Be of Good Courage

Verse of the day: Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

If God has commanded something, can anyone override it? Simply put, “No.” There is no one that is greater or more powerful than our God. Even Satan who is our greatest foe is no match for our God (1 Jn 4:4). Yet, we often approach our service to God, and the promises He makes to us, as if someone can thwart God’s will and plan in our lives. We allow fear of the unknown, and fear of how we perceive those who oppose us, to hinder our ability to move forward and accomplish that which God has called us to. The end result is that we miss out on great blessings that God has in store for us. The Israelites missed out on a great blessing, and as a result wandered in the wilderness for forty years, because they lacked faith, and trusted what they saw over who God is, and what He had promised them (Deut 1:19-45). The Promise Land was already theirs because God had given it to them long before they were sent in to take possession of it; a land promised to Abraham & his descendants (Gen 12:1-3). We, like the Israelites can miss out on great blessings when we allow fear to dictate whether or not to follow through on God’s commands. God promised, if He is for us, who can be against us (Rm 8:31)? A promise was made to Israel that is a truth we can also live by, that no weapon formed against us, as His children, will prosper (Is 54:17).  Here we see that God is giving Joshua a second chance to enter the Promise Land, both he and Caleb were the only two who were ready, the first time around, to charge forward and take the land God had promised. They were the only two with enough faith to override what their eyes saw in respect to those that already occupied the land (Num 13). The same promise that God made to Joshua here about the Lord being with him wherever he goes, is the same promise made to us in Hebrews 13:5-6, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” So, what is it that keeps us from sharing the Gospel we have been commanded to share? What keeps us from serving Him within our local churches? What keeps us from giving to, and helping, others, by faith, when God commands us to, and promises to take care of our every need? Are we allowing the “giants” in our lives to make our God seem small in our own eyes? Our God is God of gods, and Lord of lords; there is no one greater (Deut 10:17). Serving God will not be without its challenges. When God commanded the Israelites to take the Promise Land, they still had to work to possess it. They still had to confront the opposition of those who already occupied it. It is no different today in our service to the Lord. He gives us our marching orders and as we move forward, we must not forget that we have an enemy that will oppose us (1 Pt 5:8-9). We have a world that opposes the things of God (Jn 15:18-25), and we have our own struggles and temptations that we must often face (Mt 26:41). However, regardless of whatever challenges we face in our service to God in ministry or in our personal, every day, lives, we have a God is bigger, greater, and who reminds us to be of good courage, nor be dismayed, for He is with us wherever we go (Mt 28:19-20).

Jesus is our Promise Land. All we need to do to take possession is call upon Him by faith. He has already conquered death and the grave. Today, He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).