Reason #142
"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9
I scribbled this verse in royal blue marker across the mirror in my bathroom. Words of wisdom. Fighting words. I needed the reminder. So, every night and every morning as I stood and brushed my teeth, my eyes scanned over these words. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid. These words were comforting to me because I was afraid. I was afraid of what my future held. I was afraid of what others thought of me. I was afraid of rebuilding my life. I had done a study over the Israelites, and I felt as if I was in the wilderness ever bit as much as they were. I, too, was also ready to get out of the wilderness and into the promised land. The land of abundance. And so Joshua is the turning point. Time to get out of the wilderness and head into the promised land. But the thing was, life wasn't about to get easier. Battles were looming, they had a new leader, and there was a big obstacle to overcome before they made it in. They were about to morph from wanderers into warriors.
I sat in Sunday School today and was challenged by the question of whether or not I am living a victorious life. And to be truthful, many are the days I've not felt like a conqueror. Many are the days I've wanted to stand at the back of the battle lines and let someone else do the fighting for me. But sometimes, you're placed on the front lines and you have to be strong. Be courageous. And as I read through Joshua 1 months ago, I noticed that God told Joshua to be strong and courageous three times during their conversation. Now, if God sees fit to say something more than once, I believe it's something worth paying extra close attention to. God knew that this next chapter wasn't going to be a cake walk for His people. Sure, they had been through a lot already, but there was still a lot left to do. And if there is one thing I have learned over the past many months, it's that God asks us to do some pretty scary things sometimes.
And so I wandered through the wilderness wondering for quite a while. Wondering and afraid and discouraged. But I would repeat these words to myself over and over. Each time something new happened, each time something scary came up, I would remember that I didn't have to be afraid because God was right there with me.
So this thought has rolled around in my head all afternoon. Maybe it's fear that keeps us wandering. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of loss. Fear of change. And so we let our fear drive us away from the promised land, away from abundance, away from victorious living, and we keep ourselves in the wilderness.
"Be strong and couragous. Do not be afraid..." Well, we know they make it in to the promised land. We know that they win battles and are victorious, and I just have to believe that when God asks us to do something a little scary, something that we're afraid of, it's because He wants to take us somewhere better. Give us something better. Bless us more than we could imagine. Because God doesn't desire for us to live in the wilderness forever. We can be assured that when we faithfully follow Him through the wilderness, He will equip us and lead us victoriously into the promised land.
#142 - Because He always leads us to the promised land.
"But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness. He kept them safe so they were not afraid...He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them." - Psalm 78:52-54
I scribbled this verse in royal blue marker across the mirror in my bathroom. Words of wisdom. Fighting words. I needed the reminder. So, every night and every morning as I stood and brushed my teeth, my eyes scanned over these words. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid. These words were comforting to me because I was afraid. I was afraid of what my future held. I was afraid of what others thought of me. I was afraid of rebuilding my life. I had done a study over the Israelites, and I felt as if I was in the wilderness ever bit as much as they were. I, too, was also ready to get out of the wilderness and into the promised land. The land of abundance. And so Joshua is the turning point. Time to get out of the wilderness and head into the promised land. But the thing was, life wasn't about to get easier. Battles were looming, they had a new leader, and there was a big obstacle to overcome before they made it in. They were about to morph from wanderers into warriors.
I sat in Sunday School today and was challenged by the question of whether or not I am living a victorious life. And to be truthful, many are the days I've not felt like a conqueror. Many are the days I've wanted to stand at the back of the battle lines and let someone else do the fighting for me. But sometimes, you're placed on the front lines and you have to be strong. Be courageous. And as I read through Joshua 1 months ago, I noticed that God told Joshua to be strong and courageous three times during their conversation. Now, if God sees fit to say something more than once, I believe it's something worth paying extra close attention to. God knew that this next chapter wasn't going to be a cake walk for His people. Sure, they had been through a lot already, but there was still a lot left to do. And if there is one thing I have learned over the past many months, it's that God asks us to do some pretty scary things sometimes.
And so I wandered through the wilderness wondering for quite a while. Wondering and afraid and discouraged. But I would repeat these words to myself over and over. Each time something new happened, each time something scary came up, I would remember that I didn't have to be afraid because God was right there with me.
So this thought has rolled around in my head all afternoon. Maybe it's fear that keeps us wandering. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of loss. Fear of change. And so we let our fear drive us away from the promised land, away from abundance, away from victorious living, and we keep ourselves in the wilderness.
"Be strong and couragous. Do not be afraid..." Well, we know they make it in to the promised land. We know that they win battles and are victorious, and I just have to believe that when God asks us to do something a little scary, something that we're afraid of, it's because He wants to take us somewhere better. Give us something better. Bless us more than we could imagine. Because God doesn't desire for us to live in the wilderness forever. We can be assured that when we faithfully follow Him through the wilderness, He will equip us and lead us victoriously into the promised land.
#142 - Because He always leads us to the promised land.
"But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness. He kept them safe so they were not afraid...He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them." - Psalm 78:52-54