Session Seven

Leadership For LIFE

REVISION:
Joshua's attitude towards God's Word.

˜  He must meditate in it day and night. —visualisation and meditation.

˜  It should not depart from his mouth. —verbalisation.

˜  He must do all that is written in it. —actualisation.

˜  He must be strong and courageous to obey it.

˜  He should not be afraid or discouraged.

God would only give him, the land that the soles of his feet had trodden on. 
What does that mean for NT Christians?

MAKE A POSITIVE APPRAISAL OF YOUR GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL.

"His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory and virtue." (1 Pet. 1:3)

Most believers need to have a thorough, positive, biblically based appraisal of who and what they are in Christ. The Church has produced enough failures through its over- emphasis on sin and our fallen human nature. It has condemned men and women to grovel in constant acts of penance, and to try to work out their own salvation by good works. It is time to see what God says. To imbibe what He has to say about the New Creation, and to walk in the light of His redemptive Word.

Potential leaders in particular, need to make a positive appraisal of their latent leadership skills. They need to realise that if God has called them into a leadership role it is because He knows they have that potential. If, like Joshua, they will "do according to all that is written in the book," then God will prosper their development and give them good success. Instead of majoring on our limitations and inability we must be vitally conscious of

• God's grace.
• His mercy and
• That we are gloriously
• We are reconciled and
• We have been made the righteousness of God in
• We are now the children and the sons of
• We are God's workmanship, created in Christ to do good

• We are ordained and authorised members of His
• We have been translated out of darkness, into His glorious
• Out of confusion into Divine revelation.
• Out of uncertainty into quiet
• Out of fear into
• Out of our inability, into His creative

USING WHAT YOU HAVE.

God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Ex 4:2. Moses said "It's a rod." Just a plain, simple rod. An ordinary branch of a tree. It did not appear to be anything that God could use in some great way. But God had great plans that involved that simple rod. Moses would soon discover what God would do through that simple rod and some faith and obedience. You may not seem to have much in your hand. You are an average, ordinary person without great charisma or talent, but if you will totally surrender what you have to  God, only He knows what the possibilities can be.

• You have God given abilities that may still be
• You must recognise and acknowledge
• Begin to train and develop
• Go through every door that God opens for

Understand that God made you just as you are. He knows you far better than you even know yourself. He is totally aware of your limitations as well as your strengths, yet He  has ordained you to be a leader amongst His people.

You are unique. There is no one else just like you. You can do something for God that  no one else can do. In His wisdom and foreknowledge He has chosen you and ordained you to bring forth fruit in your leadership capacity. He has ordained for you "good works that you should walk in." (Eph. 2:10)

God has also ordained you to achieve good success in your leadership role. As you humbly follow the leading of His Spirit in everything you do, God will make your leadership effective and successful. As you humbly depend on Him, recognising that anything worth-while and of eternal value, can only be accomplished by God as He works through you. Place yourself completely at His disposal. Dedicate your life afresh to  His purposes. Determine by His grace to be everything that He has ordained you to be and to accomplish everything He has determined for you to accomplish.

For then He will make your way Prosperous, and then He will give you GOOD SUCCESS.