"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Eph. 6:7)
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 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. 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. 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." (Joshua 1:6-9)
Strong, the Hebrew word chazaq, means to be firm and resolute – to take hold of and not waiver or let go. As an adjective, chazaq means firm or hard as in something impenetrable. An example is in Ezekiel 3:8-9, “Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.” [1]
Courageous, the Hebrew word ’amats, means to be bold or brave, but also means to be established, steadfast, persist in, and prevail. [2]
Joshua was not to relent or quit in pursuit of the vision that God had given him to take the land. Joshua was one of the men who was sent by Moses originally to spy out the land. When they came back from spying out the land, many of the men had given a bad report. They were afraid of its inhabitants and told the people, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” (Nu. 13:31)
When the people rebelled against God and told Moses and Aaron they wanted to select a new leader and go back to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and spoke to the congregation, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey'. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
“I'll give it all 'till the day we meet. Here I am ready to give up my life for the One. Here I am ready to pour out my heart for the Son. Here I am.” sings
Joshua was someone who followed the Lord wholeheartedly (Numbers 32:10-12). Joshua had a vision that God gave him about taking the land and he put all that he had into it, eventually leading the people across the Jordan and causing the people to inherit the land by faith. He did not hold back or hesitate in following all that God called him to.
Joshua 11:15 says, As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.” And Joshua 11:23 says, “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.”
Being wholehearted means to be fully engaged with one's whole heart, putting everything the person has into it. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
To be halfhearted, on the other hand, means to do something without enthusiasm or energy. It is going through the motions without putting one's heart fully into the endeavor. It means to have little interest, being uninspired, or giving lip service to something. [3]
Joshua ended up conquering thirty one kings in the land that earlier many Israelites were afraid to even enter into. As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn't taken in a day.” Step by step, as they put their hearts and minds to the task, God gave them more and more of the land.
Mike Bickle notes that as God progressively reveals His plan to you, and you follow Him in the small day to day steps that he puts before you, they will inevitably add up and lead to the fulfillment of his greater purposes in your life, and the lives of those around you. [4]
Following him in small day to day steps take diligence. Joshua was diligent leader and faithful to accomplish all that God had for him.
Diligence, as Mike Bickle notes, is “the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken with persistent exertion.” He writes, “We must recognize that leadership is not halfhearted, but is earnest in its efforts. It is not by definition something that is done on a short-term basis. A diligent leader is one who takes initiative in a long-term way.” [5]
Many people start out strong and then lose sight of their vision over time. They may become discouraged, losing hope in accomplishing it do to failure(s) and/or obstacles. They begin to doubt themselves and God. Or, they may just lose sight of their vision, turning away from it to the right or left, distracted by other, often good, things. Either way, they are no longer standing strong and courageous, setting their faces like flint and prevailing through difficulties to accomplish what God placed on their heart. They have given up and are going through the motions or off track completely.
Proverbs 10:4 says, “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.' Mike Bickle writes about this verse that a slack person did not start off poor but became poor and the diligent became rich and entered into the fullness of what God had destined for them. He writes, “Our goal is to enter into the fullness of what God has given to us.” [6]
So how do we do this? Mike Bickle suggests several characteristics to leading diligently:
Diligent Leaders “Have a Clear Vision or a Deep Sense of Purpose” [7]
God gave Joshua a deep sense of purpose in entering the promised land and taking it for their inheritance. He saw the vision was bigger than what he could accomplish on his own. As one of my pastors has noted on occasion, God's vision or purpose will be beyond what you could possibly achieve in your own strength. Joshua's vision required that the Lord would be with him and faith in God to go before him, giving him the land.
Diligent Leaders Take the Initiative to Act [8] and are Willing to Take Risks [9]
As soon as Joshua came into leadership, he wasted no time to move forward. He sent two men to spy out Jericho. And when they came back with the report that the people of the land were fainthearted because of them, he rose early and set out to cross the Jordan into the land.
“All my life I have seen where you have taken me, beyond all that I've hoped and there's more left unseen. There's not much I can do to repay all you've done, so I give my hands to use.... This is my desire, to be used by You.”
Fulfilling the purpose required all that Joshua had within him. Joshua took risks to follow what God spoke to him. When he heard God speak, he did not stand around and debate whether he should trust God. He knew God and his faithfulness well enough to trust and press into all God had for them out of faith.
