You be the Change You Want to See – 7

                                                You be the Change You Want to See – 7

Subject:  Leading The Change in Your Family, Church, or Business

By Rick Welborne

Joshua 1:1-9 (NIV)
¹  After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:
²  "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites.
³  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
⁴  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Great Sea on the west.
⁵  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
⁶  "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
⁷  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
⁸  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
⁹  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." 

--Leadership is a process, not a job. It requires the passing of the torch from one leader to another. We see this with Moses and Joshua.

--That means that those who would want to be leaders will need to stay close to those who are currently leading so that when the torch is passed they will be ready. Again, attitude and humility are imperative.

--Though we sometimes hear of born leaders, the truth is, most leaders have learned how to lead. We all have a responsibility in ministry to pass the leadership torch to those future leaders who will take the responsibility.

--Think about it, if we are not prepared to pass the torch to the next person God has His hand on, the ministry itself is in jeopardy. We see it happen in so many churches where there is not a plan.

--If the leader (pastor) is a person of prayer and has a sensitivity to Holy Spirit, he will know who God has His hand on to lead. Many avoid even going down this road because of insecurity…very sad. 

1. Moses passed the torch to Joshua.

--You remember how Moses had led the children of Israel right up to the edge of the promised land but they could not go in because of their rebellion. The next generation would have opportunity to go in.

--They could not go in without a leader. Moses had led them for 40 years and no one under age of 40 had ever known any other leader. The time came for a new leader but who was qualified to take Moses’ place?

--Joshua had been Moses apprentice. He had never had full authority and someone above him always had the final word in making decisions. Oh, the joys of being number 2 but the fears of being number 1.

--I was the youth/associate/ministries director/ here at Life Church and life was good…do my thing and let the lead pastor deal with all the tough decisions…he leaves and I become the pastor.

--All of a sudden, I was called every day for counseling, my wisdom was needed, people lined up to get my advice…what had changed? My office was now one door over…Senior Pastor…scary!

--Have you ever asked the question…Why Joshua?  Moses picked Joshua because God had picked Joshua. And I believe God picked Joshua because he was a real leader. Remember the twelve spies sent into the land?

--Moses was acting in obedience to God’s instructions. Moses remembered Joshua and Caleb insisted that the other ten spies were wrong. Joshua was showing great leadership way back when.

--Joshua did not just appear on the scene and then was chosen to become the next great leader of Israel…He had stayed close to the leader and had been loyal and faithful to him.

Seneca the Younger who lived from 4BC to AD 65 supposedly said this:  Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

--Adjustment. Leadership happens when preparation meets opportunity. So what can you do to be ready to lead.

A. Pay attention to what is going on around you.

--To become a great leader you cannot just focus on one thing but you must be able to see the big picture. See what is needed to make the organization better and wisely share with the leader the facts.

--Become a good listener…there is a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth…listen twice as much as you talk.  Look people in the eye when they are talking to you and actually hear what they are saying.

--Fulfill your responsibilities…do your job and do it with excellence…do it ahead of schedule…let the leader know you are ‘all in’ at making the organization shine and making him successful!  

B. Be a problem solver.

--Problem solving will more than likely come from someone who is forward thinking, not always looking back of how we used to do it. Past experience can be beneficial but be willing to learn.

--Many churches and businesses have brought much detriment to themselves but always looking back. Many of our churches are trapped in the 50s and 60s and that is why they do not grow.

--True leadership is about solving problems and taking the load off of the head of the organization. You get better at solving problems as you encounter problems…start practicing before you lead.

--Read, study, and put into practice problem solving skills and be prepared to step into what God has for you.

2. To be a good leader hold yourself accountable.

Ketterling:  You probably think about becoming a leader more than existing leaders think about you becoming a leader. They have other things on their minds. If there isn’t someone to hold you accountable, hold yourself accountable. Don’t let the day to day routine leave you in the shadow.  

I believe the Apostle Paul said it this way:

Philippians 2:12-15 (NKJV)
¹²  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
¹³  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
¹⁴  Do all things without complaining and disputing,
¹⁵  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

--I think one of the most frustrating things about ministry is trying to convince people who should know what is right and who should be mature in their faith to keep living for God.

--Oh, pastor, I just need you to keep me accountable. Really? You have been saved for 25 years and you still need someone to keep you in line?  Shouldn’t you be helping someone else by now?

--Paul was saying that he was glad that they obeyed in his presence and that was good, but he said the real test of your faith is that you obey when he is not there to keep you accountable.

--Paul said…You keep yourself accountable…YOU work out your OWN salvation with fear and trembling. God wants to do His will in you and He wants to use you in such a way that brings Him pleasure or glory. Serve

Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT)
¹¹  The greatest among you must be a servant.
¹²  But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

3. True leaders are careful about what comes out of their mouths. 

--True leaders will try their very best to have their conversation to be constructive and not destructive. 

Negativity erodes unity and peace. Be careful what you say.

--Leaders want to know they can trust those who are invited into the leadership team. The leader must have confidence that those who work with him will be loyal to him and the organization. Jesus and Words.

Matthew 12:34 (NKJV)
³⁴  Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

--The Word has so much to say about the power of our words…obviously this was a problem before social media but now everyone has a megaphone to spew their hateful words.

James 3:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸  But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
⁹  With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
¹⁰  Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

--Hear me, your words have the ability to make you a great leader or the ability to disqualify you from leadership. No good leader would ever put a person in a position who tears people down.

--If you are leading (we all are) or plan to be a future leader, realize everything you do, everything you say is preparing you to lead or disqualifying you.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
³  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
⁴  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.