In Search of Godly Leaders Cliff Christman Joshua 1      In this day of moral decline and doctrinal decadence we not only need more men surrendering to the call of God in their lives, but we also have a great need to see these men become the leaders God would have them to be. Joshua was a man who became a great leader. His leadership began by following Moses and trusting the Lord. Imagine being Joshua, the leader God had chosen and even given great promises to: Be strong and of good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:6,7    It is very significant to understand that the blessings and power of God upon Joshua’s life was contingent upon his faithfully obeying the Lord. Obedience to the Lord comes from the heart of an individual whose life has been devoted to the Lord. The leadership Joshua displayed was a by-product of devotion. It is the aspiration of Antioch to see men develop their devotedness to Christ. We not only desire to see men leave with an education, but it is also our desire to see them have prosperity and success.    One of the problems with prosperity and success these days is that it is completely misunderstood in many cases only to leave the individual feeling as if they have failed. God had told Joshua to be strong and courageous, but that strength and courage was not going to come to him through his achievements. It was quite the contrary, his strength and courage would be derived from meditating on the Word of God, believing God’s promises, and obeying God’s precepts. This was the very counsel Moses had given in Deuteronomy 11:1-9.     One mark of great godly leaders is that they commune with God. They look to the Lord for answers and wait upon Him to speak through His Word. They do not look to the world’s definition of prosperity and success; instead they measure their conduct by God’s Word and daily evaluate how they have responded to what God has spoken.     We have prayed that God would call men to preach and it is my prayer that we can be a part in their preparation. For those of you who may feel that God is calling you I encourage you to look to His Word for that assurance. Do not follow the worldly method of searching out circumstances or waiting on providence to open or close doors. You listen to God, follow His commands and obey His precepts. If God has called you to the ministry allow nothing but His written Word to give you confidence of it.     Scottish novelist George MacDonald wrote, “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.” Never forget, Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” However, “if God be for you, who can be against you?” Your prosperity and success can never be measured by another man, if you are God’s man then it is He alone who will make that determination and it is all contingent upon how we listen to Him. This is so much easier to live by than the world’s standards, they change daily. You and I have the great privilege of serving an unchanging God who loved us enough to send His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.     When trials come and they will your confidence in what God has commissioned you to do will see you through. The temptation to be overwhelmed with fear will arise somewhere along the way just like it did with Joshua, but he was quickly reminded that he was a man with a divine commission. God had commanded, “take courage.” The reminder of this helped through many circumstances. Be sure that you are the kind of person that will recognize your divine mandate and allow that mandate to see you through.    We need more godly leaders and I praise God for all of you that are out there laboring ever so hard in our Master’s Vineyard. Keep up the good work and never allow the devil or anyone else to take your joy away. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9 ...read more