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.
--Joshua 1:7
Joshua was one of the great leaders of the Bible even though he wasn’t a prophet, a priest, or a preacher!
Joshua can be described as an assistant to Moses. He was just a guy who worked hard and had risen to some prominence in his day and time. Joshua was just a man… but he was a man whom God raised up!
As we look at his life, there are some steps that Joshua took that insured his success… steps that made him a very effective leader. They’re the same steps you can take as a follower of Christ to ensure you’rean effective leader in your sphere of influence as well.
Step number one is to serve faithfully. We see this trait over and over again in the life of Joshua. He was a man of who kept the commandments. Real leaders understand that opportunity swings on the hinges of faithful devotion to duty.
Step number two is to proceed confidently and courageously. You accomplish this by living what Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Step number three to being an effective leader is to plan wisely. Too often we have an idea… we have a dream… and we just go at it arms flailing, rather than taking time to plan. But there’s a beautiful balance here. There’s the divine side of praying and then there’s the human side of planning. There is agonizing and then there is organizing.
This is why Joshua was such a great leader. He was not only faithful, he not only proceeded with confidence and trust in the Lord, he planned effectively.
These same steps…when applied to your life as a Christian…will help you become the effective leader God intends for you to be!
BECOME THE EFFECTIVE LEADER GOD WANTS YOU TO BE BY PRAYING FERVENTLY, PROCEEDING CONFIDENTLY, AND PLANNING WISELY
Does the Devil Know about You?
Thursday, May 30, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
Acts 19:13–16
Paul’s preaching made a powerful impact as he traveled across the Roman Empire preaching the gospel. Few cities were touched more than Ephesus, where Paul spent three years establishing what would become one of the most important and effective churches of the first century. Paul’s impact, however, also inspired envy. In Ephesus the seven sons of a Jewish priest named Sceva decided to mimic Paul’s actions and tried to cast a demon out of a man who was possessed. It did not go the way they planned. Instead of leaving, the demon took control of the man and chased all seven of them down the street in defeat and shame.
There was no reason for the devil to be afraid of people like that—they had no power. It was very different with Paul. When he commanded demons to leave in Jesus’ name, they went. Our lives should be so filled with the Spirit of God, and we should walk in His power to such an extent that the devil is fully aware of our impact. The great missionary C. T. Studd said, “I pray that when I die, all of Hell will rejoice that I am out of the fight.” Not for any kind of pride, but for our effectiveness in the kingdom of God, our names should be known even in Hell.
Today's Growth Principle:
We should be doing enough for God to upset His enemies and make sure they know who we are.
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