Mike Bickle writes, “Although leaders face fear like every other person, they should not [be] driven by fear, but by the vision that is in their heart.” [10]
One of the differences between a leader and a follower is their willingness to take the initiative to get the job done rather than waiting around to be asked. They see a need and step forward to take care of it. Another quality of a leader is a willingness take some calculated risks. This requires trust in God. When people are afraid of failure or criticism, they may shrink back from action and fail to take risks, waiting for others to take the initiative or responsibility. However, God says in Hebrews 10:38, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
Diligent Leaders Have an Eternal Perspective [11] and Therefore Serve for the Good of Others [12]
Joshua's vision benefited more than himself. Joshua had a passion for not only himself to inherit the promises of God but for all the people to enter into their inheritance. In the purpose and vision, Joshua was the servant laboring with God for His glory. It was not about Joshua being glorified but God being glorified and fulfilling his promises to the people by using Joshua. Moses told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their father to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”
When a leader is serving for their own good, the people sense it. They are being used by the leader to accomplish their purposes rather than being developed and given opportunity to accomplish a common purpose for the good of all. In these cases, there will be a lack of trust and lack of commitment by the people. They may appear as they are going along when the leader is around, but will not have a vision they can be inspired to follow that truly engages their hearts.
Instead, Jesus calls us not to be served but to serve and to lay down our lives for others. Mike Bickle notes that diligent leaders take few privileges than those who follow them. They give the most and work the hardest. [13]
Rather than taking the best and biggest section of land for himself, Joshua put himself last and divided out all the land to the tribes of Israel before he received an inheritance among them. And then he took for himself only the land that was given to him according to the word of the Lord – the city of Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim.
Diligent Leaders Make Room For Others to Fulfill Their Purposes and Help to Establish Them
Diligent leaders are passionate about the vision but they also care about the people who are following them. They seek to inspire others to give their all for the greater cause. They build up those under them and establish them in God's purposes. They make room for other's gifts and strengths rather than being intimidated by them.
Joshua made room for Caleb, giving him the land that he requested. Caleb told Joshua “and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb to possess.”
Joshua called those under him to be wholehearted for the Lord as he was and called them to walk out all God had for them (Joshua 22:5). And when they captured the five kings who had hidden themselves in the caves of Makkediah, Joshua called the captains of his men to come and put their feet on the necks of the kings. As they did, Joshua told them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” (Joshua 10:25)
Mike Bickle notes that “True leaders seek the good of those under them, even if it means helping them to join another ministry.” Leaders who are in it for the greater cause, will not need to control or possess others but rather look to inspire them and call them into more. Mike Bickle goes on to write, “ Unity occurs when we approach relationships with a free spirit that asks for God's will, regardless of where it may lead the people under us.” [14]
Diligent Leaders Have Character
There is nothing more destructive than having a leader who lacks integrity. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
Joshua was someone who had character. Part of Joshua's character was developed during his faithfulness in obscurity. Joshua pursued God and was faithful in all that was asked of him while he was under Moses. Because of his faithfulness in serving God for years as Moses' assistant, when he came into leadership he was prepared. He was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9).
Mike Bickle writes, “By encountering God they will be equipped to feed others on the knowledge of who God is and what He is like.” [15] It is in encountering God that people get the heart of God for His purposes. This is also the place one gets freedom from their own selfishness.
“To hear You say this one's mine, my heart is spoken for... take this world from me, I don't need it anymore” sings
James 1:8 says that when someone's loyalty is divided between God and the world, they are unstable in everything they do. A leader following the world looks for others to serve them rather than demonstrating being willing to be a servant for God's greater purposes. Those serving God willingly and freely gives to others out of the overflow of what has been given to them. It is because they have spent time with God that they share his heart and desire His glory over their own comfort and convenience.
Mike Bickle notes, “We can remain diligent and faithful as we live before an audience of One, before God's eyes alone.” [16]
As one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, noted this last weekend in his sermon, suffering produces character. Joshua's character was formed by his willingness to continually suffer for the benefit of others. Steve Wiens defines suffering as: “Finding yourself in a place you didn’t want to go, facing something bigger than you are.” [17]
Joshua led the people across the Jordan to fulfill God's purposes and cause the people to inherit the land. All along the way, as Joshua was faithful to put his whole heart into God's mission, God showed himself strong for the children of Israel. God parted the Jordan so they crossed over on dry ground (Joshua 3:17) and God fought for them against their enemies, giving them the territory. God worked signs and wonders in their midst, even causing the sun and the moon to stand still while they took revenge upon their enemies (Joshua 10:13).
