Guard culture by elevating those who choose what is right when unseen.
A strong heart grows in hidden places, gaining quiet strength for wise decisions.
Grace in all Your Complicated Backstories
Grace enters broken lines. Read David’s family story and remember: God inserts grace where others withdraw approval. Bring your backstory into His light and let Him rename it as preparation. The Holy Spirit delights to pour out on ordinary people. So, keep saying yes to grace until old labels lose power. Grace is the power of God for holy responsibility.
Clarity Comes in Scripture and Obedience
Returning to Acts 13, let’s ask: “Lord, why am I here in this season?” Open and study your Bible and act on those verses that carry weight. When you are dedicated to scripture, you will see that God confirms your destiny in the Word and through wise community.
Try these this week:
- Daily Word Window (10 minutes):
- Read one Psalm of David.
- Write one line about what it shows you about God.
- Weekly Discernment Hour:
- List key decisions.
- Pray and speak to Jesus about your decisions.
- Note the Scriptures that resonate with you.
- If needed, seek counsel with a trusted believer.
- Single Act of Costly Obedience:
- Do one right thing, no one will applaud—because you love Jesus Christ.
- Do one right thing, no one will applaud—because you love Jesus Christ.
For a heart already whispering “yes” – hears God’s will more clearly.
Trust: Surrender, Invite, Obey
This is the Three‑Step Rhythm That Matures Decisions. Trust grows in this rhythm—Surrender, Invite, Obey.
- Surrender:
- Lay down the plan you cling to and say: “Father, I give this to You.”
- Invite:
- Ask, “Holy Spirit, what is today’s assignment?” Listen before email.
- Obey:
- Take one concrete step before day’s end—send the apology, encourage the critic, fund the quiet good.
You will feel your inner world grow lighter, and your leadership and daily decisions will smooth out, because the small obediences today prepare you for larger trusts tomorrow.
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Why the Heart‑First Path Works
Research consistently shows influence flows toward leaders and caregivers perceived as both competent and benevolent. Benevolence—humility, integrity, empathy—allows competence to be received without fear. Safe teams think clearly and share honest feedback.
Purpose science links meaning with resilience and grit. Habit research shows tiny, repeated actions reshape automatic responses. The surrender‑invite‑obey rhythm functions as a keystone habit that improves choices across the day.
Read together, research and Scripture agree: a trustworthy heart builds trust, and trust multiplies performance. The soft heart God gives – shapes the world you build.
Discipline, Focus, and the Sphere of Control
Distinguish what you can and cannot control. Inputs—thoughts, choices, effort—are yours; outcomes are God’s. This dovetails with discipleship: you can always surrender, invite, and obey. Hold results with open hands. Here is an end‑of‑day drill:
- What did I think?
- What did I choose?
- Where did I obey?
Let God hold the scoreboard while you steward the play. Own your moves; release the score.
If these moves resonate, and you want a deeper framework for leading with this kind of heart, you might find the STRONGER Course to be the next step. Making decisions that affect others—at home, school, church, or work?
The STRONGER Course is built for this—drawing strength from the Lord to transform how you lead and decide. The people you guide—team members, church family, students, and your household—should thrive because of it.
Growth pours through you. Pour into your heart, and you pour into everyone around you—your family, class, team, and congregation.
Perk: enrollment includes a free Zoom Session with John to customize your path. Jump in: https://10tenlife.com/live-the-abundant-life/
Four Moves That Change the Tone Around You
- Rebuild the Plumb Line: Write Acts 13:22–36 on a sticky note. Read it before your first huddle. Ask, “What would a wise heart choose here?”
- Restructure One Hiring/Promotion Decision: Add two questions that surface humility and hidden obedience. Protect the culture you want.
- Name and Replace One Label: Identify a limiting story. Replace it with a truth‑packed verse. Pray it for seven days.
- Schedule a Scripture Sprint: Choose a Psalm of David. Read it slowly twice. Capture one attribute of God and apply it to a live decision.
What you live quietly becomes what shines publicly.
Conclusion
Leaders and everyday decision‑makers live or limp by what’s brewing inside. David’s story proves it: real influence starts in a heart that loves and trusts God, hears Him, and acts on it. You’ve got the upgrade—better promises, fuller grace, and the Holy Spirit with you. Build on David’s foundation. Choose surrender, invitation, and prompt obedience. Clarify the purpose in the Word. Let grace rewrite your history and power your now.
We began by discarding the myth that spotlight makes leaders. The truth: the true soft heart we are given by God, forges the kind of leaders Heaven trusts, and people follow. You’ve got the how‑to. Life can top the hype—start inside, and watch how your heart shifts the room at home, in class, at church, and at work.
Bible References
Bible References (ESV)
- 1 Samuel 16:7 — “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”
- Acts 13:22 — “And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’”
- Acts 13:36 — “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:7–11 — “Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? … For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”
Citations
- Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. https://makinggood.ac.nz/media/1270/mayeretal_1995_organizationaltrust.pdf
- Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://dash.harvard.edu/entities/publication/13a7b031-0fdd-45ec-a7e0-2b80e2bc679f
- McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well‑being. Review of General Psychology, 13(3), 242–251. https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/attachments/3382/mcknight-kashdan-2009-purpose-in-life-rev-gen-psy.pdf
- Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit–goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4), 843–863. https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/wp-content/uploads/sites/183/2023/10/wood.neal_.2007psychrev_a_new_look_at_habits_and_goals.pdf
- Epictetus. Enchiridion (c. 125 AD), §1. MIT Classics. https://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html
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