Profiles In LeadershipIsampula

If you read through the Bible, one of the most fascinating leaders you’ll encounter is Joshua, son of Nun.

He was the successor to Moses, a faithful servant, and a man who got a lot of things done.

Joshua had to cross a mighty river, defeat armies, destroy cities, and take territory while leading people with no skills or experience in such activities. And he had to do it all without Moses, his leader and mentor.

So how did he do it?

With courage.

Three times in Joshua 1, God encouraged Joshua to take courage. And Joshua did. His bold leadership can inspire any leader in two ways.

1. Let God fill you with courage to move past your failures.
   
   After Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt, they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness instead of entering the land God promised them. An entire generation of Israelites died in the desert because their fears were bigger than their faith in God.
   
   That failure was surely a burden Joshua felt—his influence among them was too weak to convince them to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:1-10). But Joshua didn’t let that failure define him or determine his future. He stayed faithful to God, and in the end, he succeeded.
   
   Like Joshua, don’t allow past failure to keep you from future successes.
2. Let God fill you with courage to move forward into new territory.
   
   Crossing the Jordan with two million people and no boats or bridges was quite the leadership challenge! But Joshua found the courage to keep moving forward by keeping God in the picture.
   
   He instructed the people to keep their eyes on the Ark of the Covenant as their reminder that God was with them. The ark always went before the nation of Israel to remind them God was making the way forward.
   
   As a leader, you must find a way to keep God in the picture not only for yourself, but for the people you lead.

Leadership requires the courage to forget the past and look toward the future. If we'll follow Joshua's example, we'll find the Lord gives us the ability to also “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9).