By Toni Ford
In the book of Joshua, we read about the story of God’s faithfulness to His people, and how by faith God’s people can overcome and experience life-changing deliverance. The book of Joshua is not only a fulfillment of God’s promise to His children but also an example of a man named Joshua who surrendered to God, and as a result, God used him to lead the children of Israel into the land God promised to them through the Abrahamic Covenant.
So, what made Joshua such a great leader?
Joshua was a committed follower. In Joshua 1:7, we find the Lord telling Joshua to, “Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you…..” Joshua submitted to Moses’ leadership when they were in the wilderness and Scripture tells us that Joshua would be at Moses’ side, assisting and learning all he could from his great leader. Now that Moses has passed away, it is Joshua’s time to lead, and we find Joshua continuing to follow all the instructions he received and learned from Moses. A good leader must first learn how to follow, and regardless of how long we lead, we still need to be learning from others and submitting to the leadership God places over us.
Joshua was a humble servant. In Joshua 3:7, the Lord gave Joshua specific instructions on how to lead, but He also prophesied to Joshua the type of leader he would become. Joshua always gave God the glory and never claimed to be the author of those instructions, nor did he ever boast about the type of leader God was creating him to be. Joshua knew he was being given the opportunity to be a part of something greater than himself. Therefore, Joshua’s heart was to recognize the Lord and not himself.
Joshua always gave God the credit. Joshua 3:5, 4:23 and 23:3-4 are just a few examples of Joshua glorifying God, never accepting or placing the attention on himself, but instead directing everything back to the Lord, making sure He received all the credit!
Joshua was a leader with a vision of hope and promise. Joshua 1:13 says, “He told them, ‘Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord commanded you: The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.” When the Israelites needed encouragement or their faith strengthened, Joshua would remind them of the promises of God. Joshua knew the importance of meditating and remembering God’s promises and His Word.
The Lord sees leadership potential in each one of us, and it is never too late to become a leader for our Lord. The key is surrendering ourselves to Him and letting Him do a work within us, just as He did with Joshua. May we surrender our lives to Him today, allowing Him to raise up the leader that is in within all of us but for the sole purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus and glorifying Him alone!
If you would like for me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com and I would love to pray for you.