The Enemy of Relationships

For this breakout session we are going to talk about relationships. Not the romantic kind. The kind of relationships that are hard to find. Men aren’t quite as relational as women and our circles seem to be smaller. For those of us who are fathers and in the midst of raising kids, our time is usually consumed with family and work, which isn’t a bad thing, but it doesn’t always promote a social life. Men also tend to find it difficult to find other male friends because we have the natural tendency to compare ourselves to others. Do we measure up?

Share a story about feeling inadequate....

Joshua followed Moses from Egypt and followed him through the wilderness. He saw everything that God did through Moses. Talk about intimidating. Moses was covered in a cloud on Mt Sinai as the glory of the God fell down around Him. He heard directly from God. He watched the manna fall from heaven and the birds drop from the sky to feed the multitudes. He watched Moses whack a rock with a stick and water gush out from said rock. And even though Moses did all of these amazing wonders, Joshua watched Israel turn their back on their leader over and over. Moses had some mighty big sandals to fill and he chose Joshua for the job. Joshua was younger and was faithful. He believed God and His promises. But he was just an ordinary man

Moses began training Joshua long before the hand off of power. Back in Exodus 17 Moses chose Joshua to lead the army of Israel into battle against the Amalekites. But he didn’t let Joshua do this alone. Exodus 17:10-13, “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” Moses helped protect Joshua in battle. The kind of men we want to be are men who have each other’s backs. We stand in the gap for each other and pray for each other as we’re going through battles.

Joshua also learned how to seek the face of God from Moses. In exodus 33:9-11 it says, “As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”

Joshua knew that God spoke to Moses and he wanted that same relationship with God. So he did the things Moses did. He stayed in the tent a little longer. He knew he needed God’s help for the assignment he was being prepped for.

So, once Moses died, it fell on Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised land and Joshua didn’t argue with God. He received the promises that had been made to Moses and he rose to the challenge with strength and courage.

When we compare ourselves to others, whether they be other leaders or role models, or just friends and peers, we can easily become intimidated and never step into the role God is calling us to fill.

If we truly believe that God has called us for a specific purpose in this generation, then we need to be men who will encourage each other along the way. We need those who have gone before us to model what it looks like to be men of faith and integrity. We need to be able to share our fears with each other and know that we have men backing us up in the midst of our battles. Moses did all he could do to prepare Joshua. And we get to learn from their relationship what it means to be men of strength and courage as we lead this next generation.