Leadership Lessons from Moses #5
From Numbers 11, this is the fifth of 6 key lessons we can learn from Moses’ attitude towards his problems and how God used his problems to increase His Leadership capacity.
Leadership Lesson 5: Are you leading a crowd or a team?
Moses was leading a crowd and not a team- he was a one man show – not empowering others, not delegating – perhaps a control freak and a perfectionist? (v13-16).
His language reflects that – where am I to get meat? I am not able to bear it; burden is too heavy for me. When you build teams not only jobs and responsibilities are shared by them – problems are also. So you don’t have to carry the entire load by yourself. But Moses had no one to share this with you. This is highlighted to him when his father in law comes to visit him. (God can even use your father in law to help youJ)
Later on in this story we see God’s answer to Moses’ problems was to build a team, who shared his spirit, vision and DNA.
People often ask me how can you live in Australia and yet lead a large ministry in Asia? It was a strategic decision – best way for leaders to be raised up and teams to be built is for you to be absent!! (at least for periods of time!!)
– Are you leading a crowd or a team?
– If you were to take a long vacation what will happen to the work you are leading?
Leadership Lessons from Moses #4
From Numbers 11, this is the fourth of 6 key lessons we can learn from Moses’ attitude towards his problems and how God used those problems to increase Moses’ leadership capacity.
Leadership Lesson 4: Don’t ever forget the destiny to which God has called you.
Moses had amnesia – he forgot his call, what God did for him, who God is and what his destiny in God was!
When leaders start to have amnesia, it is a slippery slide to a dangerous place. Moses, who man who saw God in the burning bush, Moses the great leader who stood before Pharaoh and declared “let my people go”, Moses who crossed the Red Sea and witnessed countless miracles, Moses the one who received The Ten Commandments from God’s hand – now just wanted to die! Why? Because he could not, or did not, want to remember what His God is capable of.
When significant things happened in the Old Testament, most leaders built an altar, so that they, and future generations, would remember what happened there. Start building altars in case you start having amnesia!
As we drive towards our destiny we must have a rear vision mirror that will show us all the great things that God has done for us!
Ps 103:2 urges us not to forget all the good things He has done in our life.
- How is your memory of what God has spoken to you and done in your life?
- How are you building Alters?
We see challenges and problems negatively, we think they are intended to destroy and damage us. But God has promised us that He will work all together for good, so we should start seeing opportunities emerging through our challenges and problems.
Leadership Lessons from Moses #3
From Numbers 11, this is the third of 6 key lessons we can learn from Moses’ attitude towards his problems and how God used those problems to increase Moses’ leadership capacity.
Leadership Lesson 3: Moses became self focused rather than God focused- he started to look inward rather than upward (Vs 11-15)
In these 5 verses he refers to “I” and “me” 14 times – our language will tell us and others where we are focusing. The more we look inward, the more pitiful we become; the more we look upward, the stronger we become. Jesus said, “lift up your eyes and see that the harvest is plentiful”. David says in Psalm 121: 1-3, “I look up towards the mountains – from where my help comes? My help comes from the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth. He will not let you fall…”
The devil’s strategy is to create situations and problems so that you take your eye off the vision, goals and ultimately from the Lord and get you to start looking inward. The devil knows if he can do this he will win. But the Lord always comes to lift up your head and He encourages you to look up and high.
What is your language telling you and others?
When troubles come, where do you look?
Leadership Lessons from Moses #2
From Numbers 11, this is the second of 6 key lessons we can learn from Moses’ attitude towards his problems and how God used those problems to increase Moses’ leadership capacity.
Leadership Lesson 2: Don’t allow the external things to go internal
Instead of diagnosing the problem and leading the people towards the vision, Moses allowed the moaning, complaints and cries to manifest internally (Vs10-15). Instead of influencing his followers, he allowed the people he led to influence him.
A boat is made to be in the water but not water in the boat! Leaders are created to solve problems but encounter crisis when they allow the disillusionment and dissatisfaction of the masses to be internalised and negatively influence their leadership.
A street vendor was selling helium balloons; he had a massive bundle of balloons of various sizes and colours to sell. To get the attention of the kids, he decided to release a big red balloon. As the balloon ascended into the air, the kids started to run towards him; one child asked him: can the black one fly like the red one? He let a black one go and it went up just like the red balloon. Again the child asked “what about the small yellow one?” Obliging the child, the vendor released the yellow balloon and together they watched it ascend. Seeing the intrigue of the child, the balloon man leaned towards him and said “it is not the colour or the size that allows it to fly, rather what is inside”. If you allow the external things to get inside of you – you stop flying as a leader and very quickly start sinking!
Where are your problems? Outside or inside?
Are you influencing people or allowing them to influence you?
People don’t fail because of lack of information, but because of lack of character.
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