Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”-Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NRSV)
Joshua needed that encouragement. This was no little task. We know the crap Moses had to walk through with these people. Plus, he was walking into totally unknown territory. The enemy lay on the other side.
In the sight of Israel: He was passing on his authority, the people would now follow him. There was no backing out. He’s giving him divine leadership.
The Promise of God: “…that the Lord has sworn to their ancestors to give them”. God doesn’t always fulfill His promises the way we expect or in the timing we expect, but He does none the less. He uses faithful men like Joshua to fulfill His promises.
DO NOT FEAR OR BE DISMAYED. Two of the things that will keep us from fulfilling His call on our lives. Being afraid and being discouraged. Fear keeps us in a box so that we never even attempt the thing we are called to do. Discouragement is when we’ve had the courage to start, but when trouble, hardship, criticism or pain appear, we back down and return to the desert.
