A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (March 29, 2016)
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:1-9)
We live in a technical age of 24 hour news and social networking where everybody has an opinion about everything. We have polls on top of polls, focus groups, and professional pundits that have sometimes made common sense obsolete. The media and polls have become our psychic, fortune teller, and major driving factor in evaluating our decisions and decision makers.
Let’s look at one incident in the Bible where the peoples’ voice was the main driving factor in a leader’s decision. In 1 Samuel 15 we see that the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul to be King over Israel. Samuel came to Saul and told him that the Lord had said the following: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. (1 Samuel 15:2-3)
Saul gathered the troops and attacked Amalek but he did not do what the Lord told him. He spared the King of Amalek and kept all the best of the spoils (that would probably be considered a smart decision by pollsters today). When Samuel confronted him on it Saul said the people had kept those things to sacrifice to the Lord. He later admitted to Samuel that he had sinned because he feared the people and obeyed their voice versus the Lord’s command (1 Samuel 15:24).
We need leaders that are not afraid of the people or the polls. We need strong leaders that will listen to their heart and God and be willing to make courageous decisions. Can you imagine the confusion that would take place in our military if every General’s order was questioned by every Private. You have to have a chain of command to have an effective military, corporation ,or country!
Jesus is a prime example of leadership. He is head of the church and His Word is settled in Heaven forever. No focus group or politician can change that:
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)
My suggestion in this time of political chaos is this. Pray that the right leader becomes evident out of all this chaos. Don’t get so enamored with the polls and the political pundits. Ask yourself the following questions. What candidate has this nation and the welfare and protection of the people as their main focus? Who has a vision for this nation? Who has bold and innovative ideas? Who is a strong and courageous leader?
We are at a time when we need a Joshua!
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”(Steve Jobs)
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet”(Theodore M. Hesburgh)
