God Based Courage

Joshua 1:9 

"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." 

    Bible is not a history book. It is a book that tells us how to live. That being the case, so why does the Bible begin with Creation. If this is a book about life, why not start with the First Commandment or a life lesson? Because God began the Bible with the story of Creation to teach us that He created the world. He has the right to give the Jews the land of Israel. Our deed to the land is the Bible.

    In the book of Joshua, as the new leader of Israel, Joshua needed encouragement. He was about to lead the people into the land of Canaan and capture the holy land God had given to the Israelites. So God commanded him to be strong and of good courage, be not afraid (V9).

    There is a difference between being brave because we are simply willing to try something difficult and being filled with courage because we know that God stands behind us though the task might be difficult. Simply being brave leaves us with doubts that we will succeed. Having courage rooted in God fills us with the confidence that we will succeed. If we are to achieve the most important tasks in our lives, we need God based courage.

    This is the kind of courage that God handed over to Joshua who stood on the precipice of his greatest challenge and what would also be his greatest success. This is the kind of courage we need to make those leaps of faith that will take us further in life than we ever imagined.

When we are challenged, it is critical that we ask ourselves if our pursuit fits the will of God. If He is with us, no one can stand against us.

Amen!

Reading: Josh. 1: 1-18

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry