35 Bible Verses about Watchfulness, Of Leaders

"Thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore take good heed to the words, and give them warning at my commandment.

And now, O thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: that whereas thou hearest anything out of my mouth, thou mayest warn them on my behalf. If I say unto the wicked: thou wicked, thou shalt surely die: and thou givest him not warning, that he may beware of his ungodly way: then shall the wicked die in his own sin, but his blood will I require of thy hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it, whereas he yet will not be turned from it, then shall he die because of his sin, but thou hast delivered thy soul.'

He said to him again the second time, "Simon the son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" He said unto him, "Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee." He said unto him, "Feed my sheep."

If I say unto thee, concerning the ungodly man, that without doubt he must die: and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest unto him, that he may turn from his evil way, and so to live - Then shall the same ungodly man die in his own unrighteousness, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

As a man which is gone into a strange country and hath left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch, therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house will come: whether at even, or at midnight; whether at the cock crowing, or in the dawning:

Obey them that have the oversight of you, and submit yourselves to them, for they watch for your souls, even as they that must give accounts for them: that they may do it with joy, and not with grief. For that is an unprofitable thing for you.

Therefore awake and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one of you, both night and day with tears.

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, whereof the holy ghost hath made you overseers: to rule the congregation of God, which he hath purchased with his blood.

Yea, and a bishop must be faultless, the husband of one wife, sober, discreet, honestly appareled, harborous, apt to teach,

For a bishop must be faultless, as it becometh the minister of God; not stubborn, not angry, no drunkard, no fighter, not given to filthy lucre:

see that ye feed Christ's flock, which is among you, taking the oversight of them: not as though ye were compelled thereto, but willingly; Not for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good mind.

Verily, verily I say unto you, He that entereth not in by the door, into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way: the same is a thief and a robber. He that goeth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth the door, and the sheep hear his voice; And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

For I am sure of this: that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, which will not spare the flock.

Preach the word, be fervent; be it in season, or out of season. Improve, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come, when they will not suffer wholesome doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they whose ears itch get them a heap of teachers, and shall turn their ears from the truth, and shall be given unto fables:read more.
But watch thou in all things, and suffer adversity, and do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thine office unto the utmost.

and such as cleaveth unto the true word of doctrine, that he may be able to exhort with wholesome learning, and to improve them that say against it. For there are many disobedient and talkers of vanity, and deceivers of minds, namely they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, which pervert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, because of filthy lucre.

I write not these things to shame you: but as my beloved sons, I warn you.

I beseech you, brethren: mark them which cause division, and give occasions of evil contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

envying, murder, drunkenness, gluttony, and such like. Of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which commit such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Furthermore, we beseech you brethren, and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that ye increase more and more, even as ye have received of us, how ye ought to walk and to please God.

A man that is given to heresy, after the first and the second admonition; avoid,

I testify unto every man that heareth the words of prophecy of this book: if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

Upon the walls of Jerusalem, I have set keepers which shall never cease, neither by day nor yet by night. And ye that stir up the remembrance of the Lord, see that ye pause not, neither let him have rest until he have prepared and made Jerusalem glorious in the earth.

Moreover, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in leaving praying for you and to show you the good and right way.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit, in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, beseeching that at one time or another, a prosperous journey, by the will of God, might fortune me to come unto you.

cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

always in all my prayers for you all, and pray with gladness,

Wherefore, we pray always for you that our God make you worthy of the calling, and fulfill all delectation of goodness, and the work of faith, with power:

Peter said unto him, "And though all men should be offended, yet would not I." And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee this day even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice."

Yea, and a bishop must be faultless, the husband of one wife, sober, discreet, honestly appareled, harborous, apt to teach, not drunken, no fighter, not given to filthy lucre: but gentle, abhorring fighting, abhorring covetousness, and one that ruleth his own house honestly, having children under obedience, with all honesty.read more.
For if a man cannot rule his own house, how shall he care for the congregation of God? He may not be a young scholar, lest he swell and fall into the judgment of the evil speaker. He must also be well reported of among them which are without forth, lest he fall into rebuke, and into the snare of the evil speaker.

These things exercise, and give thyself unto them, that it may be seen how thou profitest in all things. Take heed unto thyself and unto learning, and continue therein. For if thou shalt so do, thou shalt save thyself, and them that hear thee.

If any be faultless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, which are not slandered of riot, neither are disobedient. For a bishop must be faultless, as it becometh the minister of God; not stubborn, not angry, no drunkard, no fighter, not given to filthy lucre: but harborous, one that loveth goodness, sober minded, righteous, holy, temperate,

My brethren, be not every man a master; Remembering how that we shall receive the more damnation.

All the beasts of the field, and all the beasts of the wood, shall come to devour him. For his watchmen are all blind, they have altogether no understanding. They are all dumb dogs, no being able to bark; they are sleepery, sluggish, and lie snorting. They are shameless dogs, that be never satisfied. The shepherds also in like manner have no understanding, but every man turneth his own way, everyone after his own covetousness, with all his power.read more.
"Come," say they, "I will fetch wine, so shall we fill ourselves, that we may be drunken. And do tomorrow, like as today; yea, and much more."

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, "Thou son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and speak unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye have eaten up the fat, ye have clothed you with the wool: the best fed have ye slain, but the flock have ye not nourished.read more.
The weak have ye not holden up, the sick have ye not healed: the broken have ye not bound together, the outcasts have ye not brought again. The lost have ye not sought, but churlishly and cruelly have ye ruled them. Thus are they scattered here and there without a shepherd: yea, all the beasts of the field devour them, and they go astray. My sheep go wandering upon all mountains, and upon every high hill. Yea they be scattered abroad in all fields, and there is no man, that careth for them, or seeketh after them. "'Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. Thus sayeth the LORD God: As truly as I live, forsomuch as my sheep are robbed, and devoured of all the wild beasts of the field, having no shepherd: and seeing that my shepherds take no regard of my sheep, but feed themselves only, and not my sheep: Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O ye shepherds. Thus sayeth the LORD God: Behold, I myself will upon the shepherds, and require my sheep from their hands, and make them cease from feeding of my sheep: Yea the shepherds shall feed themselves no more: For I will deliver my sheep out of their mouths, so that they shall not devour them after this.

For vain is the answer of Idols. The soothsayers see lies, and tell but vain dreams. The comfort that they give, is nothing worth. Therefore go they astray like a flock of sheep, and are troubled, because they have no shepherd. My wrathful displeasure is moved at the shepherds, and I will visit the goats. For the LORD of Hosts will graciously visit his flock, the house of Judah, and hold them as a goodly fair horse in the battle.