Courageous

“Have I not commanded you? 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

Some personality types are, by their very nature, laid back, trusting and easy going.  And then there is me!  I am the typical Type A personality with all the drive and tension headaches that accompany being an overachiever.  Where do you fall on the spectrum?

Because I spend so much of my day with goal directed activities, it is very easy to become frustrated when the plan I am working, starts working me.  The Bible makes it plain throughout that we are not to trust in ourselves; that we will have to "live by faith and not by sight” (II Cor. 5:7).  So not surprisingly, a good portion of my walk with the Lord has been about Him teaching me this important life’s lesson.

One of the first major “stretches” He did in my life had to do with trusting Him as He sent me in a complete opposite direction from where I wanted to go.  Looking back 18 years later, I see how it was for my good, but at the time, I had to die to the flesh quite a bit to follow Him in obedience.  Not only was it not the direction I envisioned for my life, but it was a frightening unknown where I could take no confidence whatsoever in the flesh or in my abilities to do it.  I had to trust solely on Him.  And that is when God blessed me with this little gem of a verse.

In this passage, God’s chosen servant, Moses, had died.  Because of his sin, he would not lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.  At His demise, Joshua was chosen by God to be the “man of power for the hour.”  He would complete the work that one of the greatest men of the Old Testament had done in such an exemplary fashion until he failed at one critical point.

Imagine how young Joshua must have felt.  He was going into this situation with his eyes wide open.  He had witnessed the disloyalty of the people toward Moses, his constant intercession, and yes, the intimidating intimacy with which he walked with the Lord.  Moses’ face glowed with the glory of God for pity sakes!  How would it feel to step into those shoes?  Especially to lead the people into war.

The Lord urged Joshua to be strong and courageous, to not be terrified or discouraged.  One thing I know, God does not mince his words. If he spoke this word of exhortation to Joshua it was because he presently needed it, or he was going to need it in the near future.

No matter where you are in life today, no matter what struggles you face, you too can be strong and courageous.  How?  By following after Joshua’s example.  Yes, he would face enemies; yes, there were trying times ahead, but the secret to his future success was that God would go with him wherever he went.

If you are a born again child of God, you have assurance that He is with you, He has promised that he will never leave you nor forsake you.  You will never walk alone, you will never go anywhere that the Spirit of God has not gone before you and cannot sustain you.

Sometimes it just helps to have someone by our side even if they cannot do a thing to help us.  But take courage today, He is not only by our side but He has all wisdom and all power to meet every contingency you could ever face.  Cast your fear upon Him, take courage and be strong.  He will go with you wherever He leads you.

Dear Lord, help me today to not look at the enemy.  Help me not to look at the uncertainty, but rather, help me to look to you.  Thank you that you are with me, help me to sense your peace and presence through all the phases of this journey.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri