Be Courageous
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What are you afraid of? What make you scared?
Maybe it’s creepy crawly's?
Maybe animals? like snakes?
Maybe storms?
Maybe public speaking?
In our story tonight we learn of a young man who was about to face several scary things in his life. He was about to become the new leader of a whole nation of people.
How would you like to be the president? Would that be scary? You would not just be in charge of the country, a lot of people would be depending on you to lead them in a good way. Maybe you would be afraid to let someone down, or that someone wouldn’t like you or the way you lead.
The young man in or story wasn’t just becoming the new leader, he was following a great leader before him. I’m there would be many that would compare him to the last lead of the nation.
The new leader also, was about to enter into battle. He had to lead an army to war, and go fight to win his home.
War can be pretty scary right?
But God tells this new leader in our text in God’s Word three times to be strong and to have courage.
What does courage mean?
- does it mean that your not scared? no
- does it mean that you just run away? no
Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valour is courage or bravery, especially in battle.
I like to say courage is to be brave. It does not mean that you will not be afraid. But you chose to do what needs to be done in spite of being afraid. Your willingness to act through the fear.
The Bible tells us that we can trust God when we are afraid.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Through our fear we can lean on God to lead us through. He knows all things and if we trust Him, He will help us through whatever fears we may face.
Let’s read our story. Read: Joshua 1:1-9: Scary Boxes
God teaches us a few things about courage through the taking up of the leadership of Joshua.
God Sees the Other Side
God Sees the Other Side
Verse 6
Have Courage because sees the other side of the problem we are facing.
You were afraid of what was in the boxes because you cannot see what was inside. This is often what causes people to fear the most. When we can’t see our minds make things up.
Many are afraid of the dark because our minds start to see things that are not there.
Joshua is stepping up into leadership of the nation of Israel and he is about to enter into battle. God tells Him sot be strong and courageous. He says in verse 6 that Joshua will divide the land for an inheritance.
God has has already seen the other side of whatever your afraid of.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
Walk by faith
Walk by faith
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
African Impala
African Impala
The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.
Faith and fear cannot exist in the same person at the same time.
Fear is not from God.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
But what is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is complete trust in something you cannot see. It the foundation of your beliefs. the substance in that verse speaks of a solid like a bedrock or foundation of a building.
We can build the structure of our whole lives on the foundation of faith. Faith in God and Faith in Christ.
God has seen the other side, so we need to trust in Him and not be afraid.
The Answer
The Answer
We can have courage because God had given us the answers we need in every area of our lives.
Verses 7-8
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
There are two ways to seek the Lord. We talk to the Lord in prayer. But we hear from God by reading His Word. The Bible.
The Bible give us the answers we need in life. When we are afraid we need to just look to the Bible find comfort in It’s pages.
This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me.
But there are some that chooses not to look to the Bible, because the Bible is like a mirror James tells us.
Looking glass
Looking glass
A certain missionary wanted to gain access for a missionary to work in some of the African tribes, so he brought down trinkets to be bartered with the natives. Among them was a package of little hand mirrors, such as ladies use.
The natives had never seen their own faces except in the waters of some lake or stream. So the news of this wonderful instrument by which people could see their features was spread abroad. The missionary was invited by the tribe after tribe to visit them with his hand glass.
In the interior was a princess in one of the tribes who had been told that she was the most beautiful woman on earth. When she heard of this instrument in which she might see what a beautiful creature she was, she bade the missionary bring one of the mirrors. (The truth was, the princess was the least attractive woman in the tribe.)
She took the mirror into the hut to take a good, long look at her beauty. When she held up the glass and saw what she really looked like she lifted her royal fist, dashed the glass to pieces, banished the missionary, and made a law that no looking glass should ever be brought into the tribe again.
Why did the princess hate the glass? Because it told her the truth about herself—that she was an ugly woman—and she did not like it.
For some reason people turn away from the Bible. It tells man that all of his righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God’s sight.
God is With You
God is With You
Verse 9
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Many in the mist of there fear forget this promise. That God is with them. God reminded Joshua that He was with him.
One of the best-loved hymns of the faith, “It Is Well with My Soul,” was written by Horatio Spafford. Mr. Spafford, a wealthy businessman in Chicago, lost much of his real estate holdings in the Great Chicago Fire. After the fire, he sent his wife and four daughters on a ship to Europe, intending to join them later, for a time of rest as well as to assist Moody and Sankey with a revival in Great Britain. But the voyage was struck by disaster, and Spafford received a cable from his wife with the painful message, “Saved alone.”
Spafford quickly made arrangements to join his wife. When they reached the spot where his daughters had drowned, Spafford marked that sad event with words of hope: “When peace like a river attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’”
These powerful words written in the midst of such pain are a reminder to us today that, even though we may be enduring great suffering and hardship, it is not the end of God’s plan for us. Sometimes God’s children get discouraged because it appears that life is going better for those who are doing wrong. Yet the end result of both paths is already settled. Those who fear God will be able to say, “It is well.” Those who oppose God will quickly find that the end of their path is death and destruction. Keeping the end result in mind helps us keep doing right.
No matter the pain you may face, no matter the fears you face. God is always with you.
You only need to simply turn to Him in prayer and faith.
You maybe afraid of a small spider or snake. but if you are here tonight and you have never trusted Jesus as your savoir then you should be afraid of going another day without knowing where you will go after you die.
The Bible tells us that we will all die and some point in our lives but if you are not a Christian the Bible tells us that place is hell.
We want to show you from the Bible how you can know you are on your way to heaven.
Christian, what are you afraid? Trust God, go to Him in prayer, look to His Word for your answers.