Everyone seeks timeless nuggets of advice unaltered by time, generation, or culture. These nuggets are not always easy to find and often they are overlooked for something believed to possess greater value.

From a leadership perspective, Joshua was given a small snippet of advice meeting our criteria. God told Joshua, “be strong and very courageous.” God emphasized strength and courage three times in the context of Joshua chapter one, but only once did He use this specific phrase “strong and very courageous.”

The context of this one phrase has powerful implications in the realm of spiritual leadership surrounding God’s law. Notice the following list:

Be careful to do according to all the law.

Do not turn from it to the right or to the left.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth.

You shall meditate on it day and night.

Be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

God specifies how Joshua’s success depends on following this advice. Imagine how different our world would be if spiritual leaders today had the strength and courage to do the same.