Be Confident in God’s Power

Have you ever had to follow a strong leader? Maybe someone who led a team left your company and you had to step into his or her shoes. Maybe you followed a strong pastor who had led a great church. Or, maybe you followed a military leader well respected by his or her subordinates.

Following Great Leadership

It can be difficult to follow great leadership. Expectations are high, margins of error are low, and the pressure can be enormous.

Now, think for a moment what it must have been like to follow Moses. Moses is considered one of the heroes of the faith: His encounter with God at the burning bush, his back-and-forth with Pharaoh, and leading Israel through the Red Sea. The Bible records Moses this way,

“No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt–to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land, and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” (Deut. 34:10-12).

This is the man Joshua had to follow in leading Israel. When God called Joshua to lead His people, it was a straightforward: “Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites” (Joshua 1:2).¹

Learning From Other Leaders

Everything Joshua needed to know to lead he had learned from Moses. All the power Joshua needed he would get from God.

We often do not respond to God’s call to lead because we don’t have confidence in God’s power. We don’t doubt that God empowered Moses and Joshua, but we struggle to believe that He will help us in the same way.

Writing in Bible Studies for Life, Paul Jimenez notes: “[T]he people had affirmed Moses as their leader because they recognized God was present with him. Now, God would ‘exalt’ Joshua to show that his leadership would also be marked by God’s presence and power.”²

God will do the same for us. While we may not be exalted in the same way Joshua was, God will lift us in leadership through His power. We can have absolute confidence that God’s power is sufficient for our every challenge.

Your Biggest Challenge

Think about the biggest challenge God can give you. Is it bigger than crossing the Red Sea or the Jordan River? Think about the most successful leader you might follow. Is that leader more successful than Moses? Can God put you in any position where He cannot sustain you? Can He call you to any task for which He cannot empower you? Can God send you anywhere He cannot find you?

The answer to all these questions is “no.” Therefore, we can be confident in God’s complete power to do in and through us all He desires.

Whatever your biggest challenge is in leadership today, God will see you through!

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church

General Editor, Bible Studies for Life

President, Southern Baptist Convention

 

References

¹-All scripture HCSB.
²–Bible Studies for Life, Be Strong and Courageous, Paul Jimenez