Joshua 1 v6 Where does Courage come from?

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
This is a message that is so relevant to the Christians of today. We have been sitting on the banks of the Jordon. Now we are about to fight for God’s kingdom in enemy territory. What is the one most important piece of advice we could heed? Be strong and courageous.
Currently at my church I am doing a series by John Bevere about breaking intimidation. This is a message that God’s army really needs to hear at the moment. We need courage, because the battle ahead will not be easy.
We can see that being a true Christian, and standing up for what we believe, is become much harder in Australia. Although we are not facing martyrdom like many in China and other places around the world, we are facing difficulties when it comes to our concepts of what sin is, who God is, and who we are.
Like the Israelites we will increasingly become strangers in a strange land. We will stand out. Jesus said to expect nothing less, they hated him and they will hate us to. This is why we will need strength and courage.
But I don’t feel courageous or strong. Where does my courage come from? John Bevere points out that timidity comes from valuing the opinions of others more than God. Courage, therefore, comes from valuing the opinion of God more than others, i.e. it comes when you are so concerned about God and doing his will, that you don’t care about the consequences.
Of course understanding what God wants you to do for him, and what he has promised to do for you is critical to this. It is no coincidence that God has told Joshua what he wants from him in verses 1 and 2 and then what he promises to do for him in verses 3 to 5. Now that Joshua knows this, he can be truly courageous.
What is interesting here is that God does not talk about their experiences of slavery in Egypt, or their experiences in the dessert. Although there is a place for thinking about these things, it doesn’t help when it comes to intimidation..
When we are in the midst of feeling Intimidated it is more helpful by far to think about what we have to do and what God has promised he will do. Courage doesn’t come from what you have left behind; it comes from where you are going.
We are on our way to the Promised Land that God has promised us long ago. We can have courage because this is not some passing fancy that God decided at the last minute. It was what he always intended for us, to rest in the Promised Land.
The fighting will be nothing compared to the reward that waits for us on the other side.
God Bless,
Matt.

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