Raising up a Successor

Deuteronomy 1:38
God gave Moses only one recorded instruction for raising up a successor: ENCOURAGE HIM!
Once Joshua took office, the first thing God did was encourage him some more. I'm sure Moses gave Joshua some instruction also, but more than anything else God knew that Joshua needed a faith boost. As we seek to mentor those around us, let us not forget this all-important ingredient. Some days it is really hard to see anything good in a child. I am now training 4 of them and there are days when I can't wait to see the back of their heads going out the door. But I have to try to see the potential God gave them and do my best to pull that out of them. That is the secret to encouragement. It is not a matter of puffing up a person's self-esteem until they delude themselves into empowerment. It is helping them to believe that God is big enough to use even someone such as them- because He has used you, and that is even more impressive.