E3: Willard's Wisdom for Leaders: Never Taste Death
How the Resurrection Frees Leaders from Fear
In Episode 3 of Willard’s Wisdom for Leaders, I play a short clip from Dallas Willard and reflect on a foundational truth for followers of Christ: we have nothing to fear.
As we move through Holy Week and approach Easter, we are reminded of the hope found in Jesus’ words in John 11:25–26, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Much of leadership is often driven by fear. Fear of outcomes. Fear of failure. Fear of how others will respond. Fear of losing approval or control.
But if Christ has overcome even death, then fear no longer needs to drive how we lead.
This reflection explores how freedom from fear allows leaders to move beyond control and anxiety, and instead lead with courage, clarity, and trust in God’s work regardless of the outcome.
May your leadership be a blessing today.
“ The one who believes in me…even if he dies will live”.
Sometimes God allows our fears to come true, just to free us from the bondage …. So we can be free moving forward. Just as our bodies will die, to live in a better one we can’t even imagine, it has to happen so the new life can be generated in a better way. This can be true of our fears:
The outcome we fear, does happen.
The failure we fear, does happen.
The response we fear, does happen.
The loss of approval we fear, does happen.
The loss of control we fear, does happen.
The loss of influence we fear, does happen.
When we experience this and we do walk through this fire… and we do come out the other side…. It’s like when a forest is burned up. Newness is grown…. New life.
The things feared came true… were survived and since it already happened there is nothing to be afraid of anymore. The bondage becomes broken and the freedom feels so free, your never going to want to let yourself be chained up to fears of those types of things again.
Then one can truly move forward and lead with courage, clarity, and trust in God’s work because you have actually witnessed it. The outcomes that used to be so gripped to keep control, are not even needed anymore and you can finally have peace you never imagined could exist.