Be Strong and Courageous!

Posted On March 26, 2023

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Be strong and courageous! Sounds good. But does that mean as long as we’re brave and determined, we’ll succeed at whatever we do? Unfortunately, no. For example, fearlessly jumping off a cliff because I’m determined to fly like Superman would probably end very badly for me. So, what’s the secret then? Let’s see what we can learn from Joshua.

Our plan for 2023 is to journey through The NeverEnding Story of the Bible and discover how we fit into it along the way. Our plan for this year is loosely based on The Story, an abridged chronological version of the Bible, and the accompanying study guide The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee.

Here is where we are in The Story:

MOVEMENT TWO: The Story of Israel (Genesis 12-Malachi)

Chapter 7 – The Battle Begins

This chapter in The Story includes Joshua 1-2, 6, 8, 10-11, 23-24. After 40 years in the desert, the time has come for Israel to enter the Promised Land. Moses has died, and Joshua is now leading the Israelites. God miraculously parts the waters of the Jordan River so that they can enter the land. This time, they are ready. They cross over, ready for battle. But God has something they must take care of first: All the men are to be circumcised. This incapacitates them for several days. After they have recovered, God gives them some strange instructions for their first battle:

“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.'”

Joshua 6:2-5 NIV

“God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.”

Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

Our job is to obey God, even when it doesn’t make sense. And, often it doesn’t from our perspective. That’s because God sees the big picture, even far beyond our lifetimes, and we only see our little piece of it. This is why we have to trust Him and do what He tells us to do.

“Finally, after years of wandering in the barren wilderness, God is giving a new generation the opportunity to claim this rich and bountiful land as their own. Just cross the river, perform delicate surgery on all your men, and then march around a well-fortified city inhabited by giants. Nothing about God’s plan made sense. At least from the Lower Story perspective. And as we’ve already seen, it seldom does. God’s ways are not always our ways, and this is because he always has his Upper Story front and center in his mind.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

What we have to remember is that it’s not about us. It’s about God. His purposes will be accomplished no matter what. So, the only way to succeed in our plans is to make sure they align with God’s plans. When we do, He will give us everything we need, including the strength and courage required to do His will.

“God repeatedly tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. But every time God gives this command, He precedes or follows it with the promise that He’ll be with him. Strength and courage aren’t things we muster on our own; it’s not just a mental pep rally or a mind-set we meditate our way into. True strength and courage come through being mindful of God’s presence in our lives. He never asks us to do things on our own; His nearness is what equips us to obey.”

Tara-Leigh Cobble, The Bible Recap

“The key to victory was found not in superior weapons and conventional strategy but in obedience. God was essentially saying to Joshua, ‘Don’t be afraid. Trust me. Do exactly what I ask you to do. Live according to the guidelines I have give you, and you will defeat anyone who stands against you.’
It worked.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

When God promises to give us anything we need, He means anything! Nothing is impossible for Him:

“On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”

Joshua 10:12-14 NIV

Joshua knew what God wanted Him to do, and he stepped out courageously in faith to accomplish it. When he needed a miracle, he asked for one. And God obliged. God may not always choose to break the laws of nature, but He certainly can — after all, He wrote them! So, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for whatever we need to accomplish His will. He’s waiting for us to reach out to Him and tap into His power.

“I know this proposition seems impossible to us. And it doesn’t make a bit of sense scientifically. But according to Scripture, God gave Joshua exactly what he ordered…. could it be that God intends for us to have the same kind of audacious faith — the kind of faith that dares to believe God for the impossible — as a normal way of life? With everything in me, I believe he does. I believe he still desires to make the sun stand still over the life of every believer. If we’ll have the audacity to ask.”

Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still

“You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.”

Joshua 23:3 NIV

“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.” 

Joshua 23:6 NIV

To make ourselves available to be used by God, we must obey Him and align ourselves with His will. But how do we find out His will for us? We must read and study the Book. God doesn’t hide His plan from us. He reveals it through His Word. He reveals His general will for all believers through the words on the page, but He also reveals His specific will for each one of us through His Spirit as we read the Bible. It’s truly amazing the way He does this. His Story is never-ending, and we learn something new every time we read it.

“God told Joshua that if he was careful to align his life to the word and will of God, turning neither to the right or the left, he would be successful. Taking the land of Canaan at this time was the will of God. Strong and courageous, Joshua makes the move of obedience and crosses the Jordan River to engage in battle. God’s mighty hand takes over, and Israel miraculously overcomes the odds against them and wins every conquest.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

So, what’s the secret for being successful in all we do? Here is what we learn from Joshua: Obey God, align our plans with His, ask Him for whatever we need, study His Word, and finally, be strong and courageous. Step out in faith and answer His call. That’s what Joshua did, and he not only witnessed God’s fulfillment of His promises to Israel, he got to participate!

“When we are careful to choose battles that fall within God’s plan, we too will be successful. If we choose battles that fall outside of the word and will of God, we are on our own….”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

This week’s Scripture passages focus on strength, courage, and God’s faithfulness. God invites us to be a part of His work. When we put in the time to discover His promises, that’s when things get exciting, because nothing can stop God’s plans. We can choose to go our own way, or we can choose to align our plans with His, boldly step out in faith, and maybe see a miracle!

“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”

Joshua 23:14

“Success was already declared before the first foot was placed into the Jordan River. Why? Because this battle belonged to the Lord. When we are careful to choose battles that fall within the word and will of God, we too will be successful. . . . Choose the Lord’s battles and then charge!”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

Resources:

• Cobble, Tara-Leigh. The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible. Bethany House, 2020.
• Frazee, Randy.  The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• Furtick, Steven. Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible. Multnomah Books, 2010.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.

Images:

• Sun featured image by Photo by Francesco Ungaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/light-dawn-landscape-sunset-15997406/
• River image by Noel Bauza from Pixabay
• Jericho image by gareththeobalditfyou from Pixabay
• Sun and Moon image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay
• Bible image by Scottish Guy from Pixabay
• Be Strong image by MUJU_pixel from Pixabay