To Be Courageous Like Joshua

Biblical Wisdom on Courage, Obedience and the Key to Success

Contrary to popular belief, people aren’t born courageous. There seems to be a misconception that people are born more courageous or less fearful than others but I would like to challenge this idea. I believe that some people may have more of a tendency to reckless and senseless bravado but that is due to their early life experiences rather than special birth sauce. I believe that true courage is a result of commitment and obedience despite fear. The story of Joshua sheds light on this.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” - Joshua 1:9 (NIV). Our first Bible study of the year is centered around God calling for Joshua to be courageous. To step out in faith, we need to have courage to do it. Joshua exemplifies this as he had to lead God’s people to the promised land and he had to take over from Moses - pretty big shoes to fill if you ask me.

Joshua’s story picks up from Moses’ death. In Joshua 1:2, God instructs Joshua to get ready to cross the Jordan River with His other people in order to get to the promised land. Following that, He commanded Joshua three times in the same chapter to “Be strong and courageous”; verses 6, 7 and 9. Joshua wasn’t born courageous, he became courageous because he was obedient to God’s commands.

Moses was the pillar God’s people looked to when leaving Egypt. He challenged Pharaoh, spoke to God directly, served as the conduit between God and His people and he also parted the Red Sea. Following his death, the weight of responsibility fell on Joshua’s shoulders - to lead the nation not that far removed from slavery and wandering through the wilderness, into the Promised Land inhabited by powerful enemies. Talk about pressure.

That being said, Joshua’s story highlights a key message; despite our fears, as long as we are in alignment with God we have no reason to fear. Joshua 1:6 (NIV) tells us, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”. Big purpose requires big courage and we have to be obedient to develop the courage required to fulfil that purpose.

In verses 7-8, it reads (allow me some conjecture here please) like God anticipates questions that Joshua (and that we) might have; “what should I do?”, “how will I know I’m doing the right thing?”, “is this the right thing to do?” - and He reiterates His command “Be strong and very courageous” then clarifies exactly what Joshua (and the rest of us) needs to do, “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. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”.

Verse 8 finishes with a promise, “Then you will be prosperous and successful”. The key to success was handed to us the moment we got access to the Bible. We just had to read it and gain a deeper understanding of the Kingdom for ourselves in order to unlock it.

Finally, Joshua 1:9 (NIV) reads like (again, do allow me some conjecture here please) God anticipates whatever doubts Joshua (and us) may have had left; “are you sure? Are you sure this is what I should do” and He responded and promised, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”.

Courage, obedience and success are inextricably linked and Joshua’s journey proves this. Here are some key takeaways worth considering:

God didn’t ask, request or suggest that Joshua should be courageous - He commanded it. There was no choice in the matter. To be a success in his given assignment, God didn’t present courage as an option but rather as a requirement. This makes it clear that in our walk, there is no room for fear or hesitation. Success depends not on our strength but on our obedience.

Courage is NOT a feeling, it is a choice rooted in obedience - Joshua didn’t feel courageous one day because the stars aligned, his courage flowed directly from his choice to be obedient. We all have a version of the “Promised Land” with challenges and obstacles that make it difficult to get there. It may be fear or inadequacy but I believe we can find courage in our obedience, just like Joshua did.

There is a right time and a wrong time to move - Joshua 1 vs 11 (NIV) tells us, “...three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own”. Similar to when facing the walls of Jericho where they marched around the city for 7 days, there is value in preparation and waiting before moving. People speak often about “leaps of faith” but Joshua’s story tells us there is a right time. The wrong time would have left God’s people ill-equipped to make it to the Promised Land.

There will be people who will help us reach the Promised Land - In Joshua 2, Joshua sent two spies to scout the land as part of their preparation. Verses 3 - 5 (NIV) tells us, “So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went.”

Support for us will come from unexpected places but we will never receive that support unless we make a move. People can’t support us in the journey to the Promised Land unless they know we’re making that journey. It takes courage to put yourself out there but that is the only way for our helpers to find us.

There will be people who can prevent us from reaching the promised land - Sadly, we can’t take everyone with us as they could prevent us from ever reaching our full potential. I also think it’s worth pointing out that disobedience can affect not just the individual, but entire communities. In Joshua 6:18-19, God gave implicit instructions to not take any of the plunder from Jericho however Joshua 7:1 (NIV) tells us, “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel”.

They suffered a humiliating defeat in their next battle against Ai and God told Joshua in verse 11, ““Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep”. There are people, like Achan, who carry disobedience, greed, dishonesty, bad vibes etc that can make the journey harder than it needs to be. Just as God instructed Joshua to remove Achan, we too must discern who is aligned with God’s purpose and who isn’t. Our Promised Land is too important to jeopardize.

Concluding

Reading the book of Joshua, a key observation was that he did everything God asked him to do. No pushback, no disobedience, no excuses. To my limited understanding, his only form of “rebellion” was in a moment where he acted without seeking God’s counsel. In Joshua 9:14-15 (NIV), “The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath”. This serves as a timely reminder to not lean on our own understanding as this could have been costly.

As I led with, courage isn’t something we’re born with though some people appear more courageous than others. Myself included, I recognise it takes a LOT to put ourselves out there. Every time I write, every time I do anything that brings me any form of attention, I wonder “Is this the moment I get found out?”. I recognise that who I am now is a far cry from who I was 2 or 3 years ago but I’ve had to be willing to shed that old skin and keep looking forward.

That being said, since I surrendered my life to Christ, my gifts have become clearer and I’ve made a commitment to be obedient. Every time I step out in faith, it takes courage. Courage I lacked in my youth, courage I’m still working on now. But the story of Joshua reminds us of God’s words;

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” - Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Be strong and courageous people. Our obedience is the key to reaching our full potential. As always, make a decision that future you will be grateful for.

Have a great week!

CT

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