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In my opinion, most people have lost the truth that we reap the consequences of our behaviors. However, we know that we reap what we sow. One of the behavior’s in the Church today is the lack of following ordained spiritual leadership. The consequence to this behavior is immeasurable. It produces fearful and timid preaching, the loss of convictions, and the attempt to present ourselves in a package that the world can receive without any real substance.
The book of Joshua begins in 1:1-2 by saying, “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the Son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” The leadership of Moses is characterized in Deuteronomy 34:10. It says, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” I find many things about the ministry of Moses memorable and fascinating, but a few things stand out more than others. First, he preached freedom while people were in bondage. Second, he preached provision while no provision could be seen. Third, he preached the promise land while they wandered in the wilderness. This is leadership. True leadership trusts God with the message when the message goes against the circumstance. The circumstance is normally the perceived reality of the people. True leadership doesn’t look at perceived reality; it centers itself on the message of God. This was the leadership that was handed down to Joshua. Exodus 17:14, “And the Lord said unto Moses, write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua.”
In the first part of chapter 1 of Joshua there are things that God told Joshua that would prove to be qualities of leadership. First, don’t fear people that oppose you. Verse 5 says, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life.” True leadership will not bend what is right to appeal to the people around them. Second, be in character as God says to be. Verse 6 Joshua was told, “be strong, and of a good courage.” The command is to be strong. God does not permit for you to be weak. The command is to be of a good courage. God gives no permission to be fearful. Four times in chapter 1 the command to be strong is given to Joshua. As the people of God, we need to hear this command and start being what we are called to be so we can do what were called to do. Third, expect the temptation to deny who God says you are. The fact that the command to be strong is repeated four times implies our propensity to yield to the temptation to be weak and fearful. True leadership cannot yield even to their own vulnerabilities. Fourth, follow and hide yourself in the Word of God. Verse 8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.”
Joshua was told in verse 7 to be strong and to obey all that Moses had commanded him. I do believe we need to remember what the generation past has commanded us. Spiritual elitism will cause you to reject the message of the previous generation for something you think is better. The truth they spoke to us is as timeless as the Word of God. The absence of following leadership has developed weak, fearful, timid, and vulnerable people in this day. What will the next generation of spiritual leaders look like?