Lessons on Leadership- Faithful Followers

Are you a Rebel?

How about a Maverick?

Doesn’t your mind immediately race to Top Gun when I say that!?

It did for me when I first heard someone describe me as a maverick. What does that mean, to be a maverick? When you describe someone by that term you are saying they are unconventional or independent. In other words, what ever they say, you’re doing the opposite!

Now I don’t believe I am that extreme, but I do know and understand that there are times when I press a little harder than people want me to and I probably fly outside the parameters they would be comfortable with. However, I do know when to stop. I’ve learned a lot over the years, let’s just leave it at that.

Recently, in preaching a series through Exodus and into Numbers, I came across a very familiar story that the Lord chose to unleash some new insight to me. It’s the story of the 12 spies sent to survey the land of Canaan or the Promised land.

Their job was very easy. Go on an all-expenses paid trip into this desert paradise and experience and explore all the land had to offer, then simply bring back a report about it.

Somehow these guys heard something else and they took on the mentality of this land simply being an option that the Lord might give them. How they got that message, only they will know but that’s what it seemed was happening.

When you read Numbers 13, you’re sort of lead to believe that Moses just selected these 12 at random, like he had no idea who these guys were. But I think with some consideration, we can see something more intentional and wiser was in play.
Given the parameters of what they were up against with this exploration and the incredibly valuable insight Moses had when it came to leadership by this point, there was no way he was going to entrust this mission to 12 nobodies.

He knew these guys!

My purpose in life is to help people experience and incredible God through amazing ways. He gave me that phrasing and mission years ago and it’s now become my passion in life to see the many ways I can do just that. You wouldn’t believe the moments I’ve seen the raging fires of passion fill a man’s eyes once he gets a taste of the amazing way this incredible God worked through him.

It is simply awe inspiring.

I believe it’s my mission to keep as many guys as close to me as possible and to train them, granting them opportunity, and challenging them as they seek to increase the measure of faith by which they serve.

Moses was no different and, it stands to reason, that he was far more devout about this than I have ever been.

When the Lord’s comments came to him about 12 men on a survey trip, he knew just the men! This was intentional leadership. He had been preparing himself and multiple leaders for a moment just like this!

He had trained them, invested in them and built them to the place where he could vouch for their credibility and wouldn’t have to wonder if what they were going to do on this trip would be honorable or not.

So you can imagine when these 12 came back and said the things they did, it was personal! Only 2 of the twelve having anything good to say about it what they explored and experienced during their 40 days away.

At one point they even declared – Let’s recruit a new leader to take us back to Egypt. How was it possible that the slavery they came from now looked better than the very promise of God!?

The opinion of ten men changed the trajectory of close to a million people! and so I begin to wonder, what would have happened if they would have come back with a different perspective?

It bothers me today to see how little is written on how to be a good follower. Have you ever noticed that? There’s tons of stuff written on how to be a magnanimous leaders, but next to nothing on how to be a faithful follower.

The truth is that we can learn so much from this story about faithful following.

When you follow a great leader:

1.       You must follow whole-heartedly

2.      You’ve got to follow with determination

3.      And you must follow faithfully, yielding your fears to your leaders insight into something that God revealed to Him alone.

 Originally published on https://kevinelworth.live/blog/