What does a new leader who has been commissioned by God to become the leader of a new nation need to know after the death of its great leader?
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 NKJV)
Joshua was commissioned by God to take over the leadership of Israel after the death of Moses, Israel’s first great leader. To understand the impact that Moses had made, please take a look at how the Bible describes him:
“Israel never had another prophet like Moses: The Lord knew Moses face to face. The Lord sent Moses to do powerful miracles in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh, all his officers, and all the people in Egypt saw those miracles. No other prophet ever did as many powerful and amazing things as Moses did for the Israelites to see. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12 ERV)
The Lord knew that Joshua had every reason to be intimidated by his new position as a leader following the death of Moses, therefore the Lord gave him an assurance which He is still giving leaders today who have assumed new positions of leadership, whether at Church, in business, in your career, or at home etc.
The Lord wants all new leaders to know the following:
- No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
The Lord knew that men would try to rise up against Joshua as the new leader, to stop him from doing what God has called him to do, therefore He reassured him that no man will be able to stand against him.
Every new leader also needs to know that, when God calls you, there will be the naysayers also known as ‘Sanballat’ and ‘Tobiah’ (Nehemiah 2:19) – who will try to stop you, however just remember that the same God who has called and commissioned you will not allow any man to stop you from what He has called you to do:
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6)
- As God was with Moses, so He will be with you.
As we can see from the above scripture, Moses was so intimate with God that the Lord knew him face to face. The Lord used him to perform many powerful miracles in Egypt, and the Lord used him to deliver the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt. That same God also reassured Joshua that He will be with him just like He was with Moses. He did not want Joshua to be intimidated or to think that he had to do the same things that Moses did.
That same God is telling you and I that He will also be with us. Whether He has called you to lead in a ministry, at work, in your business, youth group, in your home etc. that same God who was with Moses is telling you that He will be with you.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
- God will not leave you.
The Lord told Joshua that He will not leave him and He is assuring you of this same fact that He will not leave you. Even though God may not be physically here on earth for you to see Him, Jesus told us when He rose again that He was going to be with the Father, but He will not leave us comfortless. He said that He will send His Holy Spirit to be with us and to comfort us:
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16-18)
- God will not forsake you.
God told Joshua that He will not forsake or fail him. To forsake or to fail is to neglect or let someone down. As human beings we sometimes let each other down when we are not able to do what the other person expect of us, however God told Joshua that unlike human beings who fail and forsake you, He will do what He promised He will do.
Likewise, God is telling each of us that He will not forsake or fail us. What He said He will do, He will do:
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)
So, what does every new leader need to know?
- No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
- As God was with Moses, so He will be with you.
- God will not leave you.
- God will not forsake you.
You can also listen to this message on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKaoYOpNkuw
Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please download your free book: How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
God bless,
Blessing
blessingtheo 