Be Strong And Of A Good Courage...

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.

Joshua 1:9

The faith which you confess through your mouth is best displayed in your actions and ability to trust the Lord despite the situation or what others may think… Joshua was faced with a daunting task, one that literally called for him to display His faith instead of simply professing it as he did in the 14^th chapter of Numbers regarding the land that the Lord was going to give to His children… In this life, you are guaranteed to endure various situations and the message for today is that you must be strong and of a good courage… There are so many circumstances that plant seeds of fear, doubt and despair in our lives; so many situations that cause us to second guess our decision and often times end up delaying our advancement in the knowledge and kingdom of God… Joshua was tasked to lead the rebellious children of God and the only message that was given was a message that God would be with him… He was charged to stand firm in the will of God, to not become frustrated with the task at hand or to become distracted by all the other variables that would lead to leaving the goals set by the Lord unaccomplished… The same message Joshua received is the same message that you have today which is that God will be with you; don’t get it twisted, this doesn’t meant that you won’t endure or go through tough times, it doesn’t mean that you will not be subjected to trials and tribulations, what is means is that God will always be with you as you go through your trying time and season… The enemy has you defeated when you are not prepared for the curve ball that life will throw at you; Satan has you right where he wants you when you are not vigilant as to the changeup that is about to come in your life… Joshua was being groomed for this moment without even knowing that in the blink of an eye he would have over a million people looking to him for direction… Everything in your life that you endure is preparing you for something; learn the lesson, take notes and be vigilant for the test that is coming… Your faith will be tested, your trust in God will be tested, your relationship with the Lord will be tested… This test is inevitable, there is nothing you can do to avoid it, nothing you can do to get around it, the charge for you today is to embrace your test and be not afraid… Do be discouraged when you go through, the word of God tells us countless times that we will endure; there is no secret to the suffering that a child of God will face; however, there is a way to handle it and defeat the snares of the enemy and that is by reminding ourselves daily that God is with us whithersoever thou goest…  Remind yourself that God has not left you, remind your household that God is still near, remind them that growing pains are in fact painful, but the end results will be well worth the struggle… Joshua ended up being known throughout the land which the Israelites took over because He held to the promise of God and did not deter from His will… You can have your legacy and fame known, the greatest thing that people can know about you is that you walked in the will of the Lord… Joshua led the children into the promise land, he was marching around the walls of Jericho as they came tumbling down and he made the declaration at the height of the Israelites rebellion that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…

Joshua was commanded by the Lord to be strong and courageous… In the midst of a perverse world we, like Joshua are commanded to be strong and courageous… A command is not optional, nor is it negotiable… They only we that we will align ourselves with the will of God and be successful in our endeavors is to be strong and courageous when it comes to the task that are put before us… How hard is it to move when you are uncertain of where you are going? Do you find it difficult to lead when you would rather follow? These are the questions that faced Joshua in this verse, Moses has lead the people out of Egypt right to the doorstep of the promise land and know God has removed Moses and placed Joshua in charge to lead the people over into the land flowing with milk and honey… Joshua knew that he would have to fight; he understood that his faith would be tested and that the people may even begin to rebuke him just as they did Moses! He saw the uphill battle before him and God is now encouraging him to not be afraid or dismayed at the task, but to simply trust him and hold to his hand knowing that God is always with him… Today we must take note that in the middle of adversity, in the middle of confusion and/or chaos we must be strong, we must stay encouraged knowing that we will be victorious through the will and plan of God…This passage surely can be applied to our lives today, we are in a transition and God is calling us to leadership; He has appointed you to cross over from the darkness and lead people into the light… This leadership could be in your household, on your job, in the church or throughout your communities… Often times we find ourselves feeling like Joshua, we see the uphill battle and we believe in God but still doubt our own ability… God is saying to you today to be strong in the Lord and of good courage… He wants you to remember that He has already brought you a might long way and that He will see you through the battles that you are to face in the future… Jesus tells us in John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Trouble is certain, hesitancy is a given; but know that God has already overcome these obstacles and you will overcome them as well… We have a lot of daunting task before us, but God is saying now is not the time to run, now is the time for you to stand and allow me to manifest my power in your life so that you and others can see my faithfulness! “He who has begun a good work in you will surely continue in it until the day of Christ return…” God will not see you defeated, He will not leave you at you weakest moment, and He will certainly not abandon you in your time of need… The people were looking to Joshua to lead them after Moses died; who is waiting for you to lead today? Who is waiting for you to step up to the will of God and “not be afraid?” The answer is simple, all of us are!!!!!

BE BLESSED!!!