POWER WITH GOD AND MEN
by Erwin Bourne—March 6, 2002
Are leaders born or made? My father always held a
foreman position. Some men are natural leaders, while
others are best as followers. I have known men whom
the army made into sergeants and colonels, but they
were over-bearing small men in big positions. Let me
study a case history from nature.
I mushed sled dogs. Old Scout was a lead dog. It
mattered not how many dogs were on the tug line, Scout
knew and held his position. Scout would hold a tight
line while the others were being tied on one by one.
Scout taught me everything I knew about dog-mushing in
Alaska. Also he disciplined and trained all the new
dogs we raised. He would “gee” and “haw” at my
commands. In my opinion Scout was a born leader—not
made.
Jacob was a natural-born leader. We read this in
prophecy before he was born. Isaac pleaded with the
Lord for a child because Rebekah was childless and she
became pregnant with twins (Genesis 19-26). When the
two children struggled together in the womb, she asked
the Lord about it. The sons in your womb will become
two rival nations, the Lord answered. Esau was born
first. Then when Jacob was born, his hand was
grasping the other’s heel. Jacob was a born leader
but needed the kinks straightened out
In his matured years Jacob met his match. We find
Jacob in the night alone by the river Jabbok wrestling
with God. Don’t we all? I wrestled with God! You
wrestled with God! God has to break us down. The man
wrestling with Jacob struck his hip and knocked it out
of joint at the socket (NLT). Jacob’s name was
changed to Israel because you have struggled with both
God and men and have won.
Moses was a natural-born leader. He was trained under
Pharaoh’s martial arts, but chose later to suffer
affliction with the people of God (Heb, 11:25 KJV).
He was schooled by God for forty years on the backside
of the desert. At age 80, Moses was called at the
burning bush to become the leader of Israel. We read
in Num. 12:3: Now Moses was a very humble man, more
humble than any one else on the face of the earth.
Moses wrestled with God. He was an intercessor for
men. He had power with God and men.
Yours for OUTREACH AMAZON
—Erwin and Jean Bourne