There have been too many times in my life that I have let fear control how I live my life instead of letting my faith be bigger than the fear of the unknown. When you hear the name Joshua, you most likely think of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. You think of a fearless warrior, a man of God willing to do anything to fulfill the will of God and lead the people of Israel into the promises of God. What most of you don't realize is that Joshua was terrified.
Let's take a minute and walk through what might have been going through Joshua's head. ' Wait a minute... let me get this straight, you want me to take Moses' place and lead your people? I must have heard you wrong. I can't lead your people, I'm a warrior not a leader, I... I can't do this.' We have all been here, worried about all the wrong things and not understanding that as children of God we are never alone. We never walk into the fire or in this case the battle alone.
We pick up this story in Joshua 1:3 -
"I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you"
See we often think that we are walking into the fire unarmed and alone, when in reality God has already given us the victory over in circumstance we may face.
The story continues -
"from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you."
I love how seeing that Joshua is worried and fearful, God comforts him and reassures him that he is never alone and will never be abandoned. In the next verses He tells Joshua -
"Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."
I strongly believe that these words are just as much for us today as they were for Joshua back then. Be Strong and Courageous, you are not alone the Lord goes before you, behind you, and beside you, He is right there beside you and He will never leave you. Which leaves you a choice- you can either choose to live in fear or you can choose faith.
It's your choice.
Much love friends,
Alianna
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