November 13, 2023 – Monday
Joshua 1:9 NKJV
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
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Yesterday, Sunday, November 12, 2023, I was privileged and honored to preach / teach at a church in Ypsilanti, MI. It is a Hispanic church going bilingual. Its name is Iglesia Monte Horeb (Mount Horeb Church) and I had an interpreter to take my English and translate it into Spanish. Brother Alfonso did a wonderful job doing that.
It was minutes before I was to begin and I still did not know how I should begin, while in prayer the Holy Spirit gave me Joshua 1:9. So I began with something like this, “You may not know it, but as I was preparing for this message, I was nervous and scared as I had never done anything like this before. Then I remembered Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go and suddenly everything was okay.” From there I went on to give the message as the Holy Spirit led me.
But let’s talk about Joshua 1:9 for a little while. Before we begin it may be helpful to remember that the Hebrew name Joshua is translated directly into the Greek name Jesus. The two names are identical. When Israel entered and received the promised land, it was with Joshua as their leader. What we receive from God, we receive from Jesus the Christ, our Joshua. Chapter one of Joshua occurs after the death of Moses, when God installs Joshua as the leader of Israel. He had been the assistant of Moses for many years. Here we find Joshua as an example of the saying, “Great men and women are prepared by faithfulness in the small things.” In verse 1:2 God speaks to Joshua, 2Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.
After describing the land He was giving to Israel, God goes on to say in verses 5-7a, 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7a Only be strong and very courageous.
Then God added some conditions, nothing unusual, but something we should expect, 7 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. 8 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. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Then with the final instructions given, God encourages Joshua once again in the form of a command in verse 9, 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Almighty God has Joshua’s back, what had he to fear? Nothing.
In the minutes before I was to begin, I asked Sharon to write Joshua 1:9 down on a 3 by 5 card as I am sure my writing would have been unreadable. She kindly did so and handed me the 3 by 5 card probably wondering what that was all about. I quietly thanked her as Pastor Jose Rodriguez introduced me and all was well.
Bottom Line: Listen to God and He will provide the answers you need. And yes, He often speaks through His written word.
Prayer: Almighty God, All I can do is say “Thank You” again and again for providing me with the courage and strength to provide the message you provided me. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Still writing and working for the Glory of God