In faith and obedience he assaulted Jericho with only trumpets and clay pottery. Most of all though, he had to obey and act with the knowledge that God’s work done God’s way does not fail. God regularly took Joshua into life threatening situations. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. After calling for him to immerse himself in the Word, God says this:
Now that’s a position of strength, from which we can act courageously. Immersion in and obedience to God’s word means that we’re aligning ourselves with God and his plans. That’s a lot more than just committing to do the right thing or be a good person. When we constantly remind ourselves of the content of God’s word, we’re exposing ourselves over and over again to the transformative power of Christ. It takes discipline to keep God’s word on our minds and in our mouths, but it comes with great benefits. When was the last time you memorized a scripture verse? God doesn’t ask us to keep a searchable copy of the Bible in our iPhone, but he does ask us to keep his word on our lips. With that in mind, let’s stop pulling at God’s leash. He instructed Joshua with powerful words, and His Word is available to us more readily than it’s been to any people group before. They memorized it, held it in the highest regard, and recognized that rebellion against it meant a separation from the only thing keeping them alive in the wilderness: God and his plan. The Israelites in Joshua’s time revered the Word of God as imbued with His own immense power. One of my mentors has always described discipleship this way: “Read God’s word and do what it says.” That’s God’s charge to Joshua, and it’s His call for us too. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” His charge to Joshua continues like this: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. God doesn’t leave us at a loss for His instructions either. He’s taken me places that require strength and courage, but most of all they’ve required obedience. Every once in a while God’s plan has included my ideas, but constantly it has required me to love my neighbor, be honest, and consider others better than myself. He just needed me to stop tugging at the leash, and courageously obey him by following him wherever he took me. Meanwhile, God didn’t need my ideas or my pride.
#BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS BIBLE VERSE HOW TO#
I had ideas for how to change the world, how to develop the perfect ministry.
When I read this passage years ago, I was like a tiny barking dog, tugging at God’s leash to get into fights I couldn’t win. He was asking for obedience, not heroic posturing or even personal sacrifice in Joshua’s own strength.
He needed Joshua to courageously trust that God was in control. God was calling Joshua to lead by following. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” God’s instructions to Joshua begin like this: That’s because I was missing the point of Joshua 1. He hasn’t even called me to courageously lead his people in a game of football. Oddly enough though, God hasn’t yet called me to stand on top of a mountain, wind in my hair (wouldn’t it be nice if I had hair), chest out, looking heroic. I got a mental image of myself doing daring things for God. As a young man, the “strong and courageous” phrase (it’s repeated 3 times in Joshua 1 alone) really motivated me. That’s the part that originally drew me to the passage years ago.
It’s got everything: Tactical instruction mixed with a lot of “strong and courageous” talk to re ally get you fired up. When Joshua takes over for Moses, God gives him the Bible’s greatest halftime speech.
0 kommentar(er)
