"Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the
LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and courageous”
To the
man who says that he cannot, or will not serve because he is afraid, God speaks
this word. Courage is a commandment of God, not a desire. Here we find the third principle of courage…
- The Courage of the Christian is directly related to his vision of
the person of God.
Do we
believe that God will allow fear to be used as a reason for our failure to witness
to others or perform His work? No, it is
only an excuse! While we may feel that
courage is the product of character or natural inclination in an individual,
God recognizes that courage is the product of faith. God commands us to be courageous because He
commands us to have FAITH in HIM.
Our fear
is the product of an inadequate vision of God and nothing less. How far can you trust God in the
circumstances and the mission of your life? The same God that can heal the body and give
you a job can lead you to evangelism and missions. This leads to the next principle of courage…
- The Courage of the Christian gives vision and confidence to others.
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
"Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying,
'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross
this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is
giving you, to possess it.'" (Joshua 1:10-11)
The
vision of God's desire and direction is voiced to others. One coward in leadership can destroy a whole
army of people. As he rationalizes his
inactivity, he comforts the souls of hundreds of others who are fearful and
faithless. One man who is willing to claim God's vision
and discern God's direction can lead others to great victory. All Joshua said was, "God said He can do
it." He never said that they or he
could.
This commitment to God is then displayed in the confidence of the
leaders. They answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have
commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. "Just as we
obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be
with you as He was with Moses. "Anyone who rebels against your command and
does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death;
only be strong and courageous."
Joshua 1:16-18
The
people sensed that Joshua was in God's hand and that their ability to prosper
was directly connected to his leadership and their "followship". God has
never done a work without calling a man to leadership and His people to "followship". They were openly committed to the man, the
plan and God. They were also quick to
ask of Joshua one thing... "Joshua stay close to God like Moses
did." It is a fair request to any
of God’s leaders.
We need
Holy Boldness today as never before. There
is a world that confronts us on every hand to destroy our faith and thus our
confidence. There is a sense of urgency
that cannot be denied to accomplish the task that God has given.
Have we allowed
Satan to overcome us and weaken our faith by stealing our vision of God's
ability and causing us to focus on our own?
Have we failed to respond to God's leadership and thus become insecure
and critical instead of confident and supportive?
Scripture to Claim:
"For God hath
not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."
II Timothy 1:7
