‘Be strong and of good courage…’ Joshua 1:6 NKJV
Joshua discovered four reasons why you need to be strong and demonstrate courage. Yesterday we looked at the first two. Today let’s look at the next two: (3) For the sake of others. People are watching you. They want to know if you’ll face the situation with courage or buckle before it in fear. Your ability to demonstrate faith in the midst of difficulties will give them courage. The battle is not just about you, it’s about those God has planned to bless through you. You may not have money or fame, but you have influence. The attitudes you display and the decisions you make will influence your children and your grandchildren. You say, ‘But I am afraid.’ We all experience fear. But the Psalmist declared, ‘Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.’ (Psalm 56:3 NKJV) (4) For your enemies’ sake. David wrote: ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…’ (Psalm 23:5 NKJV) God will not only fight for you, He will vindicate you in the eyes of your critics. It’s good to have critics and competitors. Sometimes a foe can press you into victory where a friend cannot. Who would ever have heard of David, without Goliath? Who would have known about Moses, if there had been no Pharaoh oppressing God’s people? And what would have been known about Esther, without Haman’s evil plot against the Jews? What’s your dream? Is there an enemy standing between you and its fulfilment? Maybe God is waiting for you to confront them so they become an instrument in His hand to press you into your destiny.
SoulFood: Lev 23:26-25:55, Matt 11:1-9, Ps 107:1-9, Pr 3:13-18
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012
