Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 2:23-24

²³ Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

One’s perspective concerning what they see makes all the difference in the world in the Kingdom. It’s similar to the Chinese word for crisis. In the traditional Chinese characters the word crisis has the same meaning as opportunity; thus, how you view the situation will determine how you respond to it. Often times it’s the responsibility of the Kingdom leader to give perspective to his or her followers so they assume the perspective of God. It is not an easy task for the reason that God speaks things that are not as though they were. We on the other hand have a difficult time even seeing what he is speaking to. However, it is essential in becoming an effective Kingdom leader to have that type of vision. We see here in the text that Joshua is succeeding in this area of kingdom leadership. In vs. 24 we see the spies return from their near demise and give a faithful and encouraging report to Joshua regarding their reconnaissance mission. Despite being on the run, hiding, trapped, and saved by a prostitute they have the faith to say, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us." The reason why I say Joshua is succeeding is because the spies exude the very faith of their leader Joshua. About forty years earlier Joshua was a spy and gave a similar report to the Hebrews when he came back from scouting the Promised Land. What he saw could have been labeled as crisis, but he saw it as an opportunity for God to get more glory. Joshua is successful in passing on God’s perspective to the people of Israel. How is he doing it? By his faith! Joshua’s faith is contagious. And now we are seeing in Joshua’s leadership what we rarely saw in Moses—the people are developing faith in their God for themselves. Joshua’s leadership style required him to delegate more than Moses. As a result, the Hebrews had to take on more responsibility and develop a personal relationship with God. Joshua’s leadership style made it imperative they take on God’s perspective of life. Taking on God’s vantage point makes all the difference in the world in the Kingdom. For the believer how you view the situation will determine whether we please God or not. Often times it’s the responsibility of the Kingdom leaders to give perspective to followers so they can have God’s perspective. It is not an easy task, but it is essential in becoming an effective Kingdom leader to have that type of vision.