Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:6-9  

We face uncertain times. Our world is showing itself to be an unsafe place. Over the last weeks, during a holiday celebration in France, a terrorist killed 80 people by driving his truck through the crowds of innocent people. The military staged an attempted coup in Turkey. In my home country, police killings have made the news – unarmed people shot by police and police gunned down by snipers. Even here in peaceful Zambia, political cadres are being killed by police and by other cadres.

But it’s not only violence that plagues us. We are being pressured by culture to accommodate to the world. To accept the world’s wisdom. To accept the world’s standards. To accept the world’s morality. Even the United Methodist Church herself is not exempt, as some of our American brothers and sisters have seemed bent on changing scripture to meet their desires.

And add to that everything we face every day. School fees. No jobs. HIV/AIDS. Malaria. Cholera. Gender-based violence.

What do we do when life is scary?

The beginning of the Book of Joshua represents a turning point in the history of God’s people. Moses, the one who miraculously led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, the one who took them through the Red Sea, the one who brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain, the one who led them in battle, he is now dead. God’s people are left in crisis. What are they supposed to do? How are they supposed to respond? How are they ever going to enter the Promised Land? And, even worse, if Moses himself can’t enter the Promised Land, what hope do these “normal” people have?

Thankfully, God gave his people a word. There are really multiple parts to the word God gave. First of all, he repeated one phrase three times. “Be strong and courageous.” When God shows up, this is often part of what he says. Do not fear. Does this mean there won’t be scary things? No. On the contrary, God is acknowledging our fear. He is acknowledging the fact that life is scary. But he is also saying that during the worst of it, he is with us.

In Ephesians 6:10-20, we are told to put on the full armor of God. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Then in verse 13: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then… The armor of God is about standing strong and courageously against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12).

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

We can stand strong and courageously with God’s Truth. With a right relationship with God. The good news of peace, which we know comes from from the Holy Spirit. With faith shielding us from Satan’s attacks. Salvation protects us, and God’s Word is our weapon.

This is why God tells Joshua to. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Our culture strays to the right and the left all of the time. But their success is not guaranteed. If we follow culture, we miss the mark. Did you know that the Greek word for “sin” literally is an archery term that means “to miss the mark” – that’s what we do when we stray from God’s law.

How do we keep to God’s law?  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; in other words, talk about it to one another. Know it so well that it simply spills out of your mouth. That’s why I am asking you to memorize Scripture. Do you have it memorized?

Then he continues: meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. You become what you spend your time on. Meditating on the Word determines your trajectory. As you plan the direction you want to go, your thoughts will point you. This is why transformation comes from the renewing of your mind by God’s Word.

This is the secret of success. It’s not getting lots of money. It’s being transformed into Christ’s likeness. And God commands us: Be strong and courageous.

But he does not simply give us the command. He continues by saying:  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

He promised that he will be with us. And in the Holy Spirit, he is more than just “with” us. He lives in us. We have God himself living in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Get to know him, because he will protect you and give you success, as he has defined it. And success means being transformed into Christ’s likeness.