1 Samuel 14, “1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those Philistine men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” 7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” 13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

I absolutely love this passage for it reveals heart and soul leadership/followship. During a battle, Jonathan believes that God will deliver the enemy into his hands. He and his armor-bearer will go up against twenty men of the enemy. This seems to be an impossible task and one of great risk and faith, however God’s promptings in Jonathan’s heart would reveal he was in tuned with Him.

First, you see Jonathan’s vision to take ground. It would require great courage, faith and trust to take out the enemy even though outnumbered. His vision would lead to great victory not only for himself but the Israelites. Secondly, you see the powerful connection that the armor-bearer has with Jonathan. He says, “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” Even though it would be a risk, he was so connected to Jonathan’s heart that his own comfort and desires were set aside to fulfill the vision and plan of his leader. Together they defeated the enemy and twenty men that day.

Great churches, organizations, teams, businesses, etc. must have “heart and soul” team members for it to be successful and make great impact. A great leader realizes that they may have a great vision but it will take special people with passion to see it come to pass. The greatest gift a leader can have is a “heart and soul” team member and one of the greatest gifts a team member can have is a leader with passion to make an impact. Together, purpose is fueled and lives can be forever changed.

Below are the first four attributes of a Heart & Soul Leader that I want to share with you.

ATTRIBUTES OF A HEART AND SOUL LEADER

THEY ARE GOOD STEWARDS OF THEIR PERSONAL BUSINESS
1 Timothy 3:5, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? (NIV). One of the most important keys to opportunity in God’s work is taking care of your personal business to be qualified for God’s business. Many want Kingdom opportunity but struggle to take care of their own bills, family, home, etc. This must be a priority and consistently worked. Our personal flow of life effects our spiritual life and leadership.

THEY ARE OBEDIENT TO GOD’S PRINCIPLES
If one desires to lead others and make an impact, they must be obedient to God’s principles IN EVERY AREA. We can’t lead others while being disobedient in certain areas. As a leader/pastor I must fulfill all His commands in order to speak life and have influence on others. Example; how can I speak principles to one struggling financially if I don’t even bring God’s tithe to Him? How can I speak to one about being obedient to the team’s rules if I am disobedient to God in certain areas? Heart and soul leaders realize that we are held to a higher standard, must count the cost for leadership and realize that people watch every area of our lives. We must be pursuing obedience the best we can to affectively influence others.

THEY ARE FULL OF FAITH & POSITIVITY
The armor-bearer said, “whatever is in your mind, I’m with you heart and soul.” Faith and positive people draw others to them. Negative people will become avoided by others. Are people drawn to you or day they duck away when they see you? Heart and soul leaders speak faith and life. They see the glass half full and aren’t negative and touchy. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies of twelve that said, “we can take the promised land.” The other ten spoke fear and negativity. Those ten didn’t enter in.

THEY SPEAK FAMILY LANGUAGE
Heart and Soul leaders use words like, “us, we, our, together” and shy away from words like “me, mine, I.” They realize that we are family and ministry is teamwork. To have this heart, we must abort any territorial spirit within us realizing that ministry is precious and inclusive. As a church grows we will have to make room for others to be part of team. Often we will have to submit to others and sacrifice our personal preferences for the benefit of the team and organization. Family language comes from a family mentality. Realizing it takes “us” and not “me” is most crucial.

Heart and Soul leaders are most valuable to the Kingdom of God. Selfless, sacrificial, giving, loving, positive, life giving, faithful & passionate are just a few words that relate to these type of incredible people of God.