“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-9, HCSB).If we long to make a difference in the life we have on this earth, then we must be willing to be strong and courageous . There is a great lesson that God gave to Joshua in Joshua 1:3-9. The Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. God told them in verse 3-5 that He would give them every place where they set their feet. He would extend their territory and no one would be able to stand up against them all the days of their lives. He promised to be with them and never to leave or forsake them. God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. God also told Joshua how to do this. In verses 3-6, God showed that He was faithful. In verses 7-8, the command was given to meditate on His Word, and in verse 9, the reminder is there that God would always be with them. The only way to be strong and courageous is to depend on God's faithfulness, stay in the Word and to remember that He will walk with us every step or leap of the way. Courage is something we have to pursue. We can't just sit and wait for courage to come to us, we must go after it.
Excerpt from Women Leading Women, Chapter 5, Jaye Martin, B&H Academic, 2008.
