Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you whenever you go.
Joshua 1:9
What exactly is needed in leadership? Four things apply:
(1) Courage.
Seventeen times, the Bible says, “Be of good courage!” Therefore, having courage is a very good thing. The primary ploy of the devil is to bring discouragement to a leader, that is to take courage out of your heart. If he succeeds, then he has trapped you in a place of weakness, despair and hopelessness. Your vision would soon disappear. What is courage? Courage is the capacity to do what is right even when it is unpopular. As such, courage relates to the integrity of character. A courageous person will do what is right in the midst of opposition and mockery, even when there are no perceived benefits to him at all. When you do what is right- simply because it is right to do- it is courage.
(2) Boldness.
Someone once counted that 365 times, the Bible says, “Fear not!” In other words, in every single day of the year, a leader must never be afraid. To be bold is to have confidence. David says, “Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Ps 27:3). Even under house arrest in Rome, Paul preached “with all confidence” (Acts 28:31). The Bible says, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Heb 10:35). Courage relates to character; boldness relates to your personality. Have a confident personality and be secure in who you are.
(3) Strength.
Again and again, Joshua was exhorted to be strong. Strength is the ability to stand up on your feet whenever you are knocked down. There are many confident and charismatic people who are not strong. Whenever they are hit y a crisis, they wilt away without having the ability to bounce back in life.
(4) Wisdom.
Proverbs constantly speaks of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Knowledge is the getting of information. Understanding is the analyzing of information. Wisdom is solving the problem. Proverbs says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom” (Pro 1:7). A leader must be wise.
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29
Real faith is built on the spiritual truths of God’s promises. While we don’t deny the problems, pain and other negative symptoms of life (for they may be very real), we look beyond them to God’s word. Real faith says, “If God says it is so, it is so!”. Head faith is just an intellectual acceptance, or mental assent, of certain facts and doctrines. That is not true Bible Faith and believers. It won’t produce results or changes in the lives of people. But heart faith will always produce a definite change in people. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness.”
Labels: Sermon