Diligent Leaders Persevere [18] and They Have a Teachable Spirit [19]
Part of character is demonstrated in how people deal with failures and difficulties. Leaders who spend time in God's presence, know who they are in Christ and are not destroyed or detoured by failures or obstacles. Also, they do not hide, shame or blame others for failures but take responsibility, learn from their mistakes, and then keep pressing forward.
Michael Jordan once noted that it was his multiple failures that eventually led to his success. He just kept pressing forward. Often people are afraid of failures because they are believing it defines who they are. They think that when they do something wrong, they are in some way wrong or defective. Therefore, when errors come up, they are quick to hide them or shift the blame to others. Those who are confident in God's love for them, are free to learn from their failures and mistakes.
“And You fill my life, You're everything to me and there's nothing else I need anymore.”
When Joshua and his leaders were deceived by the Gibeonites and made a covenant with them without consulting God, they owned up to their failure, stood by their promise to the Gibeonites, and addressed the congregation when the people complained against leadership, then they moved on and kept pressing in.
So what can I learn from all of this?
“I'll give it all till the day we meet...” sings.
I have been struggling with being wholehearted. I have been going through the motions and giving half-hearted efforts towards God's purposes in some cases. The areas where I have been most encouraged in and seen a great deal of fruit, I have clearer site of. But other areas where they have not been as fruitful, I have found that I am easily distracted by other things and am not putting my whole heart into the effort.
“Oh to be a friend of God is all that I desire, all I want is to be faithful, all I want is You!”
For instance, for a conference we had at our church not too long ago, I found that I did not put as much heart into it as I usually would. I put some effort into it and I went through the motions of spending time in prayer for it, but my heart was not as fully engaged or invested as it usually is. I felt like I did not fully sharing God's heart about it and didn't hear as clearly from Him as I usually do.
Another one of the areas is work. Years ago when I started at the University, my boss couldn't make it to a seminar that she was supposed to attend so she sent me in her place. I felt the Lord speak to me that it was a divine appointment and that I should pay close attention. When I went, the speaker was talking about creating a legacy. He spoke that work for him was about making room for people and helping them become all that they could be, even when it meant moving them on. His heart was fully engaged in this effort and it seemed incredibly rewarding for him. This message really resonated with my heart and I carried it with me with clarity for years.
My first boss out of college had made an incredible difference in my life. Without him believing in me and making room for me, I would not be where I am now. Given this, this seminar really spoke to my heart on where I wanted to invest my energies and time at work. However, discouragement, obstacles and distractions have led me away from some of the clarity around this purpose.
One of the reasons is that too often get caught in the 'thick of thin things.' I let other priorities dictate my time and spend too much of my energies trying to please others. I get distracted from investing my time in my staff. Some of this has to do with selfishness. I am sometimes looking to what I can get out of my job rather than what I can fully give of myself to others.
Psalm 37:26 says about the righteous, “He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.”
Another area of struggle is helping people move on if it would be best for them. I appreciate that I have had very little turnover in staff over the years and work to hold on to staff. An employee of mine applied for a position that was at a higher level in another area. Rather than being excited for him and encourage him in it, I didn't get in the way but I looked for how I could retain him and made a development plan to provide him greater opportunities within my own area.
Sometimes I struggle with discouragement. However, throughout the Bible God tells his people not to be afraid or discouraged. Discouragement, like self pity, is a sin. Often we become discouraged because we are looking to get our life from something other than Jesus. We rid ourselves of it by refusing to go there and looking to Jesus rather than our circumstances to be our source of life.
Also, praying for the students at the University has been a struggle the last several months. I used to make time several times a day to pray for the students. However, I find that my heart is no longer as fully engaged in this. While I realize it is important, I let other things in my day distract me and frequently don't bother. When I do, it is not wholehearted and sometimes I am half asleep as I pray.
