Author: admin

An infinitely loving God is jealous of anything and anyone who competes with Him for our devotion. How could a loving God stand idly by while we were drawn away from the source of our life? How could He remain indifferent while we walked away from His blessing and foolishly embraced cursing? He simply loves us too much to stand on the sidelines and allow us to squander the only life we have.

So, God jealously guards His relationship with us. He knows if a new job or work assignment will become more important to us than He is. God understands which material possessions or pleasures will influence our behavior more than will His word. He recognizes whose voice carries more weight with us than His does. As a result, God refuses to be pushed to our life’s periphery.

God will adamantly oppose anything that creeps between you and Him. If need be, He may even remove the seductive rival from you. Have you recently lost something you considered important? Perhaps it was a job, or finances, or a relationship, or a possession. Could it be that God allowed it to be lost so He could once again enjoy your undivided devotion?

Encounters with God are amazing. They are life changing. At times they are even breathtaking. Incredibly, they can also be forgettable. When God encounters us, we may assume that we will never “get over” what God just did or said.

Unfortunately, the reality is that our natural, sinful predisposition is to continually drift away from God. The world around us constantly seeks to fill our minds with thoughts, values, and priorities other than those that come from above. Unless we guard our hearts and minds we will soon grow distracted from God’s activity in our life. Even our most spectacular divine encounters can fade from our awareness as we become consumed with what seems like more urgent matters.

When God speaks to us, it is not enough to merely to make a mental note. It is insufficient to write a summary in our journal. If almighty God worked in our life, it is imperative that we meditate upon what He said. We must also take action in obedience to what He told us. In addition, we must share with others what God said. Wise leaders pass on to the next generation what God taught them. It may be our children or grandchildren who ultimately benefit most from what God said to us.

How diligently have you been passing on to others what God did in your life?

Our greatest resource as leaders is not our staff, budget, equipment, facilities, or experience. It is God. How fully and regularly are you utilizing what He has made available to you?

When the Israelites invaded Canaan, they lacked much of what their enemies had in abundance. They possessed no walled cities (and the first one they did gain had its walls fall down!). They lacked chariots and cavalry. Their opponents generally held the high ground and the most advantageous positions. Had victory hinged on who possessed the most military assets, the Israelites would have remained an insignificant Bedouin community lost in the pages of history.

But the reality is that they possessed one advantage that trumped everything in their opponent’s arsenal. They had God. Not only were the resources of heaven fully available to them, God actually urged them to make use of them. Every time the children of Israel called upon God for help and guidance, God always aided them and brought them victory. In fact, God delighted in demonstrating His strength through His people.

What challenges are you presently facing? How might almighty God make a practical difference in your situation? Have you called on Him, lately?

Following God would be so much more palatable if only we could make adjustments to what He tells us! Some of God’s commands can appear to be harsh. In other cases, we wish God had been more explicit, or had clearly approved certain conducts. The temptation will be to treat our interpretation of God’s word with the same authority as the word itself.

Much of the problem with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day was not that they were lax in their zeal but that they treated their opinions about God’s word as highly as they revered what God actually said. The truth is that God’s word is complete as His revelation to humanity. It lacks nothing. We do not need to add anything to it for it to be applicable to our lives.

Conversely, there are those who pick and choose what they find acceptable in God’s word. They might not take scissors and physically cut out offensive passages (as some have done), but they will blithely ignore those verses or minimize them or explain them away as a cultural oddity that no longer applies to them. The result is that only a portion of God’s word actually guides them or speaks into their lives.

God’s word brings us life. It shines light onto our path. It protects us from harm. It reveals God’s heart to us. It proffers heaven’s wisdom to our daily living. We cannot afford to distort or subtract or to confuse in any way the clear message God’s word speaks into our lives.

How powerful were the prayers of Moses? He spoke, and nation-shattering plagues assaulted Egypt. He cried out to God and the Red Sea parted. Moses agonized in intercession and God relented in His intention to destroy the sinful Israelites. He prayed and God sent manna from heaven and water from a rock. Moses’ prayers clearly had clout.

But there was one prayer God did not grant his servant, and that was to rescind the punishment for his own sin. Moses had been angry with the rebellious Hebrews and as a result had publicly dishonored God. In response to Moses’ insolence, God declared that he would no longer be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

As time passed, Moses may have hoped that the consequences of his sin had dissipated. Perhaps God had changed His mind?  Maybe if Moses asked once more, this time the penalty would be lifted. But it was not. In fact, God commanded Moses to never mention it again. God loves us with an infinite love. Yet He is also God. We cannot manipulate Him. We cannot adjust Him to suit our whims or changes of heart. He is God and His will, will be done. That fact ought to cause us to tremble.

