The greatest aspect of leadership is influence. Influence is born from our character, and in order to influence others for the positive, we must first master ourselves. Proverbs 16:32 says that a man who rules his spirit has won a greater victory than one who conquers a city. Self-control is a powerful tool in influence and leadership. As Christians, we need to be aware of the state of ourselves—body, soul, and spirit—and be vigilantly looking for “slow leaksâ€. Slow leaks can manifest as attitudes, offenses, or other such things that cause us to slowly move off God’s path. If we do not locate and deal with these, we will “go flat†and be unable to continue in the road of life.

There are five things we need to be aware of that can cause slow leaks:

Lust: Lust is the desire for anything not of God’s will. Lust is tricky because it manifests as a feeling. We assume that if something feels right, it is right, but the Bible is clear that feelings do not determine right or wrong. If we act upon the feeling of desire or rightness, we will sin.
Idolatry: Idolatry is loving and worshiping something more than God. We can assume in this era that we are not idolaters but anything can be an idol—a ministry, money, a speaker, a person. We need to be aware of what we are worshipping.
Sexual Immorality: Sexual Immorality is the diverging from anything outside of God’s plan for sex. God created sex as something to be shared in marriage between a man and a woman. Anything outside of that will cause a person to fall.
Tempting Christ: Do not put the Lord to the test. This means do not ask God to do something for your ego. We can oftentimes presume that God will do something because He has done it before, we will is ask for something that is far beyond our faith and then get mad when He doesn’t do it. Faith is reaching for something that is just out of reach but not out of sight. Is what you are asking within that perimeter?
Complaining: A spirit of complaint will kill the human spirit. Humans thrive on encouragement. If we are constantly looking at the faults in people, they will never succeed. Leaders should always seek to find the positive and bolster that in other people.

These five things can divert us from living a life of influence for God. So take heed of yourself and watch over your life, and let God grow you and shape you into a leader with influence.