We begin this journey through Joshua in chapter one.  Moses has died and now the Lord comes to Joshua and tells him to buckle up because now it it is time to lead “all these people” (Joshua 1:2) in the land promised to them.  The Lord affirms to Joshua the land will be theirs and that no one will stand against them.

I can only imagine what Joshua may have been feeling at this point.  Probably a bit overwhelmed.  Maybe a little bit nervous.  But then God gives him this incredible promise that “no one will be able to stand up against you.”  It seems that would be all you need to hear to quell any uneasiness or worry about stepping up to lead, but then the Lord give Joshua even more encouragement as he undertakes this monumental leadership task.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this book of law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it…Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9

Godly leadership takes strength and courage.  This must be important because it is mentioned in these versus three times and also recorded multiple other times throughout the book.  Now, I’m sure that Joshua was a physically strong dude.  He was a commander of armies.  But it seems to me that physical strength is not what is being communicated.  Have you ever known those people that go through all kinds of life and they are never shaken?  That is strength.  It is often a quiet strength.  The Lord is telling Joshua to be strong. To be rock solid.  To be anchored and rooted so that when difficulty in leadership arrives he will not be swayed on way or the other.  And there is also courage.  The Lord is telling Joshua that leading will be hard.  There will be times when difficult decisions must be made.  Joshua must be able to look at the situation and do what is right even if it appears to be impossible.  Leadership takes courage.  Courage to confront.  Courage to execute. Courage to do what is necessary.  And we need that attitude and character in our own lives.

Godly leadership takes uncompromising obedience.  Then the Lord tells Joshua to be careful to obey all the law that He has given through Moses.  We will explore this idea of taking care to obey in a later post as that same thread appears again.  But here we see that Godly leadership requires obedience to God.  In whatever we are doing or wherever we are leading we must be obedient to what God says in his word.  And then the Lord qualifies that statement saying “do not turn to the right or the left.” How easy it can be to compromise what is right or to not completely obey!  That’s where the strength and courage comes into play.  It takes courage to not give in to competing ideas or complaining.  It takes strength to stay the course and keep on tract with what God says.  So Godly leadership takes uncompromising obedience to the Lord.

Godly leadership takes internalization of God’s word and reflection upon it.  Now, in order to be steadfast in obedience to God, we must know what God requires.  And here we see a reminder from Deuteronomy.  The Lord tells Joshua do not let this book depart from you.  Know it. But not only to know it but to also meditate on it. Let God’s word wash over and refresh our spirit.  If we are going to be Godly leaders then it follows that we need to meditate and internalize God’s word and his law so that we know how to obey and that we can obey without compromise. And guess what?  That will take strength and courage.  No wonder the Lord tells Joshua over and over to be strong and courageous.

Remember that God will always be with you.  Looking at all of these exhortations from the Lord to Joshua it almost appears daunting.  How can I do all of this?  What if I mess up?  Where will I get all this strength and courage?  But the Lord ends with the greatest encouragement to leaders.  “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  When we are leading God is always with us.  He will provide the strength.  He will provide the courage when we are discouraged because He is with us.  He will give us the desire to obey and to stay on the straight and narrow to do what is right.  What great news!  So in leadership, we must always remember that God will be with us.

Well, what do we do with this wisdom?  I am not leading a large company, agency, or battalion of soldiers.  But I am leading my wife and my family.  And I think these principles have really challenged me be to be a better family leader.  I need to be a rock in my family.  It takes strength and courage to disciple your wife and your children because it can be difficult.  It takes courage to confront and discipline my children.  It takes strength to be an emotional support for my wife.

And if I am to lead my wife and family well, then I absolutely need to be obedient to what God calls me to and to be courageous in the execution of that.  I need to know what God says.  God’s word needs to be on my heart, mind, and soul.  I must not be swayed to the right or left and thus lead my family astray.  And all of this would be incredibly daunting except for the fact that God promises that He will always be with me.  He will give me the strength and courage.  He will teach and instruct me in his Word.  He will give me courage to not compromise biblical principle.

I don’t know about you, but I am greatly encouraged and challenged regarding this wisdom on leadership.  May you find it helpful and applicable to your life too.