Written by Pastor Edward Asamoah Antwi, District Minister, Ekroful District
Drawing from Hebrews 12:12 and Isaiah 35:3–4, the call to “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” is both timely and instructive for Christian leaders. Using physical weakness as a metaphor for spiritual decline, Scripture urges believers – especially leaders – to renew their strength in the Lord and pursue holiness with perseverance. The broader exhortation in Hebrews encourages believers to make straight paths for their feet so that the weak are not further injured but restored, highlighting leadership’s responsibility to guide, heal and inspire.
The writer of Hebrews echoes Isaiah’s prophetic charge to strengthen weak hands and steady trembling knees while encouraging fearful hearts to be strong and unafraid, anchored in God’s promise of salvation. Together, these passages affirm that divine strength is made available in seasons of difficulty, and leaders must actively appropriate it, not only for themselves but for those they serve.
Leadership in today’s context has become increasingly demanding. Social pressures, moral challenges, economic hardship and spiritual distractions have made the task tougher. Yet these realities should not discourage leaders; rather, they call for renewed spiritual fortitude. A leader weakened by sin, discouragement, disengagement or declining devotion cannot effectively build a strong and vibrant church. As leadership weakens, the church’s commitment to prayer, soul winning, holiness, faithful stewardship and revival inevitably suffers.
Renowned leadership thinker John C. Maxwell’s assertion that “everything rises and falls on leadership” rings true in the life of the Church. Strong, Spirit-filled leadership is essential to building a glorious Church capable of possessing the nations. Leaders are therefore encouraged to strengthen themselves through prayer and fasting, devotion to God’s Word, holy living, mutual love and encouragement, healthy family life, and a renewed focus on eternal reward. In an age marked by lukewarmness and distraction, leaders must guard their salvation diligently. As Scripture reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, steadfast and immovable service in the Lord is never in vain, for God faithfully rewards wholehearted devotion.
