“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
Do you have a dream in your heart or an impossible task that’s been placed before you? Today, I want you to find encouragement from the life of Joshua who was in a similar situation.
Joshua spent twenty years in Egypt, forty years in the wilderness and then fifty in the Promised Land. God used the first sixty years of Joshua’s life—during his tenure in Egypt and the wilderness—to prepare him to lead God’s people into the Promised Land.
Before moving forward, Joshua was told about four times in the book of Joshua chapter 1 to be strong and courageous. Perhaps he was afraid more times than the passage tells us. However, he took hold of God’s word and did not shrink back in fear! He fixed his eyes on the promises of God rather than fearing the obstacles of the enemy.
Like Joshua, you too might be in a season of preparation for the purpose God has for you. Regardless of how long it takes to realize your dream, I challenge you to use every opportunity to build courage for the task before you. Courage is not the absence of fear, but it’s the awareness of God’s presence with you wherever you go!
