Joshua 1:9- Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Before Joshua could win the campaigns in the valleys, he first had to win the battles in the battlefield of the mind. Three times, each in his first encounter with God, after the death of Moses, Joshua was told to be of good courage and to be strong. I truly believe that defeat was inevitable unless God gave Joshua His Word before going into any physical battles. Israel’s new leader had to be spiritually prepared in order to overcome all obstacles.
Fear, worrying, rebellion, and doubt are innate. They come natural to a Christian lacking faith in God, and natural to unbelieving sinners. We knew sin before salvation through Jesus Christ. The ills of the flesh are our defaults. So if we do not trust in the Lord with all our heart (Prov. 3:5-6), we will succumb to our assumptions, base our predictions on them, and the natural tendencies of our flesh will naturally take control. To be spiritually strong will enable us to have the mental courage we will need to defeat our enemies. If we lack courage there is a spiritual problem. God will be with us in all that we do, if we take courage in knowing that he will not leave us. Let us prepare ourselves for the New Year by being strong and of good courage. As God commanded Joshua, He is commanding all His children: be strong and of good courage.