Understand before you act
Joshua sends spies
Before leading Israel against Jericho, Joshua does not simply charge forward on faith and momentum. He sends two men ahead: go, view the land, especially Jericho. He gathers understanding of the ground before he commits the people to it.
Proverbs urges the same order: get wisdom, get understanding — first. Faith and action are not the enemies of careful understanding; Joshua had plenty of faith, and still he scouted. The wise leader gains real understanding of a situation before acting in it, rather than acting first and understanding later, at greater cost.
“Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
— Joshua, to the spies — Joshua 2:1 (WEB)
Get understanding of a situation before you act in it. Insight first, action second.
“Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don't forget, and don't deviate from the words of my mouth.”
Joshua, full of faith, still gathered understanding before acting. A leader formed here seeks real insight into a situation before committing to it. He does not treat scouting as a lack of faith. The inner work is valuing understanding before action.
Gather genuine understanding of a situation before you commit the team to action. Treat reconnaissance and information-gathering as wisdom, not weakness. Resist charging ahead on momentum without insight. Build in a step to understand the ground before acting on it.
Leaders treat gathering understanding as a lack of faith or decisiveness and act first, understanding later. The blind spot is mistaking impulsiveness for boldness.
Name one thing you're about to act on without real understanding. This week, 'send spies' first — gather the insight you need before you commit.
Some leaders treat gathering understanding as a lack of faith or decisiveness — better to charge ahead. But Joshua, full of faith, still sent spies to understand the ground first. Insight before action is wisdom, not weakness.
Where are you about to act without first gaining real understanding of the situation — and what would 'sending spies' look like there?