Leadership Lessons From Moses

As I have been reading through the life of Moses, God has been showing me some key elements needed to be a strong leader.  I have pages of notes of all the things I have learned from Moses's life, but here are a few that stand out.

1. Face Down...
Every time Moses started something he fell face down on the ground. Every time the people complained, every time someone disagreed with his leadership, every time he didn't know what to do next...he fell face down on the ground. He knew this was not about him, but about God's glory and being used by God. Therefore he looked to God first in ALL of it.

2. Heavy Weight Champion...
Leading is a heavy burden. Moses is regularly facing complaints from the Israelites, and yet he is continually asking God to spare them. (You have to truly have a heart for the people you are leading!)
He even cries out to God in Numbers 11: 14, "I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!" (You have to build up leaders under you - not just to do the work, but to help you carry the weight.)


3. In It To Win It...
It could be a long journey, made longer by the people you are leading! Moses wondered in the wilderness along side them for 40 years because of their struggles. (You gotta be in it for the long haul!) You can't walk away when it gets hard. When Moses cried out in Numbers 11, he didn't leave - he went to God. Something great happened; God put his Spirit upon 70 other leaders from among the Isrealites to "bear the burden of the people along with [Moses]."
Here's my favorite part...later in the chapter someone came running to Moses to tell him that others were prophesying and Joshua protested, "Moses, my master, make them stop!" I love Moses's response, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!" And Moses went right back to what he was doing. If Moses was worried about losing his "power" as a leader then he would not have wanted others to be able to do what he was called to do. Mind you, I believe Moses was a little fed up with them at this point, but the principle is the same. (It can't be about you!)

Moses's primary concern his entire life in leadership was for God's glory to be revealed to the people, and I believe these are 3 core principles that helped him as a leader.