Make A Move »
By bwagner on May 20, 2011 in General | 0 Comments
“Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9
His mentor and friend had passed away. The people needed a leader; but who should it be and how would anyone be able to “measure up” to the task at hand? The people of Israel had been wondering in the desert for 4o years, and now Moses was gone. Was it possible to ever reach the land which God had promised or would they remain in the wilderness, never knowing the fulfillment of their destiny?
Joshua had to have asked himself these questions and many more after Moses passed away. Fear, doubt, and anxiety must have tried to present themselves as he pondered the events that had taken place. BUT GOD….
Joshua heard the voice of the Lord when He said, “arise, go over…you and all this people, to the land which I am giving them….”(Joshua 1:2). Can you imagine? If that had been me, I probably would have said, “You talking to me, Lord?” – as I looked around to see who else could be a possibility.
Apparently Joshua needed some reassurance, as well. How do we know this? Read Joshua 1:1-9. God said to Joshua, “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (vs. 5); “Be strong and of good courage” (vs. 6); “Only be strong and very courageous” (vs. 7); and “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (vs. 9).
The awesome part of this story isn’t that Joshua needed reassurance – just as you and I often do. The awesome part of the story is that he “pushed through” his fear and anxiety to accomplish that which God had called him to do. He was willing to “make a move”!
Many times in our own lives, we allow fear, anxiety, or self-doubt to keep us from moving forward. We’re so afraid of failure that we do nothing at all. Failure is not bad, as long as we learn something along the way. When we fail, we learn and make adjustments. By doing so, we keep ourselves on the “cutting edge” of reaching our destiny. However, if we allow fear to keep us from taking a risk to do that which God has called us to do, we become stagnant. And a stagnant pond stinks!
Determine today to “fail forward” – as Josh McDowell says. If you make a mistake, so what! If you only accomplish part of the goal, so what! If others don’t see the value in what you’ve done, so what! As long as you are moving in the direction you feel God has called you to go, success is guaranteed! Square your shoulders, hold your head up, and look into the horizon. You won’t be disappointed!