I have lost some of the clarity and passion around seeing our young generation become all that God has for them. This last weekend, a young lady came up to me at prayer for the Twin Cities and gave me some words of encouragement from the Lord and prayed over me. She was such a blessing and reminded me of my heart desire to see this young generation walk into all God has for them.
Just recently I have been convicted that I have not been fully invested in praying for the church of the Twin Cities. I invest myself in prayer for the Twin Cities region, but it has been when it is convianent for me rather than making a wholehearted effort.
Finally, I struggle with taking risks. I much prefer to stand back in my comfort zone than to stand out. I would choose working hard in the background to accomplish something that has meaning and value over stepping out in faith and taking risks any day of the week. However, Joshua not only worked hard, but he was willing to step out and take risks. He trusted God to sustain him. This is an area I still have a great deal of room for growth.
Lord, I really do not want to get to the end of my life only to find that I have been halfhearted and could have given you so much more. You are worthy of the best of all I have to give. Forgive me and rearrange my life and my time around your purposes.
Lord, would you help us to be wholehearted in serving You. Ignite a fresh passion in our hearts for your purposes. You are worthy of the best we have to give. Would you fully arrange our lives around your purposes and clear all the clutter out of the way. Revive hearts that have become weary. “The world is crying out so hungry for a change. Lord, let us be the ones to say: Take my heart. Lord I pray that [we] can give it all away.... Let us be Your light. Let us be Your hope. [We] want to give it all.” - Give it All Away, by Sidewalk Prophets
“Worthy is the Lamb, You are Holy!” sings in the background.
1.Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (1:250). Nashville: T. Nelson.
And Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H553). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
2.Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H553). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
3. Halfhearted Dictionary Definition. Located at: www.answers.com/topic/halfhearted and Located at: http://www.google.com/dictionary?q=halfhearted&langpair=enen&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9t_NTOzzCsm_nAeMsoTmDw&ved=0CBgQmwMoAA Last Accessed: 11/1/10
4 – 16, 18 - 19. Bickle, Mike with Kim, Biran. 7 Commitments of a Forefunner: A Sacred Chart To Press Into God. Forerunner Publishing. Kansas City, Mo. 2009.
17. Wiens, Steve. Inside the Belly. October 31, 2010. Located at: www.thedoor.org
Strong, the Hebrew word chazaq, means to be firm and resolute – to take hold of and not waiver or let go. As an adjective, chazaq means firm or hard as in something impenetrable. An example is in Ezekiel 3:8-9, “Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.” [1]
Courageous, the Hebrew word ’amats, means to be bold or brave, but also means to be established, steadfast, persist in, and prevail. [2]
Joshua was not to relent or quit in pursuit of the vision that God had given him to take the land. Joshua was one of the men who was sent by Moses originally to spy out the land. When they came back from spying out the land, many of the men had given a bad report. They were afraid of its inhabitants and told the people, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” (Nu. 13:31)
When the people rebelled against God and told Moses and Aaron they wanted to select a new leader and go back to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and spoke to the congregation, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey'. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
“I'll give it all 'till the day we meet. Here I am ready to give up my life for the One. Here I am ready to pour out my heart for the Son. Here I am.” sings
Joshua was someone who followed the Lord wholeheartedly (Numbers 32:10-12). Joshua had a vision that God gave him about taking the land and he put all that he had into it, eventually leading the people across the Jordan and causing the people to inherit the land by faith. He did not hold back or hesitate in following all that God called him to.
Joshua 11:15 says, As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.” And Joshua 11:23 says, “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.”
Being wholehearted means to be fully engaged with one's whole heart, putting everything the person has into it. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
To be halfhearted, on the other hand, means to do something without enthusiasm or energy. It is going through the motions without putting one's heart fully into the endeavor. It means to have little interest, being uninspired, or giving lip service to something. [3]
Joshua ended up conquering thirty one kings in the land that earlier many Israelites were afraid to even enter into. As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn't taken in a day.” Step by step, as they put their hearts and minds to the task, God gave them more and more of the land.
Mike Bickle notes that as God progressively reveals His plan to you, and you follow Him in the small day to day steps that he puts before you, they will inevitably add up and lead to the fulfillment of his greater purposes in your life, and the lives of those around you. [4]
Following him in small day to day steps take diligence. Joshua was diligent leader and faithful to accomplish all that God had for him.
