Courage

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Courage

The one the Lord had used to free the children of Israel from bondage, the one who had parted the red seas, who had led the people through the wilderness was now dead. Now Joshua, the son of Nun stood to inherit the leadership mantle to become the leader of this stiff necked people.

They were about to go into the promised land, to face the denizens of the places they were to be given by the Lord. I am sure Joshua had watched struggles and stumbling of Moses, and I am sure he had moments of doubt as he now faced this great task of entering the unknown by faith.

The Lord has provided the the old testament as an anchor for the followers of Jesus. It is filled with types and shadows of the journeys of the Christian. The children of Israel were headed for the promised possession, the promised land, the rest.

We who have called upon the Lord for salvation, are on our own trek, for we have been freed from the bondage of sin, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the process of sanctification, we are on a journey from darkness to light, as we wander. Through the journey, there are struggles, for we, as new born babes, oscillate between our old sinful lives, paid for on the cross, to the new life we have in Christ.

Just as the Children of Israel faced many enemies on their journey, so we too face many as we live in a world that is dominated by Satan. He has stacked the deck against us, flooding every aspect of the world we live in with temptations designed to draw us away from the Lord, back to our old ways of flesh.

“Be strong and courageous.”

God has not left us abandoned in the journey of ours, for He has given us His word, and His Helper, the Holy Spirit to instruct our hearts. We have the promise that God is with us, for He is also in us.

“For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
Hebrews 3:16-19 NKJV

On this great journey, there have been those who have not entered, and will not enter into the rest, for they have chosen to rebel against the word of God, choosing to seek after the their own fresh and the concerns of this world.

Those that stray, lives filled a rising and falling, as if on a spiritual roller coaster. They are unstable and woefully carnal.

The Lord Jesus advised us that the way to the promise is narrow, for not many choose to follow the path that God has set.

The word of God has the power to keep us on the right track, where emotions and experience can fail us.

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:11-13 NKJV

It is on the follower of Jesus to seek after the will of God completely so that there is no variance from the well worn path trip by those before us. I tell you the truth, in the best of times, the journey is rife with hazards, and the narrow path filled with obstacles bent on causing stumbling. But if one walks circumspectly, they are more likely to have the hope of completing the journey.

Brothers and sisters, such is not the case in these perilous days, for the evil one has ramped up his efforts to bring about the stumbling of believers in the hope of causing many to leave the path.

Sanctification is not the only promised land we look forward to, but we also look forward to glorification, they we enter the rest that is in the presence of Jesus.

Let us remember that the Lord is with us, and was with with those who came before. He lead Joshua and the children from the wilderness, to cross the Jordan into the promised land. He has lead so many more, all having followed the Lord by faith. Let us think of them when it seems so hard.

Let us also remember those who seemed not to receive the promise, for they were ones who died due to persecution and great struggle. But know this, they will have access to the ultimate promised land for they have had faith in what they could not see.

“Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
Hebrews 11:36-40 NKJV

Because of the cross, they too have access to the promise. This should give us great hope as we enter a time when even our very lives may be forfeit.

My people let us be courageous, for the same God that has been with those who came before us, is the same God that is for us today. Let us remember that the Lord is going to complete His work. May we have the heart of Paul as he focused on the things most important, even as he faced struggles so dire that even his survival was uncertain.

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
II Timothy 4:6-8 NKJV

THE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!

#prayfortheharvest

#prayforthepersecuted

#prayforthepeaceofIsrael

#prayforthegospeltospteadeverywhere

https://www.allaboutgod.com/the-roman-road.htm