Chapter 2
A Call to Courage
Joshua 1
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
—1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV
Joshua and all of Israel may not have been aware of the journey, the battles, and the wars they were about to embark upon, but God knew. God knew it would take more than shields and a good strategy to overcome their enemies and lead Israel to victory. God knew it would take courage. Even before Moses died, he was preparing Joshua for the position of future leader of Israel. In the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, God was telling Moses to encourage Joshua to be strong and courageous, because it was Joshua who would lead the people to inherit the land.
“But your helper, Joshua son of Nun, will go into the land. Encourage Joshua because he will lead the Israelites to take the land for their own.” (Deut. 1:38 ERV)
So the Lord said to Moses, “Joshua son of Nun is very wise. You will place your hand on him and make him the new leader.” (Num. 27:18 ERV)
These two scriptures, among many more, show how God had been preparing and grooming Joshua for the job to lead His people. God knew that Joshua had the prerequisite to get the job done, but He also understood that Joshua was human and could be discouraged. Joshua could have said, “No, not me, Lord. Choose Caleb. Or why don’t you use Moses, Lord. He started it. Why not let him finish it?”
Don’t we often ask this when things are difficult? “Why not use someone else, Lord? Why me?” Are you at a crossroad in your life right now and saying, “No, Lord, not me”? Are you being stubborn like Moses and Gideon? Or defiant like Jonah? Moses made up lots of excuses why he was not qualified to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. It could have been because he tried before and failed, or he was afraid the Egyptians would kill him since he had to run away forty years ago. Moses blamed his speech defect and stutter, but because he was the man for the job, God did not give into his excuses. An angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “Mighty Hero the Lord is with you.” Giedion wanted to know for certain that the Lord would be with him in battle, so he requested a sign from the Lord many times.
What is your excuse today? Maybe you are saying you are not qualified enough. Or are you too old or too weak? Today, you don’t have to be the strongest, the fastest, or the most eloquent. The only prerequisite is courage. If you have courage to believe that you can do it, that the Lord is with you and goes before you and fights on your behalf, you will have courage to face life’s battles and win.
You know that there is a call on your life, but because you are crippled by fear, you have said in your heart, “Not me, Lord. I can’t lead this missions to India. I can’t pastor this church. I can’t start this young adult men’s group. I can’t become a community organizer. I can’t inspire this movement or agenda. I can’t write this book. What do I know about becoming a mayor, senator, or judge?” I dare you to ask, “Why not me?” I am not saying Joshua was reluctant or refused to do what the Lord commanded him to do. But I know for a fact that sometimes the Lord asks us to do something or go somewhere, and we are hesitant to do it when it seems too great a task for us. Sometimes we have an idea and fail to turn that idea into a reality because of fear. In Joshua, chapter 1, God lays out a list of things that Joshua should follow accurately, and Israel will experience victory and have success. One of the things God told Joshua to do was to be of good courage. What we need now more than ever is courage—courage to fight, courage to speak the truth, and courage to stand for God and advance the kingdom of God.
But what is courage? Dictionary.com says, “Courage permits one to face extreme dangers and difficulties without fear.” As we go through this chapter, we will discuss some of the other attributes and character traits that God presented to Joshua to become successful. My definition of courage is “the ability to endure pressure under extreme circumstances.” In other words, we must develop mental fortitude, boldness, bravery, fitness, and discipline. These are characteristics not seen with the naked eye but developed within. If you notice, God did not ask Joshua to go out and gather metal to make swords, spears, or helmets. I have come to realize that developing courage will help you win the battle nine out of ten times. A person with courage will never stop, but a person with a natural skill and ability will soon give up.
God promised Joshua that as he was with Moses, so He would be with him. God promised to go before us and fight for us. When we believe that God is with us every step of the way, we will stand firmly and securely on His promises. You will have courage to weather the storm—and courage when your heart is broken. You will have courage when you are financially failing, courage to start over, and courage to rebuild. If you have courage to put Christ at the center of any crisis you face, you will never fail.
Through constant tests today, God builds our courage for our battles of tomorrow.