Diligence, as Mike Bickle notes, is “the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken with persistent exertion.” He writes, “We must recognize that leadership is not halfhearted, but is earnest in its efforts. It is not by definition something that is done on a short-term basis. A diligent leader is one who takes initiative in a long-term way.” [5]
Many people start out strong and then lose sight of their vision over time. They may become discouraged, losing hope in accomplishing it do to failure(s) and/or obstacles. They begin to doubt themselves and God. Or, they may just lose sight of their vision, turning away from it to the right or left, distracted by other, often good, things. Either way, they are no longer standing strong and courageous, setting their faces like flint and prevailing through difficulties to accomplish what God placed on their heart. They have given up and are going through the motions or off track completely.
Proverbs 10:4 says, “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.' Mike Bickle writes about this verse that a slack person did not start off poor but became poor and the diligent became rich and entered into the fullness of what God had destined for them. He writes, “Our goal is to enter into the fullness of what God has given to us.” [6]
So how do we do this? Mike Bickle suggests several characteristics to leading diligently:
Diligent Leaders “Have a Clear Vision or a Deep Sense of Purpose” [7]
God gave Joshua a deep sense of purpose in entering the promised land and taking it for their inheritance. He saw the vision was bigger than what he could accomplish on his own. As one of my pastors has noted on occasion, God's vision or purpose will be beyond what you could possibly achieve in your own strength. Joshua's vision required that the Lord would be with him and faith in God to go before him, giving him the land.
Diligent Leaders Take the Initiative to Act [8] and are Willing to Take Risks [9]
As soon as Joshua came into leadership, he wasted no time to move forward. He sent two men to spy out Jericho. And when they came back with the report that the people of the land were fainthearted because of them, he rose early and set out to cross the Jordan into the land.
“All my life I have seen where you have taken me, beyond all that I've hoped and there's more left unseen. There's not much I can do to repay all you've done, so I give my hands to use.... This is my desire, to be used by You.”
Fulfilling the purpose required all that Joshua had within him. Joshua took risks to follow what God spoke to him. When he heard God speak, he did not stand around and debate whether he should trust God. He knew God and his faithfulness well enough to trust and press into all God had for them out of faith.
Mike Bickle writes, “Although leaders face fear like every other person, they should not [be] driven by fear, but by the vision that is in their heart.” [10]
One of the differences between a leader and a follower is their willingness to take the initiative to get the job done rather than waiting around to be asked. They see a need and step forward to take care of it. Another quality of a leader is a willingness take some calculated risks. This requires trust in God. When people are afraid of failure or criticism, they may shrink back from action and fail to take risks, waiting for others to take the initiative or responsibility. However, God says in Hebrews 10:38, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
Diligent Leaders Have an Eternal Perspective [11] and Therefore Serve for the Good of Others [12]
Joshua's vision benefited more than himself. Joshua had a passion for not only himself to inherit the promises of God but for all the people to enter into their inheritance. In the purpose and vision, Joshua was the servant laboring with God for His glory. It was not about Joshua being glorified but God being glorified and fulfilling his promises to the people by using Joshua. Moses told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their father to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”
When a leader is serving for their own good, the people sense it. They are being used by the leader to accomplish their purposes rather than being developed and given opportunity to accomplish a common purpose for the good of all. In these cases, there will be a lack of trust and lack of commitment by the people. They may appear as they are going along when the leader is around, but will not have a vision they can be inspired to follow that truly engages their hearts.
Instead, Jesus calls us not to be served but to serve and to lay down our lives for others. Mike Bickle notes that diligent leaders take few privileges than those who follow them. They give the most and work the hardest. [13]
Rather than taking the best and biggest section of land for himself, Joshua put himself last and divided out all the land to the tribes of Israel before he received an inheritance among them. And then he took for himself only the land that was given to him according to the word of the Lord – the city of Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim.
Diligent Leaders Make Room For Others to Fulfill Their Purposes and Help to Establish Them
Diligent leaders are passionate about the vision but they also care about the people who are following them. They seek to inspire others to give their all for the greater cause. They build up those under them and establish them in God's purposes. They make room for other's gifts and strengths rather than being intimidated by them.
Joshua made room for Caleb, giving him the land that he requested. Caleb told Joshua “and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb to possess.”
