2 Samuel 2:8
"But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;"
We often tell people, "Don't rush to judgment."
We know that a rush to judgment is always a bad thing because we don't know the whole story. Just as much as it is dangerous to rush to judgment, it is also dangerous to rush to leadership.
The story from the verse above happened right after Saul was killed. Israel was not only heartbroken, but they were also in need of a leader. It seemed to be the natural thing for one of Saul's sons to become the next king, but what you will notice about the story is that nobody in Israel prayed about what they should do. The only one who prayed was David. David asked God what to do, but the rest of Israel simply reacted as to what they thought was best.
In Israel's rush to leadership, they anointed Ishbosheth to be the next king. Ishbosheth was not the one whom God chose to be king; instead, he was a self-endorsed leader. He put himself in the forefront as the "natural" one to be the next king. This rush to leadership led to a civil war in Israel. This rush to leadership led to many people losing their lives. This rush to leadership led to division in a country that could have stayed united if they had gotten God's advice. Instead, the rush to leadership led to much heartache.
Whoever is chosen to be your leader should be chosen carefully. When churches choose a pastor, instead of rushing to leadership, they need to get the right person whom God would want to lead them. When a person is choosing a church, they are choosing more than a church, they are choosing someone to spiritually lead their family. There must be deliberate steps taken to be sure that you choose the right person to be your leader.
To avoid rushing to leadership, always be deliberate in choosing your leaders. The very first thing you should do is spend much time in prayer asking for God's mind on whom you should choose. Take your opinions out and truly trust God to lead you to the right person.
Moreover, you must take time to find out the background of the person your looking at for a potential leader. Make sure they believe what they should. Be sure their associations are right. Be sure they are spiritually stable. In other words, do a spiritual background check to be sure they are doing what they should.
Furthermore, don't let them persuade you to be their leader. I often say that leaders are discovered. A true leader doesn't campaign for your followship, but they simply lead by example. I often hear preachers say, "Give me a chance to lead you." This is poor leadership at its core! True leaders understand that trust is earned, and if they do what they should do then those whom they are leading will naturally follow.
Finally, spend much time in God's Word asking God to show you what to do. It's amazing how clear God's choice will become through reading His Word. No, you won't see a person's name, but God will speak to your heart through His Word to show you whom He knows should lead you.
Be
careful about rushing to leadership. A rush to leadership will only
result in heartache. Remember, when you choose someone to lead you, not
only are they going to influence you, but they are also going to
influence your children and grandchildren. When choosing a leader, be
deliberate in your choice.