Get ready folks, I’ll be posting every weekday this week! I’m sharing a little mini-series about being strong and courageous. You don’t want to miss the rest of these, so go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t done so!
Our Fears
Have you ever been afraid? Maybe you were about to meet someone important, maybe you had to make a public speech, maybe someone you loved was sick, or maybe you had no idea where your next meal would come from.
In the Bible, we find Joshua in a nerve racking position. He just replaced the world’s best religious leader up to that point in history. Talk about some big shoes to fill! As if that weren’t enough, he is about to lead his people in battle against nations who are bigger and stronger than them.
But as we will see in Joshua 1:5-9, Joshua really had no reason to fear, and neither do we today. Before continuing, I encourage you to read Joshua 1:5-9.
Be Strong and Courageous
In these verses, God gives Joshua a personal charge. It is a bit of a pep talk for his new leader. The main idea God is conveying to Joshua here is very clear, and is even said three times: “Be strong and courageous.”
This is a very simple command, but at the same time we don’t exactly have a courage switch that we can turn on whenever we want to be brave. Naturally, that courage switch can be even harder to find when you are you are looking into a country full of giants you are supposed to conquer.
As people, we almost always need more info than to just “be” something. “Be good,” “be joyful,” “be strong and courageous!” OK, all of those things are great, but how do I actually be those things?!
Do I close my eyes and clinch my fists and chant three times, “I think I can?”
Do I purchase a pair of PF Flyers, the shoes guaranteed to make kids run faster and jump higher?
Fortunately, in this passage, God tells Joshua exactly how to be strong and courageous. These three principles are eternal, and they apply to us today as much as they applied to Joshua. In fact, if we do these three things we won’t even have to try to be strong and courageous.
Strength and courage will happen naturally.
Interested in learning those three things? Stay tuned for the rest of this week(subscribing is the best way!)
In the meantime, what are you afraid of?
*Image Credit: US Army
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