Joshua called those under him to be wholehearted for the Lord as he was and called them to walk out all God had for them (Joshua 22:5). And when they captured the five kings who had hidden themselves in the caves of Makkediah, Joshua called the captains of his men to come and put their feet on the necks of the kings. As they did, Joshua told them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” (Joshua 10:25)
Mike Bickle notes that “True leaders seek the good of those under them, even if it means helping them to join another ministry.” Leaders who are in it for the greater cause, will not need to control or possess others but rather look to inspire them and call them into more. Mike Bickle goes on to write, “ Unity occurs when we approach relationships with a free spirit that asks for God's will, regardless of where it may lead the people under us.” [14]
Diligent Leaders Have Character
There is nothing more destructive than having a leader who lacks integrity. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
Joshua was someone who had character. Part of Joshua's character was developed during his faithfulness in obscurity. Joshua pursued God and was faithful in all that was asked of him while he was under Moses. Because of his faithfulness in serving God for years as Moses' assistant, when he came into leadership he was prepared. He was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9).
Mike Bickle writes, “By encountering God they will be equipped to feed others on the knowledge of who God is and what He is like.” [15] It is in encountering God that people get the heart of God for His purposes. This is also the place one gets freedom from their own selfishness.
“To hear You say this one's mine, my heart is spoken for... take this world from me, I don't need it anymore” sings
James 1:8 says that when someone's loyalty is divided between God and the world, they are unstable in everything they do. A leader following the world looks for others to serve them rather than demonstrating being willing to be a servant for God's greater purposes. Those serving God willingly and freely gives to others out of the overflow of what has been given to them. It is because they have spent time with God that they share his heart and desire His glory over their own comfort and convenience.
Mike Bickle notes, “We can remain diligent and faithful as we live before an audience of One, before God's eyes alone.” [16]
As one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, noted this last weekend in his sermon, suffering produces character. Joshua's character was formed by his willingness to continually suffer for the benefit of others. Steve Wiens defines suffering as: “Finding yourself in a place you didn’t want to go, facing something bigger than you are.” [17]
Joshua led the people across the Jordan to fulfill God's purposes and cause the people to inherit the land. All along the way, as Joshua was faithful to put his whole heart into God's mission, God showed himself strong for the children of Israel. God parted the Jordan so they crossed over on dry ground (Joshua 3:17) and God fought for them against their enemies, giving them the territory. God worked signs and wonders in their midst, even causing the sun and the moon to stand still while they took revenge upon their enemies (Joshua 10:13).
Diligent Leaders Persevere [18] and They Have a Teachable Spirit [19]
Part of character is demonstrated in how people deal with failures and difficulties. Leaders who spend time in God's presence, know who they are in Christ and are not destroyed or detoured by failures or obstacles. Also, they do not hide, shame or blame others for failures but take responsibility, learn from their mistakes, and then keep pressing forward.
Michael Jordan once noted that it was his multiple failures that eventually led to his success. He just kept pressing forward. Often people are afraid of failures because they are believing it defines who they are. They think that when they do something wrong, they are in some way wrong or defective. Therefore, when errors come up, they are quick to hide them or shift the blame to others. Those who are confident in God's love for them, are free to learn from their failures and mistakes.
“And You fill my life, You're everything to me and there's nothing else I need anymore.”
When Joshua and his leaders were deceived by the Gibeonites and made a covenant with them without consulting God, they owned up to their failure, stood by their promise to the Gibeonites, and addressed the congregation when the people complained against leadership, then they moved on and kept pressing in.
So what can I learn from all of this?
“I'll give it all till the day we meet...” sings.
I have been struggling with being wholehearted. I have been going through the motions and giving half-hearted efforts towards God's purposes in some cases. The areas where I have been most encouraged in and seen a great deal of fruit, I have clearer site of. But other areas where they have not been as fruitful, I have found that I am easily distracted by other things and am not putting my whole heart into the effort.
“Oh to be a friend of God is all that I desire, all I want is to be faithful, all I want is You!”
For instance, for a conference we had at our church not too long ago, I found that I did not put as much heart into it as I usually would. I put some effort into it and I went through the motions of spending time in prayer for it, but my heart was not as fully engaged or invested as it usually is. I felt like I did not fully sharing God's heart about it and didn't hear as clearly from Him as I usually do.
