Change is Forever
Bob Yandian
Change is one of the few constants in life. Seasons change. Nations change. Families change. Churches change. Leadership changes. Methods change. Yet in the middle of all these changes, God remains the same. The message never changes, but the people carrying the message do. This principle is seen throughout the Word of God and is one of the great lessons found in the transition from Moses to Joshua.
I like to think of leadership as a relay race. On the Day of Pentecost, God handed the Church a baton. Pastors, evangelists, prophets, teachers, and faithful believers have carried that baton through generation after generation. Each one runs their course for a season and then hands the baton to someone else. The baton remains the same. The gospel remains the same. The Word of God remains the same. The Holy Spirit remains the same. But the people carrying the message change. This is not a weakness in God's plan. It is God's plan.
God Ordains Leadership Transitions
In Numbers 27:15 Moses prayed, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation.”
Moses understood that his time of leadership was coming to an end. He was not fighting God's plan. He was preparing for it. He asked God to appoint a leader who would go before the people, bring them out, and lead them in. Every leader does exactly that.
Moses brought Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness. Joshua would bring them out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Both men were called by God. Both had different assignments. Yet both served the same purpose.
Every pastor, every ministry leader, and every church should understand this principle. A ministry should always build on the vision that came before it while continuing to plow new ground. The foundation remains unchanged, but the expression of that vision may grow and develop.
The Church is built on two unchanging foundations:
The preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
The ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Styles, buildings, and programs may change. Technology may change. Music may change. But these two foundations must never change.
Building On the Foundation
When Joshua took over leadership, he did not discard everything Moses had done. He built upon it. The vision remained the same. God's covenant remained the same. God's promises remained the same. Yet the people were entering an entirely new season.
For forty years God supplied manna from heaven. Water came from a rock. Their shoes did not wear out. Their clothing remained intact. But once they entered the Promised Land, those provisions ceased. Why? Because one season had ended and another had begun.
The same God who supplied manna in the wilderness supplied crops in Canaan. The same God who brought water from a rock gave them wells they did not dig. The source never changed. The method changed.
Many believers struggle with this truth. We become comfortable with how God has worked in the past. We want Him to keep doing the same thing the same way. But God often changes methods while preserving His purposes. The wilderness was necessary. The Promised Land was necessary. Each season had its own requirements and blessings.
Joshua Was Already Standing Before Them
In Deuteronomy 1:38, God said, “Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there.”
Those words are powerful. Joshua was already standing before the people. He was not a stranger. He had served faithfully for years. He had walked beside Moses. He had learned leadership through submission and faithfulness. The best future leaders are often already present, learning, serving, and growing.
Joshua had proven himself faithful. Others had positions. Others had influence. But Joshua had demonstrated unwavering loyalty to God and to God's appointed leadership. Faithfulness is always one of God's primary qualifications for promotion. Joshua did not seize leadership. He received leadership. He did not campaign for the position. He prepared for the position. And because he had been faithful in another man's ministry, God entrusted him with leadership of the nation.
Encourage the New Leader
One of the most repeated instructions God gave concerning Joshua was to encourage him. God told Moses to encourage him. God told the people to encourage him. Why was this so important? Because every new leader faces tremendous pressure.
Stepping into a position previously occupied by a respected leader can be intimidating. There are expectations to meet. Comparisons to overcome. Doubts to face. Joshua had watched Moses part the Red Sea, received the Law, and led millions of people. Then Joshua was expected to fill Moses’ shoes. The people could either help or hinder him.
The same principle applies today. When leadership changes, believers should become encouragers, not critics. It is easy to tear down. It is easy to compare. It is easy to complain. But God calls us to strengthen, support, and encourage. It is easier to kill than it is to heal. Murderers are common. Healers are rare. God has not called His people to destroy leaders. He has called them to strengthen leaders.
Leadership Brings Inheritance
Three times in these passages, God declared that Joshua would cause the people to inherit the land. This phrase is repeated because it is important. God gives inheritance, but leadership helps people walk into it. Joshua could not inherit the land for the people, but he could lead them into the place where they could possess what God had promised. The same is true in the local church.
