This post is dedicated to all leaders and emerging generation of leaders that will take this world by storm for Christ and with Christ. Start with where all other leaders have started. Read on and be blessed.

Joshua was one leader that led an army from victories to victories. He stepped into the shoes of his predecessor, the much celebrated and revered leader, Moses. Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, the land which God swore to Abraham and his descendants. Moses and the other leaders before Joshua led the Israelites for many years but none of them succeeded in entering the Promised Land, but all these happened for a reason and purpose. It was Joshua and Caleb who managed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. As we study Joshua’s conquest, we could see the powerful and influential leadership of Joshua. He took on numerous enemies although when circumstances seem to be against him.

Joshua must have been really afraid and felt such a great weight on him after Moses died. He knew well enough that he was to lead the Israelites now and the lives of many people were in his hands. Joshua had the best reasons to feel insecure when God told him to lead the Israelites into Canaan. His enemies were fully armed and numbered much more than his army. His armies were equipped with iron chariots and had fortified cities. If there was any reason for Joshua back out and step down from leadership, this was it. But God knew well enough, that is why God told Joshua:

Joshua 1:5-9
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.
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 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 upon 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.

God did not flatter Joshua, nor did he encourage Joshua to take on the land with his very own human strength. Instead, God made it clear that he will only gain victory if God was with him. God charged his servant Joshua to go and inherit the Promised Land. God gave Joshua encouragement and promised him success but only if he carefully obey the Law.

What then is the Law?

The Hebrew word for Law is “Torah” which means “direction” or “instructions”. The common Hebrew word for “law” appeared over 200 times in the Old Testament. The Law is God’s loving and caring instructions to his people. In short, today the Law is what we call the Holy Bible. Yes, the Word of God is the Law.
If you have carefully read Joshua 1:5-9, you will notice two commands God gave to Joshua. These commands are the base for the Israelites entrance into Canaan. God told Joshua to:
1. Be strong and courageous.
2. Obey the Law.

These two commands work hand in hand. Success is obtainable if Joshua was strong and courageous - strength from God and courage to take on Israel’s enemies with God’s strength, clearly not Joshua’s or the Israelites’ strength for they were very weak compared to their enemies. In verse 7, “Be careful to obey the law my servant Moses gave you,” we see the four words “be careful to obey”. This tells us that success was not guaranteed unconditionally. God will lead Joshua to success if only he obeyed the Law.

Here comes my point for this post. If Joshua wants to lead the Israelites to victory, he has to obey the law. If he must obey the law he has to first know what the law is. One cannot obey an instruction if he doesn’t know what the instruction is. And in order to know what the law is, he has to read the law. See the sequence? No reading, no knowing. No knowing, no obeying. No obeying, no winning.
In verse 8 God clearly tells Joshua to meditate upon the Word day and night. It is when he meditates upon it, he will know what the law says and requires. Then he will be able to obey it and thus being prosperous and successful in leading the Israelites into Canaan.

As we read the book of Joshua, we see Joshua fighting many battles and each battle was intervened by God Himself, showing clearly that Israel gained victory because of God, not their own strength. In six years, Joshua took the whole land of Canaan in God’s strength and in obedience to God. We see the final result, the victory. But when we go back to the beginning, what we see is God’s charge to Joshua to obey the law and meditate upon it.

So you as leaders of God and those aspiring to be leaders; start with knowing God through the Law, the Bible you have in your hand. Through Joshua’s constant meditation upon the Word of God, he gained knowledge and understanding from God. That is why Joshua knew what to do and how to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. By knowing God, he knew God’s plan, vision and instructions. By reading the Law, (Bible) he knew God.

Many Christian leaders nowadays are leading people with their own knowledge and understanding. That is why they see no fruit in what they do. Do not be that kind of leader.
Start reading the Word of God and meditate upon it day and night. We can only know God’s agenda for us if we know Him. And we know Him by His Word.

Go far with God but first know the God you are serving. The day when you truly know God is the day you have found favor in His eyes.

Joshua 1:8
Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate upon it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Isaiah 33:22
For the Lord is our Judge,
The Lord is our Lawgiver.

GOD BLESS ALL…