The Art of Leadership
It is the aim of every good leader to expand by taking on new territories. If you want to have new territories, you have to fight a good fight! Everyone guards his lands on earth jealously.
No one gives up his land easily. The devil does not give up territory without a fight. Any form of expansion will involve fighting a good fight. God has called us to take territories for Him!
- A leader knows that he must take new territories.
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; NOW THEREFORE ARISE, GO OVER THIS JORDAN, THOU, AND ALL THIS PEOPLE, UNTO THE LAND WHICH I DO GIVE TO THEM, even to the children of Israel.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Joshua 1:1-4 After the death of Moses, Joshua was commanded to take new territories for God. God is always telling His people to take new territories and advance into new areas. On many occasions, I have sensed the Lord leading me into new territories. It has always been a fight to take new territories. It is more difficult to take new territories than to simply enjoy the territories you already occupy.
Our work is also to invade the enemy’s kingdom and claim territories and cities for the Lord. This will not be done by calm, sleepy, sing-song Christians who just want to stay in one place and have nice worship times. The business of war is the business of taking new territories. Once the anointing for expansion is on your life, you will be taking new territories and you will always be in one battle or another. That is the meaning of war! War is the fight to take new territories!
You must fight to overcome the resistance and the opposition to your goals. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9). The devil is called an adversary. This means he opposes your vision.
David wanted a headquarters for his ministry. He identified Jerusalem as a good place but the Jebusites who lived there decided to oppose David’s new idea. King David launched a war and took Jebus. That very spot which David took by force is called Jerusalem today. So, Jerusalem was not handed to David on a silver platter. David had to fight for every inch of Jerusalem. Your ministry will not be handed to you on a silver platter. You are going to have to fight for every inch of it. There are Jebusites who are going to say to you, “Thou shall not come hither.” You will not come here. We will fight you if you try to come!
“And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, THOU SHALT NOT COME HITHER. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.
And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city” (1 Chronicles 11:4-8)
- A leader knows he must defend himself.
The thief cometh not, but for TO STEAL, and TO KILL, and TO DESTROY…John 10:10. There is a thief readying himself to steal, to kill and to destroy all that God has given you. We must fight to defend ourselves from aggressors who surprise us by launching attacks and wars against us. An enemy has come up against us to destroy all that we are and all that we have. We must fight because evil aggressors will come against us without any good cause.
If a leader sits down calmly thinking that nothing bad can happen to his good works, he is but a child. Satan will fight to destroy all your fruits! He will come against the church using distinguished men in suits! You will have to put on your army uniform and fight hard to defend what God is doing!
By Dag Heward-Mills