RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

In the life of every great leader is a defining moment. Without that, people have a difficult time following the leader because they don’t understand him. It’s hard for them to grasp what makes the leader tick — why he does what he does. A defining moment sets the direction for one’s leadership. It characterizes the passion of one’s life.
Several years ago Dan Quayle, former Vice President of the United States, wrote his life story. He told of how the media continually misunderstood him. Often the press tried to make him look foolish. But those who knew the Vice President said he was one of the most thoughtful and intelligent leaders of the time. Vice President Quayle said the reason the press misunderstood him was that he never had a defining moment before them.
The success of a leader can rise or fall on the perception of the people. That was certainly true in the life of Moses, one of the greatest leaders of all times. He led the children of Israel out of their slavery. He was God’s instrument in a strategic momen. And Moses had an encounter with God that became his defining moment. He was a poor shepherd in the Midianite desert. While on a mountain, God revealed Himself to Moses. A bush was on fire but not being consumed. God was in the bush. Once God had Moses’ attention, He called Moses by name. Moses never got over that encounter with God. That experience would define his life and ministry.
God revealed His character and nature to Moses. He said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). The first attribute of God that Moses came to know was that He is a holy God. He would never get over that. When God comes, holiness comes. When we stand in the presence of God, we are standing in the presence of absolute holiness. There is nothing imperfect or impure about Him. When we encounter God, we have to do just as Moses did: remove everything from our lives that keeps us from planting our feet and our lives firmly on holy ground.
But there was another characteristic of God that defined the life of Moses: His eternal power. When God revealed Himself to Moses, He said He was “‘the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). As a young boy growing up, Moses must have heard the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And now that very same God who had worked so powerfully in their lives was revealing Himself to Moses.  Moses was stricken with fear. He was standing in the presence of an awesome, eternal, all-powerful God. After that encounter, Moses would never be the same.
But Moses also discovered that this almighty, holy God is a God of compassion. God said to Moses, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7). The people had surely thought that God had forgotten them or that He didn’t care about their suffering. But God showed Moses differently. Moses came to know God as a God of compassion and concern for His people. That compassion would drive Moses to be a deliverer for the children of Israel. After that encounter, Moses’ life, ministry, and leadership would never be the same. For he had met God. He had a defining moment in his life and leadership.
The defining moment in the life of a man or woman of God will likewise be an encounter with God. After we have met Him, there will be no question of what our life is all about. It will be clearly defined. Who you are and where you’re headed — in life and leadership — will be determined by Whom you have met. It’s not necessarily what you know, but Whom you know that defines your life.