Be strong and courageous

God is with you, be strong and courageous.
Joshua Chapter 1 for a Wonderful Wednesday Morning:
The World we live in can be overwhelming at times. Each day you are faced with challenges that go beyond your ability to complete. As you read about the task that stood in front of Joshua the successor to Moses, you may be able to relate in some way to how he must have felt. Here he was commanded by God to walk in the shoes of the greatest man to walk the planet since Abraham, the father of Israel, had died. Not only that he is told that his responsibility is to finish the job that Moses could not complete. Take the people of Israel into the land that God had promised to them and defeat the nations that were the land's current occupants.
God tells Joshua the requirements for fulfilling His calling throughout this chapter. One key to success is staying strong and full of courage in the face of the enemy, doubt from the people he leads, and his own self-doubt. Fear is a constant enemy of the person who seeks to face these challenges in the name of the Lord. Once fear sets in it can lead us to compromise with the World we are told to stand against. Fear can cause us to disregard God’s law or pretend to not know Him at all. It can cause us to give in to the pressures either from those we are leading or the peers we are surrounded by and hide the call that God has given us. Fear at times will even cause us to be frozen as we are swallowed up by self-doubt.
One way we overcome these fears that can pop up is to remember who sent us, who is going with us, and who is ultimately going to win the battle for us. God promises Joshua He will be with Him each step of the way just as He was with Moses, the man Joshua is replacing. God is not sending Joshua out on this mission by himself. No, the Lord is going to walk with Him each step of the way just as He had proven He would do with Moses, Joshua's predecessor.
As you go out to face your responsibilities today, remember that you are going in the name of the Lord. Regardless of how big or small the tasks you have in front of you are, remember He is with you each step guiding and providing for you. Jesus is going with you He, not you, is the One in charge of securing the victory.
If you’re able I hope to see, you tonight at Pine Level Missionary Baptist Church at 7PM as we begin our journey through this exciting book from God’s Word.