A pastor cannot live your Christian life for you. A pastor cannot believe for you. A pastor cannot obey God for you. But a pastor can teach the Word, provide direction, and help lead you into the inheritance God has prepared for you. There are blessings attached to being connected to God's plan through God's appointed leadership.
Many believers want inheritance without guidance. They want blessings without accountability. They want growth without submission. But God has always used leadership as part of His plan for spiritual growth and advancement.
Be Strong and Courageous
In Deuteronomy 31:7-8, Moses publicly introduced Joshua to the people and said, “Be strong and of good courage.” This was not merely advice. It was a divine command. Leadership requires courage.
Joshua would face battles Moses never faced. He would encounter challenges unique to his generation. Yet the promise remained, “The Lord, He is the One who goes before you.” That promise applies to every believer. The God who led Moses would lead Joshua. The God who led Joshua would lead future generations. The God who guided believers in the Book of Acts still guides believers today. God does not change. His faithfulness does not change. His power does not change. What changes is our assignment.
God Does Not Change, But We Must
Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” This verse is one of the anchors of Scripture. God does not change His character, His promises, or His standards. But God frequently asks us to change.
Israel had to change directions in the wilderness. Joshua had to change roles. The nation had to change seasons. The Church must continue adapting methods while preserving truth. We change because we are finite. God does not change because He is infinite. We learn because we do not know everything. God does not learn because He already knows everything. We grow because we are incomplete. God does not grow because He is already perfect. When God asks us to change, He is not correcting Himself. He is correcting us or advancing us.
The Danger of Resisting Change
If we refuse to change, we become stagnant. Many people want life to stay exactly the way it is. They want their church to remain unchanged. They want their routines to be unchanged. They want their comfort zone protected. But growth always requires movement.
The Israelites could not stay at the Red Sea. They could not stay at Mount Sinai. They could not stay in the wilderness. Eventually they had to move forward. The same is true for us. The world around us changes constantly. Yet believers often resist change in the very areas where growth is needed most. God wants us continually moving forward.
Changed from Glory to Glory
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.”
The Word of God is a mirror. But its primary purpose is not merely to show us ourselves. Its primary purpose is to show us Jesus. As we look into God's Word, we see who He is. We see how He thinks. We see how He responds. We see His wisdom, His love, and His power. Then the Holy Spirit begins transforming us into that image.
Notice the progression: From glory to glory. From growth to growth. From maturity to maturity. From victory to victory. Christian growth is not standing still. It is continual change. The goal is not to remain as we are. The goal is to become more like Jesus Christ.
The Best Is Yet to Come
One of the great truths Moses communicated to Joshua and to the people was this, the future was not worse than the past. The best was yet to come. The wilderness had been necessary, but the Promised Land was better.
Moses had been a great leader, but Joshua's leadership would bring the people into possession of their inheritance. God was not taking something away. He was moving them into something greater. That is often difficult to see when change first arrives. We naturally focus on what we are losing instead of what God is providing. But faith looks beyond the transition and sees the promise. Faith believes that God knows where He is leading us. Faith trusts that the same God who was faithful yesterday will be faithful tomorrow.
Embrace God's Changes
Change is forever. It has always been part of God's plan. The question is not whether change will come. The question is how we will respond when it does. Will we resist it? Will we criticize it? Will we fear it? Or will we trust God through it?
Moses encouraged Joshua. The people were instructed to encourage Joshua. And Joshua led the people into their inheritance. When God brings change into our lives, we should do the same. Encourage those God has called. Support the direction He is leading. Keep our eyes on His promises. The message never changes. The Word never changes. The Holy Spirit never changes. God never changes. But as we continue following Him, we will keep changing from glory to glory until one day we stand in His presence, fully conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Until then, embrace God's process. Follow His leading. Encourage His servants. And remember this great truth:
The best is yet to come.
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