Many times we often take silent leadership for granted. When we talk about leadership, what do we mean? Leadership is all about influence. Without influence, you have no leadership. If you call yourself a leader and you can't influence somebody, you can't influence a group of people, you can't influence a generation, an organization; if you can't bring about a cultural shift, you can't bring about a difference, a change in the attitude, in the culture of a person or a people, then you have not stepped into leadership.
So, when we talk about the silent leadership of women, what do we talk about? Does it mean that all women are into silent leadership? But I want to discuss today about the power of silent leadership among women. It’s such a powerful thing that God has given to women that if women understand their place in silent leadership and what silent leadership offers them, they will be able to will this power in leadership to the advantage of their children, to the generations that call and beckon to them.
I’m going to cite several examples about women that exercised and actually decided to will the power of silent leadership and the kind of results they commanded in their generation. I am going to start by looking at a very interesting story in the book of 2 Timothy chapter 1 and I will read from verse 3-5 so that we can understand the perspective of Apostle Paul when he was referring to these powerful women.
3 But I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, I am persuaded is in you also.
2 Timothy 1:3 -5 (NKJV)
Now, this is Paul writing to Timothy, a young Bishop at that time, that God had put so much influence on so that he is able to influence other people. There was a point in time when Apostle Paul was encouraging him and saying to him ‘don't be afraid, don't let anyone despise your youth, where you are coming from or the background you are coming from, because there is something about it,’ and he mentioned it specifically here he said "I call to remembrance" that means it is not something you can do away with. Your life and your leadership is premised on the sacrifice, on the genuine faith of your grandmother which was the first woman he mentioned that ‘dwelt first’, ‘that genuine faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois’.
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When I checked up the meaning of ‘Lois’, I observed and realized that that woman's name was such a powerful thing that she used to change things around. Lois means ‘better’. Now there was a genuine faith in this woman Lois called better, and that same faith did not just reside in her alone. It was a faith she transferred to her daughter who was the mother of Timothy called Eunice. Eunice means ‘good victory’. Now this woman that was called better, when she was going to transfer this genuine faith, she did not transfer it in ignorance, this woman called her daughter Eunice, that is, ‘good victory’, which talks about her faith. Many women are careless about what we call things, what we call situations around us, what we call people around us, what we call the things that surround us. Your leadership starts with your word. What do you call? What do you call the people around you?
I remember the story of a woman that gave birth to a child, and she had such great influence over that child and she called the child ‘Ichabod’ meaning ‘the glory has departed’. What did you think happened to Ichabod? What did you hear about Ichabod? What was the great thing associated with Ichabod? Because this was a woman that was given a position of silent leadership and she misused and miscalled, because of the circumstance that was around her at that point. She did not look inward to know what to call that son but she called the son based on the circumstance that was around her at that time and she called the son ‘Ichabod’ meaning ‘the glory has departed’. There was also a woman that gave birth to a son and called his name ‘Jabez’ meaning ‘bitterness’ and all the life of this child, he lived in bitterness. There was no joy in his life until he broke off that chain over his life. It was a mother, it was a woman that had the position of leadership, over that son and gave him a name that stigmatized his destiny.
Women, it is important for us to will properly the silent leadership God has given us to call things, to call names and it does not come on the altar of ignorance, it does not come on the altar of the things that surrounds you. Don't be overwhelmed by the circumstances that surround you. You need to understand that, that influence God has given you, you cannot just use it on your own, you need God to use it. There is a genuine faith you must exercise, that you must show forth, and that was what grandmother Lois. When she named her daughter, she named her ‘good victory’ and you will see that the same faith was passed over to Eunice, her daughter. When Eunice had a son, she called his name ‘Timothy’. What's the meaning of Timothy? It means ‘honoring God’. So the woman called ‘better’, translated her faith in ‘good victory’ and continued in that faith and had a son that they committed the same thing to; ‘honoring God’. And what happened to the life of Timothy? Apostle Paul made us to understand here that the same faith that was in grandmother Lois was the same faith that was in his mother and the same faith was in him. That means these women did a fantastic job to influence the life of Timothy. Now it looked as if they are just a leader of one. But remember Timothy turned out to be the youngest bishop in the church at that time and see the number of churches, the number of people that are under his influence. Indirectly, these women where influencing these people because if they had not raised that boy, if they had not named him correctly, he would been doing something different. And Timothy lived his life honoring God because that was what he was called.
That's the place of silent leadership of women. Don't just call things, don't just live your life based on circumstances, based on situations around you, based on what you are going through because as women we can be very emotional and we get easily swayed in the direction of our emotions and that is why we must understand that for us to correctly will the power of leadership as women we must stay in the place of genuine faith, where you repose your confidence in God, where you are not carried away by every wind of circumstance or situation, where you are stable in your heart, focusing on God because until you come to the place of stability, you will not know what the mind of God is over your children, family, the organization that you are leading, over the people that God has given you influence over. There are many times we would push aside people, because of emotions and feelings and what God has for them is greater.
Another example of a powerful woman was the woman called ‘Priscilla’ with her husband ‘Aquila’, now there was a man called ‘Apollos’, very powerful, and he was sharing with so much passion about the baptism of John and they heard and looked at him, Priscilla did not say to her husband ‘look at this man, he is so full of himself, see the rubbish he is saying’ but that woman willed the power of silent leadership, alongside with her husband, they called Apollos aside and they taught him more and they put in him a fire of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus and Apollos was able to go around sharing the light he has received from the Lord through this couple. Why? Because there was a woman that did not allow herself to be carried away by sentiments, or feelings or emotions but stayed in the place of stability in her faith, to draw out what the mind of God is concerning that young man.
God is calling women in this generation to the place of silent leadership. Enough of us being carried away with fashion trends or our feelings and emotions concerning issues, economy, politics, even concerning our family, it’s time for us to come to the place of stable faith; stability in our focusing on God. Finding out what the plan of God is for a person, a people, an organization, for your local assembly, for the place God has put you, for that man that God has set over you. Stay in the place of genuine faith like Lois and Eunice and let that same faith be transferred.
So, the silent leadership of women is not a place of weakness, it’s a place of strength, it’s a place where you can birth the will of God for a generation. It’s a place where you can release such a powerful force that will change a whole generation. So I just want to encourage you as women leaders that you should rise up to the occasion, rise up to the challenge, will the power of your silent leadership, call the things that God has set before you correctly because whatsoever you call them, that's what they will be. It’s important for you to understand that this is a place that God has set you. Those children that God has given you, you have a leadership responsibility over them and whatever you call them, not just in the names that you have given to them the day you gave birth to them but the names you consistently call them, the words you consistently say into them, those are the things that will shape and form their destiny and make them into instruments of praise or condemnation. It depends on how you will that power.
I just want to encourage you that as you make up your mind to do this for the Lord, I see God using your influence and leadership to birth great things like He did through the hands of Deborah, to birth great things like He did through Sarah, and great things like He did through the hands of Rebecca, and I pray that as you stay in that place of stability to receive from God what He has for your generation, family and children, God will lead you aright in Jesus name. Amen.
