Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Imagine you are Joshua and you are to take over from Moses. Moses was the great man of God, this was the man that God had used to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt after 430 years of bondage. This is the man who had the rod that performed miracles, the signs and wonders that he performed in Egypt had never been seen before. Moses was the man who went up the mountain and talked to God face to face. He is the same man who came down the mountain with the tablets of the 10 commandments and his face shone with the glory of God so much so that he had to put a veil on it. This great man was not able to complete the task of getting the children of Israel into the land of promise and now Joshua was supposed to take up his role.
Talk about feeling inadequate, talk about being in well over your head, Joshua must have felt that way, no wonder God tells him 3 times to be bold and courageous and not to be afraid.
Have you ever been there? You look at what God is calling you to do and you feel way in over your head. You are not qualified, you have no connections, you do not have the resources and when you look at things from face value, it seems like you have failed even before you hit the start button.
Well Joshua fulfilled what God called him to do and the secret is found in;
Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
How do you overcome fear? By replacing it with faith. Where does faith come from? Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Joshua soaked himself in the word, he spoke it, he meditated on it and he did what it said and that guaranteed his success no matter how big an obstacle he faced.
What are you afraid of? What will you deliberately do to ensure that you build up your faith? What does Joshua 1:8 mean to you in relation to the challenge you are facing today?