Obeying the Lord requires bravery—a firmness of spirit that can face crises without retreating
Joshua 1:1-9(KJV)
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
What do the following people have in common: Joshua, the Israelite leader; Daniel, the visionary; Jesus’ 12 disciples; and the apostle Paul? Besides loving and following God, they all were in need of courage. Obeying the Lord requires bravery—a firmness of spirit that can face crises without retreating.
Appointed by God, Joshua was called to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Perhaps he thought, Who am I to follow in Moses’ footsteps? or What if the people will not support my leadership? God spoke reassuringly to him three times, telling him to be strong and courageous.
Joshua responded with faith and based his bravery on two precious assurances from his Father.
Promise #1—God travels with us. The Lord pledged that He would be with the Israelites in the new land, never leaving or forsaking them. In Hebrews 13:5, He makes the same promise to us. In fact, the Lord travels with us in a far more intimate way—through His Spirit living within us.
Promise #2—God goes before us. God promised to take care of the enemy before the Israelites arrived. They still faced battles, but He assured them of victory if they had faith and obeyed Him. Through Jesus, our spiritual battle is already won. Our redemption has been eternally secured, our place in God’s family permanently established, and our heavenly inheritance guaranteed. While our earthly trials will continue, we must remember that they’re temporary.
If you build your life on these two pledges, then courageous will become part of your name.
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