Be strong and courageous.....Joshua 1:6, 1:7, 1:9, 1:18
As I was listening through the book of Joshua, I noticed that he is told many times to Be strong and courageous.
Courageous is defined as "not being deferred by danger or pain. Doesn't you won't face danger or pain but you shouldn't be deterred by it.
Let's face it. Joshua was about to face both danger and pain. The Israelites entire agenda was fraught with danger. And pain? There was pain because not only was he leading a group of people who were sometimes super difficult but potential pain because a lot can happen in the middle of a war.
Sometimes we look at the people in the Bible and we think they had it all together. We believe that we can't do great things for God because we aren't that good. Do you think Joshua was told multiple times to be strong and courageous for a reason? Do you think God knew he was going to face tremendous fear and worry?
Maybe he was saying to him "Sometimes it is going to get downright scary and you are going to be afraid. Be strong. Trust me and then dig deep into your courage and move forward." He says the same thing to us.
We are not heading into literal battles. The battle is often in our minds. We look at a situation and imagine the very worst that could happen. The fear sets in and we are stuck. It's at these times that God says "Be strong and courageous. You are not fighting this alone. I am with you. Always."