I’m reading the @YouVersion plan ‘UNCOMMEN: Uncommen Words Of Husbands, Dads, & Leaders’. Check it out here: http://bible.com/r/19H
Day 4 – Uncommen Words of a Leader
Joshua 1:5-9 – “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
A leader “encourages”: he gives courage. But a leader can only give courage that he himself already has.
As Joshua admonished the people to not be afraid, God does the same to him 40 years later. “Be strong and courageous”, God repeats to Joshua three times. Then He adds, “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed”.
What caused the people to be fearful? This was a generation who has seen the awesome and fearsome power of God countless of times. Could we have similar tendencies? Giving in to our fear of man, rather than fear of God, can have very regrettable consequences: we would miss out on many great and wonderful things.
40 years later, what made God repeat his statement to Joshua three times and then one more? This generation of people have not experienced the power of God in the same magnitude as the previous generation. 40 years is a lifetime ago, and we cannot fault Joshua and the people to be a bit worried.
The leaders’ courage and the courage he gives cannot merely be pep talk. We cannot just tell people to “Be strong! Be courageous!” without giving them the reason *why* they can be. And for Joshua, that reason is not because of his own strength or wisdom. His courage is anchored solely on this promise: “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
There is a caveat. It’s a simple one yet surprisingly difficult to do: if God is to be with you, then you have to be with God.
So, leader, you – and the people God has placed under your care – will surely face trials and challenges. Especially as you try to live as God intended, which is usually counter to the culture of this world. Spend time with God and with his Word. Do not sway left or right. Meditate day and night. This your only – and sure-fire – way to get through this victoriously.