Strong and Courageous

How would you like to follow Moses? God chose Joshua to follow Moses and lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. The biblical Book of Joshua begins with this charge from God to Joshua.

Joshua 1:6 (NLT)
6  “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.

God had previously sworn an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would inhabit the Promised Land. God was going to make this happen, and He was looking for a man with the courage to believe Him. He chose Joshua.

God reminded Joshua to be careful to obey everything that Moses had told him before he died. Keep the instructions of Moses front and center in your life, and you will be successful in this calling of God.

Joshua 1:7 (NLT)
7  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Can you see the same spiritual application for the church today? God has called the church to be strong and courageous because we are also in a spiritual battle on our way to the Promised Land of Heaven.

The question then and now is this. How can we know the right road to the Promised Land? The Book of the Law, the Book of Instructions, was given by God to Moses. It’s called the Torah, and the Torah includes the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Book of Instructions was the Word of God, and that Word would guide their way to the Promised Land. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)
8  Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9  This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

God has also told us (the church) to stay on the ancient godly path and not to turn to the left or the right. We have so much more godly instruction than the Torah; we have the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments.

The Prophet Jeremiah was given a similar warning about staying on the godly path to the Promised Land and not turning to the right or left. Jeremiah lived around 1,000 years after Moses and Joshua, but the godly way, the way to God’s presence, had not changed. This road requires courage and strength to walk on our way to the Promised Land.

Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)
16  This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.

Today, the church has the Bible, the Word of God, our Book of Instructions. We are called, like Joshua, to meditate on this Book day and night so that we might not turn to the right or left on our journey to the Promised Land.

Many today have abandoned the Book of Instructions and find themselves wandering in the wilderness, just outside the Promised Land.

God has promised to take the church of Jesus Christ into the Promised Land of Heaven. And like in the days of Joshua, He’s looking for men and women with the courage and strength to believe Him.