God’s sovereignty reminds us that He is in control and He has a plan, but to embrace this fully…
We should remember God requires obedience. Read verse 10
A. Obedience reveals true strength.
Verse 10 sounds simple but from it we see God spurring Israel’s leader to motivate and move the people to action. This particular action was to go to war and take the land God has given. A bold Joshua stands up and puts the commanders and leaders straight to work.
Three times God tells Joshua to be strong. Strong in Hebrew means mighty, hard, and loud. People in the time of Moses became so anxious around him that they asked him to cover his face. If you remember his face glowed from meeting with God in person. Joshua was being encouraged by God to have the same demeanor. Joshua had to become a presence in front of the people as Moses had been.
Be strong. But that is not all that is revealed when we are obedient:
Read verse 11
B. Obedience reveals true courage.
Life’s plans are not always as clear as the plans of God, and there are times we have difficultly understanding these plans. Sometimes transitions come to help us refocus our attention on Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.
Being obedient to God takes courage! Three times God tells Joshua to have courage. Courage carries with it the idea of being sharp (clever, on the ball) and of being ready to succeed. There is a certainty in the voice of Joshua as He issues the commands and gives the people their marching orders. Joshua laid out the plan by simply saying, “Get ready! You will be going into the promised land!” 40 years of wandering had come to an end, and they were told to get going.
On the verge of a great challenge, the Israelite nation faced a walled city on the other side of a river. As with all transitions, the people of Israel were getting set to leave familiar territory!
This is kind of like the challenge of moving into the deep end of the pool. New swimmers are taught how to survive in the shallow end long before using the edge of the pool to go deeper (unlike my adventurous son who would rather jump straight into the deep). Just to get into the water requires a great amount of courage for some people.
Transitions lead us into the new and that is not always easy. Joshua took the reigns of this challenge and did what he knew best – send spies and to really get to know the enemy they faced.
We face an enemy everyday who seeks to take our focus away from the loving, comfort of God. Leaving familiar territory takes us away from comfort zones and leads into greater dependence upon God’s encouragement.
The enemy (you know, the devil and his followers) will lie to us and try to confuse us. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to reveal the works of the enemy and to send him packing. God promises that when we stand firm and resist the devil, the enemy that crawls around us like a lion getting ready to pounce, that enemy has to flee!
Strength and courage take sacrifice on our part. James says:
Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:9-10 (NIV)
Your transitions may be filled with joy or they may feel like terror, but God keeps reminding us over and over, “Be strong and courageous. Be strong and very courageous. Be strong. Be courageous.” Humble yourself before the living God and He will pick you up! Now that’s something to shout about. When we have done all else, stand firm and watch the fireworks because God is fixing to do some delivering!
But He seeks obedience:
- To His Word
- To His guidance
- To loving others
- To being forgiving
- To honoring your parents
- To fleeing from sexual immorality
- To being patient
How does becoming obedient to the Word of God help you feel the courage and strength He offers you?
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