“Be strong and
courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore
to their ancestors to give them.”
Joshua 1:6
Remember
when you were a kid and you were afraid in the dark or the monsters under your
bed? You would cry out for your parents and your mom came in to comfort you.
She would turn the lights on and look under your bed to show you there was
nothing to fear. Her parting words as she tucked you back in and shut the
lights off were, “Be brave, there is nothing to fear.”
How
did that work out?
One
of the hardest things to do is to not be afraid when you are fearful.
So,
how does that happen? Ah……they never told you that did they?
As
I read the first verses of Joshua 1 my mind went back to those childhood
moments of trying to overcome my fears. God sounded a lot like your parents or
mine when they told us to get a handle on our fears except for the fact that he
got over his fears while we struggled with ours.
We
know the rest of the story therefore we know Joshua DID find courage to lead
God’s people to victory after victory as they conquered Canaan. What can we
learn from how he overcame his fear?
Joshua
remembered what God had done for His people in the
past. He was aware that they best predictor of what someone may do in the
future is what that someone did in the past.
Joshua
saw the miracles God did when He led them out of Egypt. And he remembered how
God had delivered
From
the mighty Egyptian army by closing the Sea back on them after He had opened it
for them. God led them with a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at
night, gave them manna every morning and water in a desert land.
As
He remembered the mighty acts of God and as he reasoned that God is the same
yesterday, today and forever he concluded that what He had done before He could
(AND WOULD) do it again!
But
not only did Joshua remember but he also received what God had for him –
faith, hope, courage, wisdom, blessing and vision. Don’t think Joshua never
experience fear. He was dedicated but he wasn’t dead! Rather than allow fear to
rise in his heart he chose to receive faith from God.
Fear
is a choice. So is faith. Whichever you receive will shape your reality. Like
Moses before him Joshua received faith and rejected fear!
Are
you struggling with fear right now?
It
may not be monsters under your bed or a dark room, but fear is real and it will
lead you to a dark place where you don’t want to be.
Don’t
make the mistake of believing Joshua never struggled with fear. Fear was real
in his world, too, but when it tried to arise in him he rejected it. Instead,
he chose to remember the God He served and received faith to overcome his fear.
What
worked for Joshua will work for you! When fear threatens you, remember the God
you serve and receive His presence, peace and power!
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