Effective leaders interpret the times, see the future and determine the action steps needed to get there. Read Joel 3:1-21.

The nations around Judah and Jerusalem insulted God by the way they treated His people. The last chapter of Joel pronounces judgment on these nations. While the nations around Judah will be judged, God gives hope to the Jewish people by telling them He plans to use them in the process if they take a few steps to right their relationship with Him as they move into the future.

Effective leaders are able to read the signs of the times, interpret them, and prepare their team and others for what is ahead. Read Joel 1:1-14.

God gave Joel the wisdom to see a spiritual application from the natural disaster of locusts that was destroying the nation. Joel’s divine intuition enabled him to stay ahead of the times and use the events of the moment to draw timeless conclusions.

Even the leader at the top of an organization has a place to look for guidance. Read Lamentations 3:22-26.

As Jeremiah evaluated everything that had happened to Judah and Jerusalem during the Babylonian invasion he came to the conclusion that God was still on His throne, still leading and still providing for the nation even in these dark moments.

When a leader has poor decision-making skills it will lead to disaster. Read Jeremiah 40:7-41:10.

Babylon had captured Jerusalem; they massacred most of the people, took most of the rest into captivity and exiled them to Babylon but left a small contingent of troops behind with some of the poor people of Judah. Jeremiah was also freed and allowed to stay in Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as the Jewish governor over the towns of Judah and the few poor people that were left behind.

To be effective, wise leaders must find the real truth even when they receive contradictory counsel from multiple advisors. Read Jeremiah 38:14-28.

The Babylonian army had surrounded Jerusalem and built siege ramps to take the city when Egypt made a military flanking maneuver that demanded Babylon divert its entire force to solve that problem. When the Babylonian troops left Judah to battle the Egyptians some of King Zedekiah’s counselors used the temporary retreat to validate for the king that God was protecting His city and that Babylon would never capture Jerusalem. When Zedekiah put this question to Jeremiah, Jeremiah gave him the truthful answer that God had judged Jerusalem and Babylon would return and this time capture the city. Zedekiah had conflicting information and which he chose as truth would hold in the balance his life, the life of his family and the lives of most living in the city.