Becoming the Leader of Your Life: A Christian Approach to Self-Leadership 

It’s official! Season 4 of the podcast is here, and Fun, Free & Flowing™ is officially out in the world.

After four years since this podcast first launched, we’re stepping into a whole new season and a bigger conversation around Christian leadership, self-leadership, and walking in the authority we’ve been given.

And there’s really only one place we could start:

Becoming the leader of your life.

Because so often we think we know what’s important, but we don’t follow through.

We desire life to look a certain way, but we can’t seem to slip out of those old habits and patterns.

We’ve seen success, but things still don’t feel right.

The truth is, we are busy, overcommitted, and lacking strong leadership or direction with where we need to go with our lives.

We float. We are passive. We let life and its circumstances happen to us.

But that’s not the authority God gave us.

2 Timothy 1:7 says:

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

Self-discipline.

This is a word we tend to reserve for those crazy marathon runners or CrossFit athletes.

But what if we were to use it on ourselves in our faith, health, business, and home?

Self-discipline doesn’t need to be seen in extremes. It simply starts with your decision to move forward. Your decision to fully commit to something and create the discipline around it.

You want a God-centered life? Make the decision to put God first.

You want a peaceful home? Make the decision to craft a home that brings you peace.

You want to feel on top of your life? Make the decision to have good boundaries with your time and energy.

You want to have a successful business? Make the decision to move forward with the steps that actually make a difference in your goals.

The goal we are trying to get to within self-discipline is the concept of straight-line leadership: becoming a leader who moves forward with strategy and intention, knowing the purpose of committing and the value in doing so.

What Does Christian Self-Leadership Look Like? 

Straight-line leaders know and do.

It’s a positioning of ourselves for action. It’s a mindset that alters our behavior.

Unlike people who circle around decisions or zig-zag back and forth, straight-line leaders make a decision and move through that decision in the form of commitments and habits until the goals come to fruition or become a part of who they are.

Straight-line leaders aren’t indecisive or overwhelmed. They understand their boundaries and commitments well.

They take full ownership of their time, energy, relationships, and authority.

They understand the first next step to take in their vision and goals.

And straight-line leaders create a distinction in their inner stance.

The inner stance is the position of our minds within knowing AND doing.

Because you can know a lot of things, but in reality do very little.

Who Do You Need to Become?

Straight-line leaders make distinguishing statements about who they are.

It’s not just a habit. It becomes part of their identity.

I am just someone who is on time.

I am just someone who puts health as a priority.

I am just someone who puts God first.

I am just someone who honors my financial commitments.

Our actions usually follow our identity.

When you begin believing, “I’m someone who keeps my commitments,” your decisions begin changing to match.

So grab your notebook and answer this question:

Who do I need to become?

Then create an “I am” statement from your answer.

And go a little deeper:

What areas of your life are you not following through with?

What areas are you avoiding?

What areas do you not have boundaries with?

What areas are truly important to you, but you aren’t following through?

Romans 6:6 says:

“We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

We are no longer bound by our sin. We are free from the bonds of our slavery.

It’s time to start walking in the authority we’ve been given and stop letting our past behaviors define us.

There are three areas I want you to embody as a straight-line leader.

1. Straight-Line Leaders Take Ownership

Galatians 6:5 says:

“For each will have to bear his own burden.”

Within this verse, bearing his own burden comes from phortion, which refers to carrying one’s own supplies, backpack, or daily gear.

In other words, there are specific things in our lives that we are called to carry.

But if you look back at Galatians 6:2, we’re told to “bear one another’s burdens.”

The word used there, baros, refers to crushing weights that are too heavy to bear alone, requiring the community to come in and help carry them.

So in some realms, we need to carry our own weight and own our actions.

In other aspects, God calls us to lean into others for support and help carrying the weight, along with leaning into Him.

Look at your own life and answer:

What has God called me to carry and own, and what has God called me to release or put down?

The first step in becoming a leader in your life is taking ownership over your life.

Owners focus on creating the future and creating the lives they desire now with the help of God.

2. Straight-Line Leaders Commit

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”

This scripture doesn’t say to create a half-hearted commitment.

It doesn’t say to kind of work.

It says to do whatever you are called to do with all your might.

Yet many of us create commitments with half-hearted effort.

I recently talked with a prospective coaching client, and she kept “thinking about her business and if she wanted it” versus making a decision and establishing a commitment around it.

There’s a difference.

Commitment alters behavior.

Commitment says:

“I will do this regardless of how I feel.”

Kingdom work is not meant to be easy, but we do have the strength of the LORD with us in every step we take.

So answer this question:

What do I need to commit to in my life?

Maybe it’s reading your Bible every day.

Maybe it’s doing the money-making activities in your business.

Maybe it’s setting good boundaries with your time.

Maybe it’s having an honest conversation you’ve been putting off.

Whatever God has called you to do, do it with all your effort and heart

3. Straight-Line Leaders Complete Core Actions

Busy isn’t the same as being productive.

Core actions make a real difference in producing what you intend to achieve.

Surface actions keep you busy but don’t produce results.

It’s not about “looking good.” It’s about producing results.

The goal is to move forward with only the necessary actions and become masters at identifying:

What are the core activities in my life?

Proverbs 4:25 says:

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.”

Do not compare yourself to others and where they are.

Do not try to live a life chasing after viral trends.

Do not try to keep up with those around you.

Your journey is your own, and God has called you to keep looking forward to what He’s called you to do.

Avoid distractions in the form of busyness that pull you away from your purpose and the important work.

Ask yourself:

What are the activities that truly make a difference in my life?

Those are your core activities.

Leadership Doesn't Mean Perfection

Being a straight-line leader doesn’t mean you are a maniac or obsessive with your activities.

It means you are intentional, thoughtful, and strategic with where your heart and energy lie.

It’s about taking ownership over our emotions, process, and the choices we make.

It’s about committing regardless of what it takes.

And it’s about doing the required actions to cut straight to the core.

This is your invitation to start.

This transformation won’t happen in a day or even a week.

This is the pruning phase for the Kingdom, one where God is making you into who you need to become for His glory.

Stepping into leadership can seem painful, but it starts with taking ownership, making small commitments, and leading with the core actions you establish.

We aren’t seeking perfection.

We are seeking the flow.

Think 85% success and 15% chaos management.

That’s what it looks like to begin becoming the leader of your life.

Want to Go Deeper?

If this concept of straight-line leadership and self-discipline is resonating with you, I dive even deeper into it in Episode 1 of Fun, Free & Flowing™.

And if you’re ready to actually put these principles into practice, that’s exactly what we do inside THRIVE.

THRIVE helps Christian mompreneurs become the leaders God is calling them to be. We learn to lead ourselves first, aligning our faith, priorities, routines, and businesses around what God is calling us to steward in this season.

Listen to Episode 1 of Fun, Free & Flowing™, and if you’re ready to take the next step, learn more about the THRIVE Christian Cohort and join the interest list.