Another one of the areas is work. Years ago when I started at the University, my boss couldn't make it to a seminar that she was supposed to attend so she sent me in her place. I felt the Lord speak to me that it was a divine appointment and that I should pay close attention. When I went, the speaker was talking about creating a legacy. He spoke that work for him was about making room for people and helping them become all that they could be, even when it meant moving them on. His heart was fully engaged in this effort and it seemed incredibly rewarding for him. This message really resonated with my heart and I carried it with me with clarity for years.
My first boss out of college had made an incredible difference in my life. Without him believing in me and making room for me, I would not be where I am now. Given this, this seminar really spoke to my heart on where I wanted to invest my energies and time at work. However, discouragement, obstacles and distractions have led me away from some of the clarity around this purpose.
One of the reasons is that too often get caught in the 'thick of thin things.' I let other priorities dictate my time and spend too much of my energies trying to please others. I get distracted from investing my time in my staff. Some of this has to do with selfishness. I am sometimes looking to what I can get out of my job rather than what I can fully give of myself to others.
Psalm 37:26 says about the righteous, “He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.”
Another area of struggle is helping people move on if it would be best for them. I appreciate that I have had very little turnover in staff over the years and work to hold on to staff. An employee of mine applied for a position that was at a higher level in another area. Rather than being excited for him and encourage him in it, I didn't get in the way but I looked for how I could retain him and made a development plan to provide him greater opportunities within my own area.
Sometimes I struggle with discouragement. However, throughout the Bible God tells his people not to be afraid or discouraged. Discouragement, like self pity, is a sin. Often we become discouraged because we are looking to get our life from something other than Jesus. We rid ourselves of it by refusing to go there and looking to Jesus rather than our circumstances to be our source of life.
Also, praying for the students at the University has been a struggle the last several months. I used to make time several times a day to pray for the students. However, I find that my heart is no longer as fully engaged in this. While I realize it is important, I let other things in my day distract me and frequently don't bother. When I do, it is not wholehearted and sometimes I am half asleep as I pray.
I have lost some of the clarity and passion around seeing our young generation become all that God has for them. This last weekend, a young lady came up to me at prayer for the Twin Cities and gave me some words of encouragement from the Lord and prayed over me. She was such a blessing and reminded me of my heart desire to see this young generation walk into all God has for them.
Just recently I have been convicted that I have not been fully invested in praying for the church of the Twin Cities. I invest myself in prayer for the Twin Cities region, but it has been when it is convianent for me rather than making a wholehearted effort.
Finally, I struggle with taking risks. I much prefer to stand back in my comfort zone than to stand out. I would choose working hard in the background to accomplish something that has meaning and value over stepping out in faith and taking risks any day of the week. However, Joshua not only worked hard, but he was willing to step out and take risks. He trusted God to sustain him. This is an area I still have a great deal of room for growth.
Lord, I really do not want to get to the end of my life only to find that I have been halfhearted and could have given you so much more. You are worthy of the best of all I have to give. Forgive me and rearrange my life and my time around your purposes.
Lord, would you help us to be wholehearted in serving You. Ignite a fresh passion in our hearts for your purposes. You are worthy of the best we have to give. Would you fully arrange our lives around your purposes and clear all the clutter out of the way. Revive hearts that have become weary. “The world is crying out so hungry for a change. Lord, let us be the ones to say: Take my heart. Lord I pray that [we] can give it all away.... Let us be Your light. Let us be Your hope. [We] want to give it all.” - Give it All Away, by Sidewalk Prophets
“Worthy is the Lamb, You are Holy!” sings in the background.
1.Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (1:250). Nashville: T. Nelson.
And Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H553). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
2.Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H553). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
3. Halfhearted Dictionary Definition. Located at: www.answers.com/topic/halfhearted and Located at: http://www.google.com/dictionary?q=halfhearted&langpair=enen&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9t_NTOzzCsm_nAeMsoTmDw&ved=0CBgQmwMoAA Last Accessed: 11/1/10
4 – 16, 18 - 19. Bickle, Mike with Kim, Biran. 7 Commitments of a Forefunner: A Sacred Chart To Press Into God. Forerunner Publishing. Kansas City, Mo. 2009.
17. Wiens, Steve. Inside the Belly. October 31, 2010. Located at: www.thedoor.org
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