Be Strong and very Courageous

I started lifting weights when I was 14 years old. Charles Atlas had a picture ad in the back of my "Superman" comic books and that's what I wanted. The ad featured a skinny kid getting sand kicked in his face at the beach, and I didn't want sand kicked in my face. I asked my mother how I could look like that and she said, "Lift weights," so I asked for a bench and set of barbells for Christmas one year.

Why did I want that? Because I was always the smallest kid in my class. Other kids made fun of me at school and it made me feel horrible and small. So I did lift weights, joined the wrestling team in the 9th grade, eventually went into the Marines, and earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Upon reflection, none of those things were my natural gifts, but I wanted to be strong and able to stand up for myself. I can't say  any of those things have hurt me, but they also haven't made me strong in the way that is most important.

When Joshua takes over the leadership of Israel following Moses' death, the new leader has some big shoes to fill. In fact, Joshua has been called to to do one thing Moses was not allowed to do, lead the people into the promised land. It might seem Joshua was given an impossible task except for one thing; God.

In Joshua 1:7 God commands Joshua to "be strong and very courageous." This was a command from the Lord, not friendly advice from a concerned friend. In other words, it wasn't optional. But what were the conditions of Johsua's strength? A barbell set, a black belt, a tour in the Marines? No, none of the above.

The source of Johsua's strength is found in verse 5 where God says, "as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you."

There it is. The source of Joshua's strength and courage was not in himself, but in God. Why was Joshua assured of victory? Because God was with him.

What are you facing today? Is God with you? If you trust Christ and are not pursuing some sinful course of action the answer is yes. Then be strong and very courageous. God is with you and if God be for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?