Have I Not Commanded You?
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Joshua 1:9 The Context: Moses had died and Joshua was given the privileged responsibility of leading the Jews in entering and conquering the promised land. It was a humanly impossible task and Joshua sensed it clearly. His natural response was uncertainty and fear. God gave Joshua possibly the most clear and complete declaration of His powerful presence recorded in the Bible. Read it in Josh 1:6-9. The comfort and confidence was not just in the promises God made but even more so in the fact that it was GOD Himself who commanded Joshua to lead. As always, God never commands something that He does not give the necessary resources to accomplish.
God Asks Us: to Joshua… "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
JNE: Notice that God never told Joshua that it would be easy. But knowing that God was with him gave Joshua the confidence to obey. God hasn’t commanded me to conquer a nation, but He has given me the command to love my wife, to love my neighbor, and many more things that at times seem very challenging. Are there some commands I have been avoiding because I’ve felt I couldn’t succeed or do them well? What difference would it make if I knew God Himself was right beside me to bring His success?
Joshua 1:9 The Context: Moses had died and Joshua was given the privileged responsibility of leading the Jews in entering and conquering the promised land. It was a humanly impossible task and Joshua sensed it clearly. His natural response was uncertainty and fear. God gave Joshua possibly the most clear and complete declaration of His powerful presence recorded in the Bible. Read it in Josh 1:6-9. The comfort and confidence was not just in the promises God made but even more so in the fact that it was GOD Himself who commanded Joshua to lead. As always, God never commands something that He does not give the necessary resources to accomplish.
God Asks Us: to Joshua… "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
JNE: Notice that God never told Joshua that it would be easy. But knowing that God was with him gave Joshua the confidence to obey. God hasn’t commanded me to conquer a nation, but He has given me the command to love my wife, to love my neighbor, and many more things that at times seem very challenging. Are there some commands I have been avoiding because I’ve felt I couldn’t succeed or do them well? What difference would it make if I knew God Himself was right beside me to bring His success?