The Peter Principle

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant saying, 'Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all the people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel.'
                                                                                                       Joshua 1:1 - 2 NKJV

Things can be very busy for people who are second in charge. Imagine if you're an assistant manager in a company. You probably work very hard and carry a lot of responsibility. However, at the end of the day, the person over you - the manager - is the boss. That person is in charge and has the full responsibility. To a degree, that can be quite satisfying, although, you may have been doing most of the work.
Then the day comes when you are offered the job of manager - to be in charge of this company that you have served for some time. The buzz that comes can be amazing as you wallow in the success of it all. After all, you've earned it. However, can you do it? There is a great difference in being the assistant and the manager. Much stress and pressure, backbiting, stabbings in the back and endless meetings with bosses over you. One only has to look at the life of a football manager. When the club is winning, the manager is the 'bees knees'. When they have a losing spell with relegation, that manager is no more and someone replaces him.

The Peter principle, was a concept of Laurence J Peter in 1969. It observes that people in  hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence. In other words, an individual is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level in which they re no longer competent in. In layman's terms, a person may be excellent at being an assistant but being a manager may be just that little too much for them and they struggle and are clearly out of their depth. They were in a safe place as assistant, but now things mat crash around them.

It all boils down to counting the cost, knowing yourself and what you are capable of. God knew that Joshua was the man to replace Moses, but did Joshua himself. How would he have felt about this sudden promotion - fearful, apprehensive, dismayed? It may have been a scary time for Joshua. Maybe, that is why God offered him words of encouragement -'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage.' Joshua 1: 5-6.

God knew he could do it, and if He has an assignment for you, He knows you can do it too. A word of warning; don't be a copy of the person you're replacing, be yourself - your own person. God is choosing you, not someone else. If He had wanted them, they would still be there.

All kinds of voices may be ringing in your head; words of negativity, saying you can't do this. Ignore them. You can do it because God says you can. 'Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Verse 9


Let me know your thoughts on this word  dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com