One of the worst things you can do as a leader ever is stop Learning. To reach your potential as a leader you have to keep learning. One of the phrases I believe in so much is lifelong learner. Right now I am doing my DMin, I am doing a course on how to mentor better, I have just come back from a pastor’s conference in Texas – learning, learning, learning. Even at our leadership conference that starts in a couple of days, I will be mainly learning.

I know a lot of people who when they reach a level they are comfortable with they stop investing in learning. I know people who reach a certain age and think school days are over – no school is never over. If you stop learning, that is why you have stopped growing. If you stop growing on the inside, you stop growing on the outside. The apostle John expressed this truth nearly two thousand years ago when he said “Beloved, I pray that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”. In other words, your life-prosperity is directly linked to your soul-prosperity.

We have to absolutely put in the time and effort to learn more, it’s essential. I often ask my pastors and people I platform “what are you reading at the moment”, because I want to know they are making the choice to continually grow and learn!

Many people have not even started learning in life yet, I am talking about adults. They have never understood the importance of learning. I have been criticized by people for being in learning situations as much as I am, but that is just that person revealing that they have no idea of the value of learning.

The next step after realizing that learning has worth is taking responsibility for your own learning. Deliberately learning something new is the most important thing you can do for your future. You need to be deliberate about this, you need to be intentional. Choose what you want to learn and who you want to learn from. Pray about it, and ask the Lord for wisdom.

I have been dealing with someone recently who is struggling in several areas, and I found out he was learning from some very questionable ministers. I tried my hardest to help him learn from some more fruitful ministers, but he wouldn’t. That’s a tragedy. It is such a shame.

I cannot give you a specific next step for your learning, but I think everyone should learn something about faith by reading Kenneth Hagin, something about prosperity by reading Kenneth Copeland, and something about grace by reading Andrew Wommack. I’d start there if you have never read a book deliberately before. Learning about these things will change every area of your life. I am talking about promotion at work, living a life of more fruit, a deeper ministry, personal prosperity, new big wide open doors and better friendships.

It is essential to be a leader that you are a learner. I am so wary of some ministers I know who will never be in a room unless they have the microphone. I am wary of worship leaders, children’s ministers, deacons, ushers, anyone who is not learning new information all the time. We have to be constantly learning. I would recommend getting to the place where you are reading at least one book a month. You should also be listening to sermons, and finding mentors who can help you grow and develop your leadership skills. I also think everyone should be in at least two conferences a year where they are there just to learn.

When was the last time we deliberately learned something new? When was the last time you spent money on growing yourself and learning something?

Selah.