At times we like to think that following God’s will entails that we will be shielded from hardship and opposition. Often leaders have expressed confusion when, after doing what God told them to do, people opposed and criticized them. Sometimes such leaders begin to question if they heard from God correctly. “With all of this opposition, maybe I made a mistake?”

The truth is that God does not isolate His people from opposition. In fact, if you follow Christ closely enough, you can be sure you will face the same kinds of enemies who opposed Him. What God does promise is that He will fight those enemies on your behalf. Oh, you may have to strap on your armor and wield a sword, but God will be the One who determines the outcome.

Are you in the midst of a battle? Have you been growing discouraged at the constant onslaughts you have been facing? Have your critics caused you to question the direction you are leading?

Perhaps you need to rest in the Lord’s strength and to trust Him to protect you and your family. Don’t become consumed with thoughts of your enemies. Let God handle them. Don’t weary yourself attempting to do something that God promised to do for you.

Leaders are people who like to get things done. Once we see something that needs to be accomplished, we rush into action. This approach may have led to success in the past, but it is not always wise when walking with God. With God, it is not just what we do that matters, but also how and when.

It is not enough merely to determine what God wants us to do and then race into battle. That can lead to a swift and decisive defeat. We must linger before the Lord until He gives us specific instructions about how and when to advance.

God sent word to the Israelites that He no longer wanted them to enter the Promised Land. But they were not listening. Their eventual debacle could have been avoided, had they paid attention. But they were so eager to be advancing, that they ignored God’s clear warning. Such spiritual deafness led to a terrible setback.

Has God been speaking to you? Have you been listening? Really listening? Have you been patiently waiting on the Lord as He reveals the specifics of what He wants you to do? God could help us avoid much pain and suffering, if we would only listen.

We sin on our terms. We must repent according to God’s standard. The Israelites had failed to believe God when He commanded them to enter the Promised Land. As a result, God announced their punishment. Realizing their horrific error, the Israelites declared that they would, after all, do what God had instructed them. But it was too late. God had spoken. He had decreed their fate. God would demonstrate to all of history what happens when people refuse to trust and obey Him.

Rather than submitting to God’s new word, the Israelites disobeyed once again. They attempted to enter the Promised Land after God had told them not to. This was delayed obedience at its worst and it led to failure. God will not allow people to dictate terms to Him. We do not set the schedule for our obedience. We do not determine which day we will obey God and which ones we will not.

Perhaps most troubling: just because we are sorry for our sin, it does not mean we will now avoid its consequences. Even when God forgives our sin, there will be consequences. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God’s people must take His instruction seriously. The consequences are serious.

Look around you. The leaders of the future may be near you. They may be young, inexperienced, and lacking certain skills at the moment. But one day they will be in your place.

Do you want to touch and impact the future? If so, invest in young leaders. They need your encouragement! It is becoming increasingly difficult to lead. Leaders of the future will face daunting tasks.

While our lives have a limit to their extent, our influence does not. If we focus entirely on our own work, our influence will end when we retire or quit leading. But when we invest in the leaders of the future, our influence continues to be felt past our lifetime. There will be people who remember our words and actions and are inspired and guided by them

Joshua must have often recalled the words of Moses. They would have guided and encouraged the young leader as he led the Israelites to places his mentor had been unable to take them. Into whom are you currently investing? Will there be anyone who continues to be encouraged by your life, long after you are gone?

God cares deeply for people. He wants them to experience His very best for their lives. One of the preferred ways God blesses people is by appointing godly leaders through whom to accomplish His work. When leaders serve God faithfully, people receive a blessing. When leaders allow pride or anger or greed or other sins to enter their lives, people inevitably suffer.

That is why God holds leaders to a higher standard than he does their followers. There is more at stake. When people accept the role as a leader, they must understand the gravity of their sin. Innocent people will be harmed if they are careless in their lifestyle and leadership responsibilities.

That is why God was so harsh with Moses. Despite the numerous good things God’s servant had accomplished, God could not allow him to treat His command lightly. Temper or not, frustrating experience or not, grumbling, ungrateful followers or not, God expected Moses to obey His commands, to the letter. He had not. God punished Moses severely, for the people’s sake. They needed to see, and to understand, that if the revered Moses could not be careless with God’s commands, then certainly they could not either.

Be careful how meticulously you follow God as a leader. There may be far more at stake than you realize.