As I was reading through Joshua there were four words that grabbed my focus. There are four words that were spoken by a man named Joshua. Joshua said these four words because the Lord said them directly to him. So, out of obedience, Joshua would then say these words to the Israelites. These simple four words when combined made for a monumental heart change and those words were, “Be strong and courageous.” (Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged) And the Scripture goes on to say, “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” __________________________________________________________________________
How often do we find ourselves being afraid of the unknown or even the known because we do not see the greater plan for what is to happen? You can be honest here, it is safe.
| BE STRONG:
Well, these words were said because they were preparing to go into battle. Yet, before they crossed the Jordan River, Moses instructed them with encouragement and said, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
| Question:
What do I need in order to BE STRONG?
You need a strong:
1) Armor: The FULL armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)
2) Body: Be kind to your temple (Daniel 1:11-16 and Romans 12:2)
3) Faith: Knowing that the unknown is known to a known God (Psalm 9:10)
| BE COURAGEOUS:
Joshua knew that they would be scared to go into these battles. Even though the Lord would be handling ALL of it and placing ALL these territories in their hands, Joshua knew they would still be fearful. So he said these word to the men and women, boys and girls to give them a promise from the Lord. You see, Joshua had already had a comfort in these words because the words were spoken to him directly. Many of us go through encounters or even trials and we do not understand why in the moment, yet when the LORD spoke these words to Joshua I am sure he held tight to them. Not only for himself, but also for his fellow peers who were becoming doubtful and fearful. Joshua knew it was time to use a promise from the LORD to strengthen the people. It is almost as if the LORD knew that Joshua was going to need something to give his peers in their time of discouragement, doubt and fear. So, the Lord gave him four words to better equipped them with TRUTH and hope for what was unseen as they walked into the unknown.
________________________“Be strong; be courageous” - Joshua ________________________
How can we apply those four words to our lives today?!
Q: How strong are you in your faith to see that God does ALL things according to His plan for the good of those who love Him! (ROMANS 8:28)
Q: 1) Are you ready to go into battle?
Q: 2) Are you willing, able, and making yourself available to go into battle by putting on the full armor of God EACH DAY?
What we are facing today is something we have never seen before in our lives. Well, if will learn anything from the Bible, the Israelites learned it long before us and we can learn from them as what to do and what not to do. When they were crossing the Red Sea, fighting battles, acting in faith through plagues, and much more, there four words were for them.
| The Word or the world? | | God’s promise and His providential plan or the public’s perfidy? |
You have choices everyday. You can choose to have faith or have fear.
| Which do you decide? |
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