Harnessing the Power of the Past By Jon Lewis

Reflecting on Past Influences, the Present, and the Future

How much does your past influence the way you lead today? For Christian leaders, the answer should be profound. Our past leadership experiences, both the successes and the painful lessons, hold the raw material God uses to shape our future influence. Learning to steward those experiences well is essential to becoming a faithful, Spirit-led leader who grows stronger with every season of life.

Stewarding Our Leadership Life Journey

In my late thirties, I was deeply impacted by Dr. Robert (Bobby) Clinton and his Leadership Emergence Theory. He taught that leadership is a divine trust—an invitation to use our God-given capacity to influence others toward His purposes. Clinton emphasized that leadership development is not accidental but a lifelong process of divine shaping. Each phase of life is an opportunity for personal, spiritual, and vocational formation and growth.

That’s why Clinton challenged leaders to steward their leadership life journey—to intentionally learn from every experience so that God can continue to strengthen their character, refine their competencies, and increase their usefulness for His kingdom purposes.

Three Ways to Steward Your Past Leadership Experiences

1. Develop a Life-Review Practice

In our fast-paced world, taking time to reflect deeply on past experiences is often neglected. Yet reflection is one of the most valuable disciplines a leader can develop. It helps us recognize how God has been preparing us for present or future challenges. Setting aside time once or twice a year for intentional reflection—through journaling, prayer, or conversations with trusted peers—can reveal patterns of God’s shaping work that we might otherwise miss.

Difficult seasons and past failures can become tools in God’s hands when we courageously revisit them with humility and hope.

2. Embrace Mentoring Relationships

Leadership growth rarely happens in isolation. Dr. Clinton often spoke about the “constellation model” of mentoring. The model represents relationships that include mentors above us, peers beside us, and those we are mentoring below us. This three-directional flow of learning mirrors the mentoring relationship of Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and John Mark in the New Testament.

Faithful stewardship of our leadership journey involves both receiving and giving—investing in others while continuing to learn ourselves. Mentoring multiplies leadership capacity and extends God’s influence through a shared journey of growth.

3. Cultivate Spiritual Sensitivity and Character Depth

The most vital lesson from our past experiences is that God is primarily after our spiritual maturity and character development. Paul reminds us, 

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:6 

God’s faithful shaping continues throughout life, but our cooperation matters. Through prayer, Scripture, reflection, and active service, we partner with Him in the ongoing process of transformation. Now in my seventh decade of life, I find that intentional spiritual formation still takes daily commitment. But it’s the only way to grow into the leader God is still calling me to be.

Faithful Responsiveness

Stewarding our leadership life journey is ultimately about faithful responsiveness to God’s shaping hand. The past—whether marked by triumphs or trials—is never wasted in His economy. When we learn to recognize and redeem the lessons of our past, we discover that the power of the past lies in how God uses it to mold us into wiser, humbler, and more effective leaders for tomorrow.

Jon Lewis is a Senior Associate for Partnership Advancement with OC International. He focuses on encouraging global Christian leaders to be more effective in ministry. With over 40 years of experience, he has served as an MAF mission pilot in Africa and as CEO of Partners International.

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