Have you ever found yourself saying yes, when deep down you knew that you should have said no? Maybe you've avoided having a tough conversation with someone on your team because you didn't want them to be upset, or maybe you've changed the decision you knew was right, just to avoid the conflict. We are not alone. I've been there too. In fact, most Christian leaders have, and that's exactly what we're talking about today because there's one mistake that trips up more leaders than almost anything else. This is leading 10. I'm Chris Moore, and we're talking about the number one leadership mistake Christian leaders keep making and how you can avoid it by following some simple biblical steps. Here's the thing. Leadership is already hard, but it gets even harder when we lead from a place of fear, especially fear of what other people think. Think about it. How many times have you let the fear of upsetting someone shape a decision? How many times have you stayed silent, when you should have spoken up or gone along with something, even when you felt a nudge in your spirit that it wasn't right? That's the danger of people pleasing. It slowly pulls us away from leading the way that God intended. So let's anchor this in scripture. Galatians chapter one, verse 10. Paul says, for, do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ? That's powerful. Paul is saying, if my goal is to make people happy. I'm not really serving Christ. And in Proverbs chapter 29, verse 25, we get a warning, the fear of man, bringeth a snare, but who so put his trust in, the Lord shall be safe. That word snare, it's like a trap. When you lead from the fear of man, you're walking into a leadership trap. Here's the core principle I want you to hear today. Christian leaders are called to please God first and lead people second. Our mission is obedience, not popularity, faithfulness not people's approval. So how do you actually do this in your daily leadership? I wanna give you four practical steps that you can use this week. Step number one, start every decision by asking. What honors God most? This is a total game changer. Before thinking about who you might upset or what people will say, you simply ask yourself, what decision would God honor the most? Right now, Proverbs three, five and six. We probably all know it, but it reminds us, trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lead not into thy own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy. Your job isn't to figure everything out on your own. It's to honor God with your leadership and to trust him with the results. So this week before your next meeting, your next tough decision, take 30 seconds to pray. Lord, help me honor you first. Step number two, set clear God honoring expectations. Ephesians chapter four, verse 15 says, we are to speak the truth and love. Truth and love, not truth without love. Not love without truth, but both. One of the biggest reasons that leaders fall into people pleasing is because they're afraid to set those clear expectations. They want to avoid uncomfortable conversations, but scripture cause us to lead with clarity and honesty, delivered with grace and with love. Maybe it's a team member who's underperforming. Maybe it's a family member who's crossed boundaries. Whatever it is, don't be afraid to set clear loving expectations. Step number three, we need to lead with courage, not compromise. Joshua one, verse nine is one of my favorite leadership verses Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid for the Lord thy God is with thee withers. So thou gost. Let's be honest, leadership takes more than a little bit of courage, and sometimes it feels easier to just go along with the flow to compromise, to keep everyone happy or just to step back from what's going on. But every time that you choose courage over compromise, you grow stronger as a leader, stronger in your faith. Here's a question for you. Is there a situation right now where you've been compromising just to keep people happy? What would it look like to lead with courage instead? Step number four, measure success by faithfulness, not popularity. One Corinthians chapter four, verse two says, moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. Notice it doesn't say successful here. It doesn't say popular. God says, faithful, at the end of your life, God's not going to ask you how many people clap for you. He's going to ask, were you faithful with what I gave you to lead? That's the goal. Faithfulness. So when you get discouraged, when you wonder if it's worth it, remind yourself. I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I'm here to be faithful. Now before we wrap up, let me give you two quick warnings. These are mistakes I've made and you might've made them too. First. Don't confuse being nice with being faithful. Sometimes faithfulness means having tough conversations. People may get upset, people may be mad, mad at you. Sometimes it means that we're gonna disappoint people. And that's okay because your goal is faithfulness. Faithfulness to what is right, faithfulness to what God has for you, not constant harmony with everyone. And second, don't delay your decisions. Out. of. Fear. Fear out of what somebody will say, what they will do or not do. How they may feel dragging out decisions, ignoring issues that you know that needs to be addressed, that you know that God wants you to address only makes them worse. Trust God and obey him quickly. Now, here's the good news. You don't have to carry the pressure of pleasing everyone. You're called to lead. You're called to steward, but you are not called to be controlled by other people's opinions. Galatians chapter one, verse 10 reminds you, you are a servant of Christ, not a prisoner to other people's approval. So here's my challenge for you. What's one leadership decision you can make this week where you put God's approval? First, it could be a decision you've been delaying, a conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe you feel like you're going to disappoint someone. Maybe you need to stop doing something that you should never have said yes to. To begin with, is there a boundary that you need to set this week? Choose faithfulness over fear. Choose obedience over approval, and trust that God. It is going to bless your leadership. That's it for today's episode of Lead Intent. I'm Chris Moore and remember, lead with truth, lead with love, and above all, lead for the glory of God. I'll see you next time.