Leadership Traits for the Teen Decade

It has been a few months since I visited this theme from my writings back in the spring. I see one of the greatest opportunities in front of us as youth leaders in the coming 'Teen Decade'. Here is one more trait of youth leaders who are going to lead this generation.

It's time to grow up. 

1 Corinthians 13:11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

There are characteristics of a generation of young people that have sparked biblical revolts and revolutions.  There are so many young people in the bible who have impacted history.  And they are examples for each of us. To mimic or model some of these traits and mind-sets of young people can be a faith-building experience to us.

Some of the most influential people in Christianity were young people – Joseph, Esther, David, Josiah, Mary, The Lunch Boy, and Jesus Himself. I want to list one lesson from the life of another young man in the Bible. The story is found in the book of Daniel in the OT.

The young man’s name is Daniel (and the story includes his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). They were ripped from their homeland and forced to live in a culture that was foreign to them. Brought before King Darius with many other young men from the kingdom they were told that a competition would take place to find the best of all the young men in the kingdom.

As the contest began, there were rules laid out by the king for all of the young men to follow in this competition. But, Daniel and his friends decided to ask if they could follow their own set of disciplines and then be judged to see who would rise to the top. These young men refused to abandon their faith and their God. Even though all the pressure in their city was against them, they were unwilling to give in. and when the contest was over, Daniel and his friends stood out above all the rest. Why? These young men showed great maturity in two areas I want you to consider:

1. They were mature and above the rest in their spirit 

THEY WERE DECISIVE
THEY WERE OBEDIENT
THEY WERE DISCIPLINED     
THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THEIR FAITH

Listen, indecisiveness, disobedience to your principles and beliefs, and a lack of discipline in your life habits such as sleeping and eating, can destroy your life. These can remove the potency of our faith and the power of our spirit. Transformational leaders must become strong in there spirit by developing these areas of our life.


The second area of influence that Daniel and his friends exhibited was another key trait of youth leaders for this next generation.

2. They were mature and above the rest in their choice of peers 

THEY WERE A GOOD CHOICE OF COMRADES
THEY WERE THE PEER INFLUENCE                               
THEY WERE WILLING TO HAVE EDITORS IN THEIR LIFE

Our text urges young men to grow up. To become a man. You will see yourself become a man when you choose the right friends and people who will speak into your life. Your peers will lead you to spiritual maturity or they will lead you to spiritual bankruptcy. Transformational leaders must be the peer influence and not succumb to it.

After a decree came to the land that prayers should only be brought to lesser gods, Daniel and his friends decided that they would continue to pray to Jehovah. Throwing his windows open and praying as he always did remained his custom. But, Daniel was going to do the right thing even in the face of opposition. Having the right friends will help you make the right decisions. Transformational leaders love people who challenge them. 

To be a transformational leader to this generation during the coming ‘Teen Years’, you must choose, like Daniel and his friends, to excel in your spirit and with the kind of people you place around yourself. Shape these and they will shape your leadership over this generation.

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