One of the often forgotten part of the Christmas story is the massacre of children in Bethlehem shortly after Jesus was born. Herod heard of the birth of Christ from the wise men and in a brutish act to protect his position of power in Israel, he ordered the murder of all the young boys in all of Bethlehem to get rid of Jesus. He was too late though. By the time this atrocity was committed, Joseph was already transporting Mary and Jesus to Egypt.

What happened was a classic example of how much damage insecurity can cause in leadership. Herod was threatened by the rumors of a leader who was supposed to deliver Israel from oppression. He ordered the slaughter of countless children just to eliminate one particular boy who won’t definitely be doing anything political in at least twenty years.

Insecurity is a terrible driving force in a leader’s life. When one stops acting like a leader and starts chasing after his rivals, real or fancied, that person’s leadership is obviously in decline.