In 794 B.C. a 16-year-old young man named Uzziah became king of Judah. For most of his subsequent 52-year reign, he was an incredible leader and wildly successful.
2 Chronicles 26:4-5 tells us why. The passage says, “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
Leaders, take note. As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, he prospered. If you want to be a truly successful leader, one who is lasting, impacts countless lives, and prospers, you should seek the Lord daily as well and live by Godly biblical principles.
But sadly, Uzziah did not finish well. He committed the sin which takes down countless leaders even to this very day.
Verses 16-18 says, “ But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.”
Uzziah grew proud and became unfaithful to the Lord. Pride is something all leaders struggle with from time-to-time. Pride reveals itself in the hideous forms of self-sufficiency and arrogance. I know I have struggled with the sin of pride. But pride unchecked and run amok has devastating consequences.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Uzziah’s pride and subsequent anger ultimately caused his personal destruction and fall. He lost his kingship and died from leprosy, likely all alone.
If you are struggling with pride, if you think you are “The Man (or Woman)”, if you think your organization cannot go on without you, learn from King Uzziah before it is too late. Seek the Lord or you may lose your influence as well.
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