COURAGE IS A COMMAND
- DAY 288
- FAITH FILE: JOSHUA
- SCRIPTURES: Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
The beginning of Joshua 1 records God’s conversation with Joshua after the passing of Moses. God is instructing and encouraging him to succeed. When we get to our text today He repeats a phrase he had said to Joshua before, “Be strong and of good courage.” the only difference it is prefixed with the phrase “Have I not commanded you.”
The thing that I found interesting is that when God said these words before, he never added “I command you” He just said, “Be of good courage.” That means that when God opened his mouth and spoke, it automatically became a command.
Authority Makes Command
You and I know that anyone cannot just speak and it will become a command. That person has to have the authority to back the word they speak. For example, when the recent Nigerian president was giving his swearing-in speech in May 2023, he said, “Fuel subsidy gone.” The moment he said it, even though it had not been announced officially, the whole nation went into a panic. If I had said the same thing, no one would have flinched. Why? I do not have the authority to back that word but the president did.
God has the authority to back up the words that come out of his mouth. He is not only God and creator, he is also King and Lord. When a king speaks even if he’s joking, it becomes law and it cannot be overturned or undone. Defying that word is rebellion and that means instant death and if you ever disobey the word of a president you go to jail.
Faith Good, Fear Bad
So that means that when you allow fear to control you, or to live in your heart, you are disobeying God’s command. If you walk by faith & live courageously, you please the Lord.
God, I want to live a life of faith, but maybe I’m struggling in some places. And so I ask that you give me strength and grace to be able to obey your word and your command. I don’t want to let fear control me. I want to live in faith and courage. And you see that God will empower you with strength and grace.
Shalom.
