Skip to main content

Strong and Courageous (Part 3)


             When Joshua became the new leader of the Israelite nation, he had to be a little worried. Moses was dead and the journey was not yet complete.  The Promised Land still had to be conquered and Joshua really did not have a lot of experience.  Therefore, to get him ready, God gave him three instructions, each of which preceded by the words “Be strong and courageous”.  Firstly he is told to “Go”.  Strength and courage would come with action.  Secondly, he is reminded to read and treasure the Law of Moses.  Knowing God’s thoughts and values would shape Joshua’s own actions and values.  The third encouragement is the subject of this article.
             
       “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). 
    
        I am convinced that “fear” and “discouragement” are two of Satan’s best tools against us.  If he can get us to be too scared to try, or if he can make us discouraged with the results, then we are sidelined.  

           I think back to when I was trying to teach my girls to ride their two-wheelers.  I would run alongside of them and say, “You are doing really well, so I am going to take my hand off the bike and let you go by yourself”.   Inevitably, they would scream, “No!  Don’t let go!” and then stop the bike so that they did not have to try to ride it alone.  Their fear was greater than their desire.  After a while, when I would get them to try it on their own, all it took was one or two little crashes and then they would be discouraged.  “I am never going to learn to ride this bike!  I can’t do it!”  Eventually, though, both of them overcame both their fear and their discouragement and learned to ride.

            In reality, their thinking had absolutely nothing to do with their ability.  In fact, they actually could ride their bike; they just didn’t think they could.
     
        Joshua (and I would argue the church today and Christians in general) was going to be as successful as he thought he was going to be.  If he let fear and discouragement rule his thinking, then he would fail.  However, if his thinking rested on the promises of God, then he would be alright.
      
       Sometimes, the real battle is not in our circumstances, but in our heads.
      
       Remember, “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more