— DAY 11 —
THURSDAY 13 AUGUST, 2026
THE COST OF LEADERSHIP
SETTING THE SCENE
Before Moses was a shepherd in the wilderness or a deliverer before Pharaoh, he was an Egyptian prince. By a miraculous turn of events, Moses was raised in the palace of Pharaoh. He had access to the absolute pinnacle of wealth, power, prestige, and luxury. Yet, to answer God's call to leadership, Moses had to consciously walk away from it all. He had to trade the gold of Egypt for the dust of the wilderness. For forty gruelling years, he carried the crushing weight of a stiff-necked, complaining nation, surrendering his own comfort to see God's promise fulfilled in the lives of others.
Shockingly, his earthly journey ended on the peak of Mount Nebo, looking across the Jordan River at a Promised Land he was not allowed to enter himself. From a worldly perspective, this makes no sense. Why would someone endure so much hardship, give up so much comfort, and pay such a high cost if they weren't even going to get the earthly prize? The answer lies entirely in what fuelled him from the inside out. Moses valued God's purpose above worldly privilege. He was prepared to pay the price!
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
Where he was:
Acts 7:22 tells us that
Moses was "educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action."
Where he saw:
Exodus 2:11 marks a massive turning point: "Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work."
The price he paid:
Hebrews 11:24-27 (NLT)
"It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward... He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible."
What Jesus said:
Luke 14:28 (NLT)
"But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?"
Luke 9:23-24 (NLT)
"Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.'"
COMMENT
Leaders, we must face a hard reality today.
There is an inescapable cost to leadership.
Jesus clearly teaches that while salvation is a free gift, discipleship costs us our lives, comfort, and self-will. In terms of ministry, spiritual maturity, and leadership impact, very little comes without personal sacrifice. Many are called by God but weather they step into their calling or is largely determined by if they are prepared to pay the price or not.
BREAKING THE CEILING
Jesus was clear about the necessity of evaluating what will be required:
Luke 14:28
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
He was communicating to his disciples that discipleship requires total commitment.
An unwillingness to pay the price places a ceiling on our leadership, halting growth for both us and our teams. Things don’t move forward by themselves. Moving people forward requires prayer, planning, effort, relational investment, and perseverance. It always costs us something.
SURGE & CONSOLIDATE
We are need to "surge", invest heavily until we gain new ground, before “consolidating” to the new normal. In God’s Kingdom, there is no standing still. God is always calling us to take new territory, new ground for His kingdom.
REARRANGING PRIORITIES
Sometimes moving forward requires us to let go of something else. While season-based time poverty is real, God often asks us to rearrange our priorities to align with His calling. Moses walked away from royal luxury, total security, and everything he knew because he understood that obeying God was profoundly costly.
TESTING YOUR CORE MOTIVATION
Leadership will eventually test your underlying motivation. If you lead for applause, comfort, or platform, God will bring you to a crossroads.
Moses’ internal motivations by the writer of the book of Hebrews:
"He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27)
God had bought him to a place of total trust in Him.
His ultimate reward wasn't earthly, it was intimacy with God.
WORSHIP THROUGH SACRIFICE
As Kingdom leaders, we don't serve for what we can get out of it. We serve because we love Jesus, have a deep love for His people and a desire to see his kingdom advance.There is a cost to leadership but it also comes with great rewards, blessing and joy.
REFLECTION QUESTION
Are you willing to pay the price to see his kingdom advance?
What is God calling you to let go of so you can expand the ministry He has placed in your care?
HOW TO PAY THE COST OF LEADERSHIP
Embrace New Endurance: You stop quitting when the people you lead get difficult. Because you already counted the cost and expected the sacrifice, structural challenges or team dynamics no longer take you by surprise.
Model More Authenticity: People are naturally drawn to leaders who bleed for what they believe in. When your team sees that your faith and your leadership actually cost you something, your words carry undeniable spiritual authority downward.
Expect Less Disappointment: Because you are no longer relying on your volunteers or team members to validate you or stroke your ego, their inevitable human shortcomings won't crush your spirit.
Focus on His Reward: You shift your focus from building a comfortable life on earth to building an eternal legacy. You find deep, quiet joy knowing God honors and rewards every unseen sacrifice you make for His flock.
THE COST OF LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT
Pick the number that best describes where you feel you’re at right now. Wherever you are, pray about what might be your next step to move forward.
Comfort Driven: I only serve when it is highly convenient for me, and I am motivated primarily by public praise. When ministry infringes on my free time or my team doesn't validate me, I want to pull back.
Frustrated & Empty: I do the hard work of leading downward, but I harbour deep resentment. I serve my team out of a heavy sense of duty and often complain about how much stress they cause me.
Shifted Focus: I am learning to say "no" to my own comfort and anchor my motives in Jesus. I still get discouraged when my sacrifices go unnoticed by my team, but I am actively trying to embrace the true cost of leadership.
Eternally Anchored: My primary motivation is a deep love for Jesus. I gladly give up my own way and find complete joy in shepherding His people, keeping my eyes fixed on the eternal reward rather than earthly comfort.
ACTION POINTS
The First Five: Give God the first five minutes of your day in silence before checking your phone, intentionally surrendering your hidden motives and your desire for personal comfort.
The Comfort Audit: Look closely at your weekly schedule. Identify one area where your desire for personal convenience is preventing you from fully shepherding or developing the people under your care, and adjust it.
Celebrate the Invisible: Do one costly leadership or serving task today completely in the shadows (giving extra time, care, or energy), solely for God's eyes, finding joy in the fact that He sees what is hidden.
MAIN QUESTIONS
(Self Reflection)
Let’s Talk in the Chat
(on the Boot Camp group in Planning Center)One of the best parts of this journey is that we aren’t doing it alone. We’d love for our chat to be a place of real connection. As you go through each day, please jump in and share:
Self Reflection: What did the test reveal to you today?
God’s Voice: What is one specific thing you feel the Holy Spirit is whispering to your heart?
The Wins: Did you do the First Five minutes of silence? Tell us about it!
The True Driving Force: When you look honestly at your heart, what is one specific "comfort" you feel God is asking you to sacrifice for the sake of the team you lead, and how can you anchor your motivation more deeply in Him?
Please Read:
Don't worry about sounding 'spiritual' The most encouraging thing you can share is your honest process. This is a self-reflection about what God is speaking directly to you about in YOUR life. Words like “I” and “Me” are encouraged, “we” and “us” less so.
PERSONAL PRAYER STARTER
"Lord, I’ll be honest, I love my comfort, and my motivation often drifts toward seeking earthly applause from the people I lead. Forgive me for the times I have complained about the cost of serving Your house. Thank You for Jesus, who gave up heaven to suffer for me. Give me the faith of Moses to walk away from the easy lifestyle of an empire. Help me to take up my cross daily, lay down my preferences joyfully for my team, and keep my eyes fixed entirely on the invisible God. Amen!"