Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua is one of my favorite people in the Bible. In Joshua 1, God says, “Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel” (Josh 1:2, ESV). God continued, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them” (Josh 1:5-6).
Joshua did not hesitate. As you read through the rest of the chapter, you see that Joshua immediately calls the people to action and within three days they begin their journey into the Promised Land.
In only eighteen verses, God tells His people to “be strong and courageous.” As children of God and followers of Christ, it is a command to us as well. Recently, I have been contemplating all that is in my soul and spirit. Many “fears” keep me from walking “strong and courageous.”
While I was in California for my graduation, my dear friend, Teri, reminded me of the competing forces in our hearts. The heart is made up our soul and our spirit. Our spirit has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and is incapable of sin. However, our soul is the human part of the heart that can be deceptive. David asked God to create in him a “clean heart” (Ps 51:10, ESV). Psalm 73:26 states, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Today, I again renew my heart and place God in His rightful place – first! He shall direct my path (Psalm 119:35).