Leaders in the Desert

By Victor Segura Lemus

This book is a call from God to awaken the leader within you. The main statement of LEADERS IN THE DESERT is based on the fact that God has the power to transform you into the leader you need to be.

As with Moses, you need to move away from the noise that prevents you from hearing God’s call in order to find the mission that He wants to entrust to you. By reading this book, you will discover that you do not need to adapt to the superfluous norms that the world imposes to be a leader, but, instead, you must take a leading role within your family, at work or in the church. God gives you a direct call in each chapter and challenges you to find meaning in your Christian life. This book invites you to discover your desert, challenge your pharaoh and cross victoriously over the waters of the Red Sea as Moses did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victor Segura Lemus
• Release date: Apr 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463364321

Victor Segura Lemus

Victor Segura Lemus is a 55-year-old Salvadoran doctor, a Christian and has been a member of the Nazareth Church, of the Central American Mission, for 21 years. His path to specializing as a Professional in the field of medicine has led him to pursue degrees in the areas of Internal Medicine, Intensive Care, Business Finance and Hospital Administration in Germany, Singapore, Peru and Spain. He is married to his beloved wife Tania, a Doctor herself, and with whom he has a family that includes his children Alejandro, Daniel and Adriana. As alumni of the Haggai Institute, he has developed his skills as a leader in the medical, administrative, academic, and ministerial fields. For years he held the position of President of the Evangelical University of El Salvador as well as having served in several positions of high responsibility in public institutions in the field of healthcare. As a leader, he has been part of his country's delegations, representing it in international events such as Lausanne III held in Cape Town and the World Congress of Missions held in Tokyo in 2010. As part of his ministerial work, he founded "Proyecto Moises", Along with the Executive Board of the Evangelical University of El Salvador, a scholarship program for poor young Christians. He is the author of several scientific publications in the field of Medicine, which has led him to receive on two occasions an Honourable Mentions at the " National Award of Medicine Dr. Luis Edmundo Vásquez" in El Salvador. He has also conducted clinical and experimental research, obtaining a special Award in 2004 at the "24th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine" in Brussels (Belgium). Dr. Segura has been invited to participate in different talk shows as well as writing as an editorialist in one of the most important newspapers in his country. As such, he has had the opportunity to address issues related to health, politics, education, and religion. He is currently working with his wife Tania on the project "Clínica para la Diversidad", supporting families whose children suffer from autism and other related ailments.

Book preview

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Víctor Segura Lemus, born in 1963, is a 55-years-old doctor from El Salvador, a Christian who has been a member of the Central American mission of the Iglesia Nazaret (the Nazareth Church) for twenty-one years. His profession has led him to undertake specialist studies in internal medicine, intensive care, education, leadership, commercial economics and hospital administration in countries as diverse as Germany, Spain, Singapore, Mexico and Peru.

He is married to his beloved Tania, herself a doctor, and their family is completed by their three children, Alejandro, Daniel and Adriana.

As a student at the Haggai Institute, Dr Segura developed his skills and functions as a leader in the medical, administrative, academic and ministerial fields.

For several years he served as Rector of the Evangelical University of El Salvador and he has held several senior posts in public health institutions.

As a leader, Dr Segura has formed part of delegations from his country, as a representative at international events such as the Third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town and the World Congress of Missions in Tokyo (both in 2010). As part of his ministerial work he collaborated with the governing body of the Evangelical University of El Salvador to found the Moses Project, a scholarship programme to help young Christians with limited means.

He is the author of various scientific publications related to medicine and has twice received an honorary mention for the Dr Luis Edmundo Vásquez National Medicine Prize in El Salvador. He has also conducted clinical and experimental research, and in 2004 he received an honorary mention at the 24th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine in Brussels (Belgium).

Dr Segura has been invited to take part in various talk shows and to write articles for some of his country’s leading newspapers. These media outlets have enabled him to discuss a range of issues associated with health, politics, education and religion.

He currently works alongside his wife Tania on the Diversity Clinic project, which provides support for families whose children suffer from autism and other related conditions.

San Salvador, December 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

PROLOGUE

FAMILY

HOME

FLOATING ON WATER

THE LEADER’S CIRCLE

THE DEATH OF THE EGYPTIAN

DESERT

NOISE

THE WELL

WHAT IS YOUR DESERT?

