(September 18, 2024) Wayne Swift once again calls it as it is…

Picture this scenario — a young man like many young men feels a strong and ambitious call to change the world. He lives in a safe environment, and has been privileged compared to the rest of the world’s population. He has been well educated, and people like him, even admire him. But so far he hasn’t yet carried a great deal of responsibility.

Then one day as he’s out and about his impetuous nature compels him to begin the process of changing the world and he does so by buying into disputes that are not his to buy into. Worse still his inability to control himself leads him taking the life of another while trying to sort out a dispute. Character flaws were very quickly unveiled in the heat of a battle. The very next day another dispute occurs before his eyes and suddenly before he can take any remedial action both parties in the dispute turn to him and accuse him of murder.

Runaway
Scared by this news that his actions are now common knowledge he seeks to run — and run he does! Running from—  

• His impetuous nature.
• His character flaws.
• Comfortableness to a wilderness hideaway.
• The very people he was called to save.
• God’s call on his life.

Is it a coincidence that he then spends forty years in the wilderness… and later leads the people he was called to save to spend the same amount of time in the same place?

Who am I talking about? Yes you got it, I’m talking about Moses! Read about his running away in Exodus 2:11-17.

Reluctance
Too often people called by God to lead have wandered off into a self-created wilderness and in doing so they have taken with them the very people they were supposed to save!

Many of us carry a great sense of false humility which is really low self-esteem in disguise. We can procrastinate in the name of preparation. We can be guilty of preferring others over ourselves and all the while people crying out for a leader are kept wandering and suffering in the absence of the leader’s courage.

So I want to challenge reluctant leaders. In fact I’m serving notice on the term ‘reluctance’ because —

• Reluctance only serves defeat.
• It costs people their lives.
• We need to move beyond our cloistered lives and bravely take up responsibility for those that God has called us to serve.

Responsibility
Now understand this:

• Leadership doesn’t only mean that you’re head of some secular business, or a church or one of its ministries, or some Christian organisation!
• It means using one’s skills, training, experience and initiative to help and encourage others whatever the situation!
• It means being responsible!

Here’s an example from a real-life incident—

The wall holding the backboard and basketball ring collapsed on top of a young boy playing the game with friends. Tragically both hands and one leg were severed from his body! Although highly stressed his relatives who were on the scene instantly collected the limbs in a bucket packed them with ice. Quickly responding paramedics very speedily rushed the kid and his severed limbs to hospital. Miraculously the doctors were able to reconnect all the limbs, tendons, muscles, cut and repair the crushed bones and give this young boy a chance of normality.

I applaud the quick thinking of the relatives who collected the limbs, the paramedics who stabilised him en-route to the hospital, the driver and the courageous doctors who attempted to do something they would never have done before! Reluctance on the part of any individual in this story would have destroyed the chance this young boy now has.

Did anyone indicate their reluctance to take this risk? I don’t think so… they saved the boy! If it weren’t for the quick thinking of all involved and the specialists’ willingness to take a risk and apply their skills the little boy would have been in a far more difficult situation. Reluctance would have robbed him of a chance of using those limbs again. Responsibility won the  day, not reluctance!

Reluctance to deal with issues, take a risk, to step out in faith will cost us every single time. Worse still your reluctance, my reluctance, can cost the others that we are called to lead.

Reticence
Let’s look at some of Moses’ issues. He had wanted to help his Hebrew brothers but became reluctant, even when he experienced the supernatural of God.

Indeed, Moses struggled with fear, reluctance, doubt, hesitancy and disbelief. He—
(I)   Feared because he realised that everyone in Egypt knew what he had done (Exodus 2:14NLT).

(ii)  Relucted about obeying God’s directions: ‘Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”’(Exodus 3:11NLT). 

(iii) Doubted that the Israelites back in Egypt would accept that he was called by God and given authority: ‘… Moses protested again, ‘Look, they won’t believe me! They won’t do what I tell them. They’ll just say, “The Lord never appeared to you”’(Exodus 4:1NLT).

iv) Hesitated, even though empowered by God and authorised to perform a miraculous sign (Exodus 4:2-9), Moses still hesitated doubtingly… this time over his speaking ability. Verse 10NLT tells that he pleaded with God: ‘O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me. I’m clumsy with words.’

(v) Disbelieved becauseof a physical impairmentthat God could help him, and tried to hand his commission from the all-powerful God off to somebody else (Exodus 4:13).

Reluctance means we are marked by unwillingness. It also intimates that we are disinclined to yield to some requirement.

We too can be reluctant often for some of the same reasons Moses was. Maybe the truth about your personal life, serious character flaws, fear or disobedience are stopping you from doing the very thing God has called you too? Reluctance is always linked to a reason that is often an area of our life that needs attention.

Moses had run away into the wilderness all because he was too scared to face up to the issues in Egypt. In doing so he left the people he was called to set free in the prison of Egypt for forty long years. When God again called him to the task some issues still existed… others now came to the surface, especially his reluctancy.

Recognition
But do note… I’m not belittling, rubbishing Moses! I’m merely pointing out some issues that everyone who is called by God to leadership must be aware of and deal with… especially reluctance!

After overcoming these drawbacks, knowing that he could fully rely on God and His supernatural power, Moses would finally led the people out of Egypt.

• The psalmist Asaph would hail him— ‘You [God] led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds’ (Psalm 77:20).
• Another psalmist would speak highly of his interceding for a wayward Israel— ‘So He declared He would destroy them. But Moses, His chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged Him to turn from His anger and not destroy them’(Psalm 106:23). 
• Jesus referred to him— ‘If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me’ (John 5:46). See also Luke 24:27.
• Luke recorded how three of Jesus’ disciples were privileged to see their master speaking with Moses— ‘And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah’ (Luke 9:30).
• The writer of Hebrews wrote about his servanthood faithfulness— ‘Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later’(Hebrews 3:5). See also Hebrews 11:24-28.
• John mentioned what he saw angels in heaven doing— ‘And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvellous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations”’ (Revelation 15:3). 

Reigning
Sadly though, Moses never made it to the place — the Promised Land — God wanted to take him because he was robbed by his reluctance, particularly breaking faith with God before the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Numbers 20:2-13 tells of this reluctance about which God said, ‘You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there’ (Deuteronomy 32:51).

What is robbing you of experiencing all that God has planned for your life? Why are you reluctant to step out in faith? Are you willing to deal with your issues?

As mentioned earlier I particularly desire to encourage reluctant leaders in churches — whatever your calling, your commission, may be — not to be reluctant in serving God. He is all powerful and will support you, will not let you down.

Don’t let anything rob you of fulfilling your role for Jesus! With the Holy Spirit’s help, deal with whatever that you know about that needs to dealt with… ‘those issues.’

I urge you to contemplate Ephesians 2:10NLT, ‘For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.’

You know that God has called you? Then also know that in calling you, God will provide whatever you need to complete that calling — faith, courage, ideas, means and ways. Just keep your heart pure and He will do extraordinary things through you, not for your glory but for His.

Be a reigning responsible leader, not a reluctant one!

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Wayne and Ruth Swift pastor Resound Church, Scoresby, Victoria. Link: Web resound.church
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