Skip to main content

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? 

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

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

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more