Joshua’s Leadership – Part 1

Joshua 1-2

Authority

How does Joshua gain authority?

• He earns it in his serving with Moses.  Leadership can be given, but if not at first it is eventually earned when people see the heart(s) of the leader(s) over time.

Joshua was viewed as serving with Moses, serving Moses, and connected to the move of God

How can you, and those leaders you lead, gain authority?

Connect the dots – eventually people lose leadership when those they lead do not see them as serving, do not see them as leading for the better, do not see them as serving for a larger vision.

• He earns it from the vision (promised land)
• He earns it as the Lord moves in his life, giving him a word of vision, a calling.

When leaders are given a word, they should order their lives by that word of the Lord.  The word is not just to be enjoyed, but also to be leaned into and formative.  Following the word will shape the leader for the future.

• Go into the details of the word and continue to meditate upon it, allowing that word to interpret any and all moments, good or bad. (If the Lord said the land was theirs and anywhere he walked, no one would be able to stand against them, and it was so, no matter how fortified Jericho was!)
• A part of allowing the word to become the way of looking at and interpreting life is to act upon the word.  Joshua spreads the word among his leaders.

Those leaders would have some of the same process; somehow they have been given leadership!

Disseminating information, as a word of God is huge.  Is there a process?  How do you do that in your organization?  The lack of sharing of information is likely one reason for lack of trust and lack of authority!

The larger the vision, the more communication, the more efficient the organization must be.

Note Joshua gives time to prepare.  Often leaders get full of vision and do not realize the time needed by others to prepare for the vision (three days, get your provisions ready, etc).

Is your tendency to grab the vision and start running? Passionate leaders often do understand the vision but mis – understand the timing and process!!

• Allow the word to shape the heart and mind.  God has given Joshua a recurring word about courage.  That would likely imply some moments when courage would be needed, when challenges would be great, when the vision would be threatened.  His actions must be from this word that brings courage and not in the moment of fear, anger, etc.

One of Joshua’s courageous moments was to call the other tribes to fulfill their commitments to the larger vision.  It takes courage to keep the challenge to others.  Note this calling centers not from Joshua’s need, but from the vision of the Promised Land. The calling up must always be from the larger vision not the leaders needs!

What are the most challenging places and relationships for you to have courage?

Courage and hope must also be passed to the leader.  The reality is that the community can also inadvertently or intentionally destroy the vision by criticizing and/ or not encouraging.  Leadership success is a dance, vision from the Lord, heart change, courage, acting, calling forth, being encouraged.

Why do we so neglect this power of encouragment among our communities? Do we realize the power of our encouragement?

Why the strong words at the end of putting to death any who rebel? What does that say to us as leaders and to us as an organization developing our future? What would that look like in our time?

The body is as responsible (in the second chair) as the leader for the vision success!