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Be courageous

by Rachel Jaboon

 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

Courage: The ability to do something that frightens you

What frightens you? Is it spiders, heights, talking in front of a crowd, disappointing people, failing.  There are a lot of fears we might have that affect the way we live life.

I think what frightens this generation the most is standing out. Marriane Williamson puts it this way:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you."

As Christians we are made to fear being different, standing up for our beliefs in a world that is so contrary to them. That's why we need to be courageous, because in order to be on fire for God these days we need to have the type of courage only God can give us. Growing up, I would always hear the message of the lukewarm church, that God will spit us out from his mouth, and I was so sure I wouldn't be caught in that group of people. Over the years we find ourselves in situations where we compromise our beliefs little by little to the point where no one respects us. It seems to those watching Christians from afar that we pick and choose which faith-related things we want to do and which ones we will ignore.

Joshua 1:9 is introducing a season of change for the Israelites. Moses has died and Joshua is appointed the leader to takeover. They are right on the edge of entering the promised land, something good, but God has to command him to be strong, courageous, and don't be afraid. Why?

Because its real!

We know that as the world progresses, it means we are closer to the Second Coming than ever before - something which is good, and something we look forward to.  But why in these moments does God command us to be courageous?  Because he knows it's the reality, that before we can step into the promised land, we must face challenges.

I don't know what personal challenge you are facing today - but to be the person God has intended, you need to be courageous. There are three things that often hinder us from walking in courage:

1. The Past
2. Comfort
3. Our mentality

The past often carries painful memories, trauma, and shame from mistakes we made, or things we never got to do. It is the reason a lot of people don't try new things because they remain stuck in the past as if it has control over their present life. God is not concerned about your past or present failings!

When God calls Gideon (Judges 6), he is literally hiding from his oppressors, and it took him testing God before he could accept the courageous challenge. When the angel greets him in the midst of his fears he calls him a man of valour - literally meaning: great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. What this says to us is that if God has commanded us to do anything, especially to have courage, he has already done it. He called Gideon something he wasn't because he knows the end from the beginning.

A lot of us are comfortable so when we are faced with a challenge that needs courage, we don't want to do it because we think we might lose something. It could be a job on the line, friendships, assets, or things we have spent years working towards, thinking they will bring us comfort. If your security is found in these things that are here today and gone tomorrow, do you really have any security at all? Wouldn't you rather base your security in the God who provides all these things for you?

When Esther becomes Queen, she is in a good position and is asked to do something that means she will risk losing everything, including her life. This is a real challenge, because she could go before the king and be killed before she accomplishes anything. On the side of courage, she could risk it all and gain even more than she expected, which is what happened.  When we choose not to walk courageously, it exposes our lack of faith in God.

A lot of people prefer to live a mundane life, thinking that it means less is required from them. You show up on time, you do the work, and because you don't bring attention to yourself, you believe that it's meaningless. Before David became King he was a farm boy and his life was exactly like that. What you view as a mundane, everyday boring task is what God is using to prepare you for something even bigger. When Samuel came to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, David was not the first, second, or third pick, he was not even considered in the line-up at all.  Maybe you see yourself like that, that there are many other people God will use so you don't need to bother. It is due to those very characteristics that you might deem unimportant - the integrity and work ethic - that you are in fact the right one to face this task courageously.

When God tells Joshua to be courageous, he knows what's happened in the past, but he also knows what the future holds - and he knows the same for each one of us. He knows we've been hurt, looked down upon, and He knows how hard you've worked and what it would mean to lose it. God makes himself clear in what he calls us to do.  If you're not sure, you can challenge him like Gideon, but it comes to a point where you know.  Maybe you're afraid, but this is the instruction for today: Be courageous!

Courage is a burden for us because it comes with so many risks, but it is not our burden to bear - it is God's. Courage is not about the thing you fear, it's about what you will do when you are faced with the thing that you fear. We always think that we are waiting on God, but have you ever considered that this time he's the one waiting on you?

God is waiting on you to be courageous!

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