There are endless amounts of resources on how to lead great, be great. From podcasts to books, talks, emails, posts, you name it. And while all very helpful, it can become overwhelming to get through all of the material, much less apply it all. 

For John the Baptist, greatness was prophesied even before he was born. Luke 1:13-17 says: But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

YOU HAVE A NAME

Before we were knitted in our mother’s womb, there was a prophecy over us. God already knew we would come into existence. Whether your parents took the time to think about what your name would be, or whether you haven’t even met your real parents, God knew your name. 

YOU ARE KNOWN

As leaders, we often have the desire to identify in such a way that we are uniquely set apart and known by others. There’s a tendency to want to overexplain who we are and what we do attaching our value to being acknowledged and known. When we read in Luke that John would be great before the Lord, most likely being in the wilderness is not what most would picture as greatness.

YOU ARE CALLED TO LIVE GREAT

… Make it your ambition to live a quiet life - found in 1 Thessalonians 4 there is a call to live quietly. How can we be great if we are quiet? It’s not just by standing confidently in who we are, but also in who we are not.

Have you been tempted to change your career or move to a different city looking for success? The path to success looks different for a man trying to look great before the Lord vs. a man that is trying to look great before the world. Look inward, ask yourself what success means to you and answer honestly. Are you trying to be great before men or God? Allow God to speak to you and guide you. All of our callings are different, and you will only live great when you live the life God called you to.

We also invite you to tune in to Sadie Robertson’s VOUSCon session on our YouTube channel, where she pays tribute to her grandfather, Phil Robertson—a man who lived simply but boldly proclaimed Jesus to everyone he met with humility and conviction, reminding us that true greatness begins with surrender: “I’m not God, but whatever He gives me, I’ll be obedient to it.”

It’s not a path to greatness, but a place, and that place is the presence of God. In His presence, there is peace, there is joy, but there is also guidance - guiding you to greatness before your Lord.