Mission Venture Ministries

“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. 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” (Joshua 1:8-9). 

Life can be full of challenges, sorrows, and tough decisions. But even amidst hardship, the Lord counsels us to be strong and courageous. Understanding Joshua 1:9 in the Bible can help us face hard things with faith and confidence. 

God has given us the gift of salvation and assigned a mission for us to accomplish (Matthew 28:19-20), providing us with experiences that will help us carry out our parts of that mission. Along the way, we will have “rivers” to cross; however, because God is with us, we can walk across those rivers with courage and live victoriously, focusing our eyes on Him and the purpose He has for His eternal kingdom. God tells Joshua several times to be strong and courageous. 

If God has called us to lead, it means that He has also given us courage and strength to lead. When God calls us into leadership, He makes us a promise just like He made to Joshua.  He promises to give us everything we need to be successful and to accomplish His will because: “The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). 

We need to understand that the right way to lead is to lead by faith.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Then Hebrews 11:6 shows us the importance of faith with this truth, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” 

Faith is never a risk and certainly not a leap into the unknown. Faith is believing in the promises of God, and it is in this assurance that we gain courage and strength. 

The Lord spelled out what Joshua must do in order to succeed at bringing the people into the Promised Land: “Be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (v. 8). Obedience is of utmost importance because God’s methods won’t always be understood until after there is total obedience. 

When the people approached Jericho, the Lord gave Joshua a very strange command; march around the city once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. Then shout and the walls will fall down (Joshua 6:3-5). 

If Joshua had not followed God’s directions, he would not have succeeded. Like Joshua, we must trust the Lord and courageously obey no matter what He may require of us. 

James tells us that: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,…” (James 1:5–6). And we need to make sure that we are asking in the right spirit as David did: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4), and He will; and as we focus on Him and move forward in obedience, we will be equipped for everything that He calls us to do. 

Remember that part of being strong and of a good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength. In Joshua’s case, he didn’t have all the answers for the challenges before him. But he was counseled to go forward anyway, acting in faith. Like Joshua, we seldom have all the answers to our personal challenges, but God promises that when we turn to Him for guidance, we will succeed. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He has the answers and gives us the strength we need to face any challenge before us. He was with Joshua, and God will be with us also as we obey His leadership. 

Whenever you are going through a storm, not only pray that God will deliver you, but also that He will grant you the souls of others with whom you have contact during the storm. He may be taking you through the storm for the very reason that He wants to use you to bring the gospel to others “on board” with you. 

We should be of good courage because God is our protector and defender (Psalm 46:1). We don’t have to be afraid because we are secure in the Father’s love (1 John 4:18). When God is for us, nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31), and nothing can separate us from His great love (Romans 8:35–39). 

God uses times of turbulence and suffering to strengthen and refine us, so as we follow Joshua’s lead let us serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15), we can be sure that God is working out His purposes for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).

*******