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Strong and Courageous (Part One)



            As the Biblical book of “Joshua” opens, God’s people are faced with two huge problems.  First, Moses, the one who had been leading their journey from slavery to the Promised Land, is dead.  Second, the journey is not finished.  The people are on the east side of the Jordan.  They can see the land, but they are not there yet.  The job of leading the people and completing the journey has now fallen on the shoulders of Joshua.

           If I was him, I was would be worried.  This is a huge job and there are many obstacles to face.  In addition to that, even the great leader Moses could not always keep these people in line.  They were hard to lead and they were easily discouraged and distracted.  Joshua had been Moses’ assistant and he had seen both the success and the struggle and so it is not surprising that God takes him aside and gives him some advice.  In fact, three times God tells Joshua to be “Strong and Courageous” and then gives him something that will help him do that in a time when he may feel neither strong nor courageous.

            The first bit of instruction that God gives him is, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them” (Joshua 1:6).  Basically, God is telling him to “Go” and that the strength and courage that he needs will be supplied along the way.

            It sounds a little counter-intuitive at first, but it is true.  Sometimes the only way to get over your fear of something is simply to go and do it.  Many times, in my opinion, people of faith are “hamstrung” because they are waiting to feel brave before they act brave.  They are waiting to feel confident before they act confidently.  They know what they ought to do, but they want to know the outcome before they start.  The truth is that spiritual things never work that way.  If you wait until you feel “strong and courageous” you will never act.  Strength and courage come when we put our doubts and fears aside and act on the promises and commands of God.

            Joshua becomes the next great leader of God’s people, not because he has all the answers and not because he is not scared, but because he goes, leads, listens and trusts.

            The power to keep the promises of God always comes after we act on the promises of God.

            What is God asking you to do? 

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