HERE I AM

THE PHARAOH

THE MIRROR

ECHOES OF CHILDHOOD

EVERY LEADER HAS HIS NEMESIS

THE ONE AND ONLY GOD

A STAFF

THE PEBBLE

A FATAL WOUND

WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING IN YOUR HAND?

THE HEART OF STONE

PLAGUE

STING

MARKED WITH BLOOD

THE ORIGINS OF ANGER

LIFELESS BODY

STRATEGY

THE OWNER

THE GEOGRAPHICAL TRAP

THE ORIGIN OF YOUR STRATEGY

NIGHT WIND

LEADERSHIP

AUTHORITY

GOD’S PATH

ARE YOU REALLY A LEADER?

A NEW MAN

PRAYER

I GIVE THANKS!

8,760 HOURS

PREFACE

We find ourselves in the age when leadership matters. More and more talks are being given on the subject, more and more books are being written about it, more and more videos are being made. All this output has grown so exponentially that it has become impossible to keep up with it. Every week seems to bring a new guidebook for leaders, a new course, a new conference.

It may seem that there is nothing left to say about leadership, and that we have gone so far down the road that we have lost sight of the starting post. It is at this point that we understand the need to go back to the Scriptures, which are the source of the principles and values underlying all types of leadership. This book by Victor Segura is a return to the source of the Scriptures, in order to find therein the principles that mould a God-serving person. The road is not easy and constancy is required to follow it and to acquire the strength of character needed to be useful in the hands of our God, who develops his universal counsel within us. The inspiration of the Bible and the life of Moses in particular serve to indicate the main elements that turned one leader into the person that God could put to use. Above all, this book is practical, and it transmits the challenge laid down by the Scriptures – a challenge that cannot be ignored, precisely because it so clearly draws on the teachings of the Bible.

Rev. Mario Vega

Pastor General, ELIM Christian Corporation

PROLOGUE

The media often present us with the image of a leader with dark glasses, a black suit, the latest model of car and a job as an executive in one of the world’s top corporations. Advertising has instilled in us this idea of a sophisticated, highly trained man with an aura of mystique and elegance, capable of taking high-risk decisions that propel his company to the forefront of the market.

To be honest, most ordinary people do not have the glamorous aura that supposedly surrounds leadership. In fact, the image itself is false. Many of the leaders depicted in the Bible are enigmatic figures far removed from this stereotype, among them Paul, Peter, Abraham, Noah and, above all, Moses.

The question that needs to be answered is this: Can ordinary men be great leaders? I am utterly convinced that the answer to this must be a resounding Yes!

When Moses exercised political power, his slave revolt was easily quashed by the fury of the Pharaoh. Forty years later, he came back as a shepherd, armed only with a staff and a divine mission: to free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. What a contrast with his previous efforts. It is easier to imagine the adopted son of the Pharaoh achieving that objective than a seemingly nondescript man whose speech defects deprived him of the ability to speak clearly. This allows all of us to take heart. Ordinary people HAVE A chance! Let us not forget, however, that the humility of that simple shepherd was able to flourish in the shadow of the Lord. His simplicity was accompanied by an abundance of faith and obedience.

Leadership is a quality that is crucial to anybody who aspires to lead a balanced life and grow as a human being. It is a formula that everyday people need to guide them in their family, their church and their work, as well as playing a crucial role in their own personal development. Unfortunately, we sometimes tend to look down on biblical models such as Moses, who pale beside paradigms like the successful man who earns a huge income to match his impressive image.

When I decided to write Leaders in the Desert, I aimed to urge readers to have confidence in a Christian style of leadership that could expand their lives, based on the conviction that God has the power and capacity to develop great leaders out of ordinary people like those whom we are going to meet in this book.

The church requires leaders who are fully committed to bearing witness to the truth. Society is crying out for politicians driven by ethics and honesty. Individuals need spouses who honour their marriage and their children. In short, both society and the church need leaders moulded in the image of Jesus Christ, who can faithfully reflect the values transmitted by his teaching and his legacy.

Leaders in the Desert is intended to be a quick read that will stimulate reflection on personal leadership. It is structured around a short introductory story and supported by a dramatized presentation of the relationship between Moses and the Pharaoh. Throughout it there is