Joshua 1:7
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
Devotional Thoughts
By Gary Wilkerson
Every believer has a high calling from the Lord, and God promises that if we act in faith, trusting him, he will bring that plan to fruition. But as anyone who has walked with Jesus for any length of time can attest, following our calling means we will meet obstacles along the way.
Joshua had provided strong leadership for the children of Israel after Moses died and the people trusted him. Yet when it came time to lead the people through the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God saw his need for reassurance and he spoke to him three times about being bold: “Be strong and courageous … Only be strong and very courageous … 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 1:6-7, 9).
As we faithfully seek to cross into our personal promised land, voices of skepticism often arise. “It’s not going to happen. It’s easier where you are. How can you be sure you heard from God?” The questions may come from a friend or acquaintance, challenging what you believe to be God’s direction. Or it may be a voice inside your head raising every kind of argument to keep you from obeying your Father’s direction.
You will be most vulnerable to attacks of the enemy when you are on the brink of possessing the land God has called you to inhabit. The enemy — and our flesh — will put up strong resistance in the form of fear, anxiety, doubt and uncertainty. But that is the precise time you must heed the instruction that God gave to Joshua.
Be of good courage! God’s immovable Word provides a prevailing peace that undergirds all you do so that you will not be shaken.