Youth Ministry Resources: Joshua spent forty years of his life following, before God called him to lead. For forty years he was Moses’ trusted right hand, the second in command because he needed to learn to follow before he was ready to lead.
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Joshua spent forty years of his life following, before God called him to lead. For forty years he was Moses’ trusted right hand, the second in command. He did lead some smaller campaigns, like a battle against the Amelekites. But even then, Moses’ prayer was the key to victory. Joshua didn’t become the ‘real’ leader for forty years. That’s because he needed to learn to follow before he was ready to lead.
How good a follower are you? Are you content to serve or are you anxious to get more responsibilities, to lead more?
Joshua didn’t just serve Moses, he served him faithfully. Moses was by all accounts not an easy leader to work for. He had a nasty temper, his family was causing a mess (think of the golden calf) and Moses had a hard time delegating. Yet Joshua was content to follow him, to serve him for forty years.
It’s an example we should take very seriously. Many leaders want to lead before they have learned to follow. But the best leaders are those who were great followers first. They learn about servant leadership, about doing what’s asked of you without complaining, about being content to let someone else get the glory. And when they have mastered the following, they get to lead.
When you learn to follow before you lead, you’ll be a much better leader for it. You will have learned to serve, you will have learned to lead, you will have gained a reputation.
Look at Joshua, when he finally took over from Moses the people readily accepted him. Not once do we read about complaints against Joshua, about the people rebelling against his leadership. They had seen Joshua serve Moses without complaining for all these years. They had seen him grow in leadership. They had seen Moses transfer his leadership to Joshua. The people accepted Joshua as a leader, because he was ready to lead and they knew it.
Before you can lead better, you’ll need to learn how to follow better. Here are three ways in which you can become a better follower:
1. Act without complaining
When your leader asks you to do something, do so without complaining. Serve with a joyful heart, finding gladness that you can do this for God.
2. Pray without ceasing
The best followers are prayer warriors. Following means praying for every person you meet, every situation you find yourself in, every challenge that comes your way. Your prayer should always be: Lord, how can I serve you? How can I serve this person? How can I serve You in this situation?
3. Serve without wanting
Be satisfied with what you have, with where God has put you. Don’t always look for greener pastures, calmer waters. Be grateful for where you can serve without constantly wanting more. God will show you when it’s time to move on, but until them serve without wanting more.
Download the Handout directly from the link below to share with your youth group:
