General Lyndon Buckingham, in his recent Global Call to Action, called upon us to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us with a divine sense of urgency about our missional and spiritual life. He challenged us to “take hold afresh of who we are as The Salvation Army and apply, with great intentionality, the calling of God upon us all to transform the world through the love of Christ flowing out from our lives.” He continued, “Let us now nurture a powerful life of prayer and win these battles in the spiritual realm, breaking through to new life and vibrant expression of our faith in the world, no longer curtailed by our own heaviness of heart.”

Just prior to the release of the international call to action, I was asked to consider, with delegates of the Explore Your Call 2025 weekend, the significance of character in the life of a spiritual leader. In a world that often celebrates charisma, influence and outward success, we were reminded that true leadership—especially spiritual leadership—flows from the integrity of the heart. Proverbs 4:23 cautions us to “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” 

Ultimate Loves

Character—who we are and what we believe at the core of our being—ultimately determines whether our ministry and leadership will flourish or fail. A spiritual leader is not merely a guide or a teacher, but a living example of the values they proclaim. Their character shapes their decisions, relationships and legacy. It is what sustains them in times of trial, what earns trust from those they serve and what reflects the presence of God in their lives. 

Scripture tells us that God is deeply interested in our hearts. When the prophet Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to anoint the king God had chosen for his people, God said, “Do not consider his appearance or his height…. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). When God searches our hearts, he is looking at who we truly are at the core of our being. Whatever our hearts are devoted to (our “ultimate loves,” as American pastor Timothy Keller described it) determines every choice we make.

When God is our ultimate longing, we learn to love everything else well. But when other things, even good things, replace him as our ultimate longing, we experience what St. Augustine called “disordered love.” We live fragmented lives. 

Abiding in Christ

In his book Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, author Scott Sauls suggests two spiritual disciplines that, when “woven into our daily rhythms of life help us to see God more clearly amid the beauty and challenges of life.” They are abiding and beholding.

Abiding refers to the regular practice of the disciplines that bring us close to God so that we really come to know him. He shares himself with us through Scripture, worship and prayer. Just as our favourite authors share who they are through their writing, God reveals his heart in his written Word.

“He seeks the one whose greatest desire is to know him, whose heart longs for him in holy wonder, whose soul thirsts for the Living Waters,” writes Sauls. “As we surrender all, he fills us with his all, infusing us with wisdom, glory and strength. We develop a stability that keeps us strong and focused; a centring that is only possible as we know the triumph of love in every moment of our lives. As we set our hearts on him and rely on his grace, he rewards us with heart-deep experiences of intimacy.”

This is the lesson Christ impressed upon his disciples in his final days, using the imagery of a vine and branch. “As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless” (John 15:5 The Passion Translation). 

Gazing on God

Beholding is the act of noticing and committing our attention to focus on one thing, discarding all clutter. It is the cultivation of a daily, fixed gaze in the direction of God. As we fix our gaze on God, we begin to see the world or the situation from his perspective. We become “light in dark places or can bring peace into arguments and mend division with wisdom and compassion,” writes Sauls. Every moment of the day becomes sacred.

Colossians 3:1-2 says this: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” The Passion Translation of this passage says: “Feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.” 

There is a centring quality to abiding and beholding. Like Christ, we move through our days with a gentle presence, one that allows us to see and participate in God’s mission with purpose and compassion. We learn to welcome the unexpected with joy, peace and curiosity rather than distraction and angst.

As you consider the General’s Call to Action, I encourage you to consider what captures your heart. If Christ has been displaced as your ultimate love, return to him with steadfast devotion. As we offer him undivided hearts, we will be the Holy Spirit-driven, Jesus-centred, hope-filled Salvation Army that he uses as a transforming influence in our world. 

Lt-Colonel Roxanne Jennings is the territorial secretary for personnel.

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