Boldness
Please don’t forget this. No one will be able to defeat you all the days of your life. Hear the voice of the Lord saying to you today, Be strong…be bold and courageous! You don’t have to go with the crowd. The crowds have never gone with God anyway. They have no idea. True courage is in those who find their strength in the secret place of the Most High. They find those pathways that fallen people have never seen before, the place that the falcon’s eye has never seen, nor has the eagle ever flown (see Job 28:7). They find the discerning way. God said to Joshua,
“No one will be able to defeat you for the rest of your life! I will be with you as I was with Moses, and I will never fail nor abandon you.”
Joshua 1:5 TPT
If you ask me, this is the greatest encouragement any of us could possibly receive. Can you imagine how Joshua must have felt? We all do better when we’re affirmed by the support of others. And in this case, this was not just another; this was God! God was basically saying to him, Moses is dead, but you know what, Joshua? Just as you saw me work miracles through your amazing leader, I’m going to be with you in the same way. I’m going to work and flow through you. I’m going to show you my life the way I showed Moses. And I’m going to speak to you. Then just two chapters later, God appears to Joshua with his sword drawn. The Commander of Angel Armies actually manifests in person to him. He was with Joshua all the way. And in the same way God was with Joshua, God is also with you. Enter in today and find him to be more than enough.
Bury the Past to Seize the New Day Ahead
Can you just imagine if a whole generation sat there for forty years and just mourned over and over, saying, “Where’s Moses? How can we go on without Moses? Where’s the guy who opened the rock up so that water gushed out for us?” No. God has a new generation with a new destiny and a new calling. A new breed of leaders is rising. So, seize it! Seize the mantle of the Joshua generation. Rise up and take it. It’s yours! But if you don’t, somebody else will. Grab it and run with the torch and run with the vision. Do you know what keeps you from doing it? It’s called the fear of failure. But God in you will never fail you or leave you! In him you are more than a conqueror! Remember what God said to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous!”
You’ve just got to be who you are. Joshua had been trained by Moses, but he wasn’t Moses. Moses laid his hands on him and anointed him, but still he wasn’t Moses. Can you imagine the people saying to Joshua, “Oh, but you’re not Moses. We want Moses. Who do you think you are? You were only his assistant. You were just the junior guy. Your gifts are so different, and your personality is different from Moses’. And where’s the rod? You’re not carrying a rod.” You can imagine the insecurity that may have been working against Joshua. Every budding leader goes through that. But we must rise up and walk in our own anointing.
You don’t have the problems Joshua did, like taking a youth group into the promised land. Your problems are different, but you have the same God. Joshua didn’t even have a weapon, and there were walled cities and giants. Joshua had a lot to face ahead of him, but God said to him, like he’s saying to you, “Don’t worry. You will go in my strength against the enemies for I am God Almighty.” God’s got this, and he’s got you.
Be strong and brave. It’s the few who find him in the secret place, and that’s where they find their strength. Jesus walked on water. And so, the ways of those who follow after him will also find the paths that have never been mapped out. They will find the hidden path to the hidden place of God’s heart. They will be strong and brave and change the world.
“For I am Yahweh your God, and I will be with you wherever you go”
Joshua 1:9 TPT
Let’s Pray
God, I ask for boldness. At times, I have struggled with passivity. I’ve chosen an easy path instead of the ways of self-discipline and walking in supernatural boldness. I repent and ask you again, give me courage. Make me a part of the Joshua generation that will not shrink back in a time of trouble, but one who will race to face my giants, as did David. I want the boldness that the blood of Jesus has purchased for me. I want the boldness that only your Holy Spirit can give me. And I ask you to do this in my life today. Amen.
The above was adapted from The Joshua Generation: A 40-Day Journey into Your Promised Land, a devotional commentary on the book of Joshua.
Stuck in a spiritual wilderness, it can be easy to forget that God remains the God of overcomers. The power and victory present in the Old Testament still exist for Christians today.
In this biblical commentary, Brian and Candice Simmons will take you on a forty-day journey through Joshua with the empowering story of the Joshua generation. Be transformed from a wanderer to a warrior as you learn truths and strategies that will equip you to conquer giants of unbelief and possess your promised land. Just like Joshua, you can trust God’s promises during uncertainty. His strength can restore and release you to do his work for his purpose.
A new breed of believers is rising, stirred by the acts of Joshua and the people who followed him. Join these overcomers and watch God revive the faith of this generation. Click here to learn more.
