Be Strong And Couragous

Joshua 10: 24-25 -  When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.  Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight."

 

It had been a doubly long day.  God had stopped the sun and moon from moving for maybe an extra 24 hours say some commentaries. The Israelites had not only protected the Gibeon slaves they had made a peace treaty with…but destroyed 5 other cities.  These 5 kings thought they had escaped...but the Israelite army had rolled a large rock over the mouth of the cave…and trapped them where they hid…and now Joshua was dragging out their death…to use them as a teaching tool.

 

Joshua wanted to transfer some of the courage and zeal God had given him to conquer the land of Canaan to his soldiers.  He used the visual of these 5 kings…dying at the hand of the Joshua’s sword…to speak what must have been his favorite words once again.  ….."Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight" …in hopes that tall the men would become as zealous as he was for the task God had given them to do.

 

These words were not meant for just the battle field.  They should resonate in our minds and give our spirit the power to do everything God calls us to do. I sure needed to hear them…and let God speak to me…for I have this self-confidence problem he seems to be working on lately.  Just yesterday…I felt my heart drop as the choir director handed me a microphone to help lead the praise music at church last night.  My hands got all sweaty...and I quickly glanced at my friend to vocalize my fears.  My voice is meager at best…and I always fear I will mess up the words…or rhythm…and I always let the thought that someone else could do the job better run through my mind. I didn’t even go to church Sunday morning…gripped by fear that some snow falling at the time would cause me to wreck.  And let’s not even go into hoe nervous I get when he gives me an opportunity to speak to adults!

 

Joshua’s words were meant to help me realize that the power to complete any task is not in myself…but in the strength of God if I would only stop before each task and claim it.  He can take my meager voice and turn it into just what he needs…to speak his message to the ones he led to our service.  He can take a small portion of courage and enable me to drive wherever he needs me to be…whatever the weather is.   The cure for my low self-esteem issues have always been waiting for me in God’s great arms…I just have to learn to claim his power and courage before I begin any task. 

 

Father…you see the tears that flow fresh as I realize once again that I have settled way too many times on the human strengths and talents you blessed me with.  I thank you for the reminder that every talent you blessed me with …has a huge reserve of heavenly power that I should be tapping into on a regular basis.  Give me a gentle reminder…the next time that I am tempted by Satan to depend upon myself...to depend upon my human understanding of what you gave me to use for you. Place these words of Joshua….so close to the surface of my heart that they whisper in my ears every time I begin a task you gave me to do. Help me father to not just understand these words….but claim them…and let them make me bold beyond my wildest dreams…so you can use me in ways I never thought possible before. Amen.