The difference between leaders and followers is perspective. Read Habakkuk 3:1-19.

In chapter 1, Habakkuk had one perspective – he saw evil in Judah perpetrated on the defenseless people by corrupt leaders and a silent God. Following his prayer and interaction with God he had quite a different perspective. By the end of chapter 3 he is able to express total trust in God in every situation. Once his perspective changed he went from a doubting prophet to a leader who spoke truth to the people in Judah, Babylon and to leaders around the world today.

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.

Effective leaders have an intelligent awareness of current events and their relationship to the future. Read Joel 1-3.

Very little is known about the prophet Joel. It is believed he wrote the book of Joel approximately 835 BC. Joel’s message is directed at the people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. From his writing Joel appears to have been educated, well-read and familiar with the teachings of Micah, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. Joel effectively used a massive locust infestation that occurred during his lifetime as a word picture; utilizing a natural disaster to underscore the message of repentance to avoid a similar surprising and terrifying judgment by God. God’s assignment to Joel was to awaken the people of Judah from their spiritual apathy and provoke them to repentance and a return to Him.

Wise leaders seek more than knowledge, they seek understanding. Read Daniel 8 and then re-read verses 15, 17, and 27.

Daniel was chosen by God to receive information about the future that he would pass on to all future generations. John Maxwell, in The Maxwell Leadership Bible addresses this issue in his notes on chapter eight: