Joshua and the Call to be Courageous
Joshua 1:5-9 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (6) Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. (7) Be strong and very courageous. 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. (8) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Now I just want to have a look at verses 5-9 because what sort of leader is God choosing? What is the consistent theme here that God keeps telling Joshua? 'Be strong and courageous.' God tells him this three times. Why do you think God spoke the same words to Joshua three times? I believe that Joshua in his natural self, even though he was a man of war, was still fearful; he was afraid. He has responsibilities now. Sometimes it is quite nice being second fiddle, not being the guy that all the responsibility falls on. I believe that Joshua was actually like this. He was fine when Moses was there, but now Moses is dead. Fear is ingrained in us; it really is, right from the fall. The first effect with Adam was that he ran. He ran from God because he was afraid of Him. When you look at the type of leader that God is choosing here I am encouraged that He hasn't chosen a super duper human being, because none of us actually are like that. We are all fearful, we are afraid of things, all different things. Some of us are afraid of responsibility, some are afraid of sickness. Others are afraid of death or fearful of financial situations. Some people are afraid of being alone, whereas some are afraid of worst case scenarios or difficult situations. There are lots and lots of things that can frighten us because fear is ingrained in us. In some respects it is not always a negative thing because fear can heighten the senses. You can get a rush of adrenalin that is needed because of fear.
Have you ever laid in your bed and been woken at night because you heard a noise? Well the other night I was awoken and I knew someone was in the house. I had heard a noise and so instantly my ears were tuned. My eyes could not adjust at all, but then I knew that there was someone in the room. I laid there and thought - I have two options now, it's either a robber or it's a kid. My adrenalin started pumping - boom, boom, boom. Which one is it? I was listening really intently and I couldn't see anything so thought what do I do? So I made a guess and called my young daughter's name, - Ella - and her head popped up from the end of the bed like a mere cat. She said 'I can't sleep Dad' and so she was lying down on the floor at the end of the bed. Fear is not always a negative thing but controlling fear, that is another thing altogether and God is calling to Joshua 'be strong and of good courage.'
Oswald Sanders said this thing about courage: 'Courage of the highest order is demanded of Christians; always moral courage and sometimes physical courage as well.' Moral strength and courage come from faith in the sovereignty of God and the provision of God. Courage is a quality of mind that enables men to encounter danger and difficulty with resolve, in spite of inner fears. Courage is not the absence of fear but fear is no longer allowed to dominate. I thought that is so true, no matter what God is calling you and I to today, fear will be there, courage is not the absence of it but a state of mind where you actually do not let fear dominate. It is a trust in God, and in the sovereignty of God, that He is actually with you---like He said to Joshua 'I will never leave you or forsake you, be strong and courageous'.
From: Joshua 1:1-9 Spiritual courage in walking in your inheritance