Take Courage
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Joshua one:nine This is my command: be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. In the last two episodes we took a look at fear and beloved I believe courage should get equal time.
Sarita Bernadette:Don't you? Noah Webster's eighteen twenty eight defines courage as a quality of mind that enables one to face danger and difficulties with firmness, resolution, and without depression of spirit. It's bravery, valor, and boldness. It's intrepidity. Remember that word?
Sarita Bernadette:That's the quality of being resolutely fearless, dauntless, and possessing bold courage in the face of danger, pain, or difficulty. It describes a state of brave, daring, and unwavering spirit. Courage in the Bible is defined as bold confidence and strength rooted in faith. Not the absence of fear, but trusting God's presence and power. Beloved, we can be courageous because God has promised us his presence and his protection.
Sarita Bernadette:No reason to live in fear. Our courage comes from knowing God's got us. At all times God's got us. We rely on his strength not our own. When we're weak, He is strong.
Sarita Bernadette:And again, it's a command, beloved. It's a command. Don't wait for the feeling it may not come. Courage Courage. Let's collect some dots through the story of Joshua in the Old Testament.
Sarita Bernadette:What a profile in courage. Allow this to encourage you. It encouraged me. It is recorded that Joshua was born to Nun, an Israelite in Goshen. Nun was his father.
Sarita Bernadette:It doesn't mention his mom. Stay with me. Goshen was the fertile land in the Eastern Nile Delta of Egypt assigned to the Hebrews. It represents a place of refuge and divine protection. Historically, it was where the Israelites lived prior to the Exodus.
Sarita Bernadette:It symbolizes a set apart place, a place of safety and blessing. Beloved, please understand that not one moment of your life is wasted. God is penning the best script ever written. He has plans for you from the time you were born. Joshua's place of birth was significant.
Sarita Bernadette:He was born and raised in a place set apart by God, a place of divine refuge and protection. God had his eyes on him from birth. I believe the Lord calls us from the womb. He sets us apart so we can fulfill our assignments. Joshua was given the name Hoshea or Oshea, meaning salvation.
Sarita Bernadette:Moses changed his name to Joshua, meaning God is salvation, right before he was sent out among the 12 men to spy out the land of Canaan. You're probably familiar with that story. And you see his courage on display right away when he and Caleb were the only two to come back with a hopeful report. When the other 10 men spoke of fearing the giants in that land, Joshua and Caleb said, paraphrasing here, Let's go. We can take them.
Sarita Bernadette:They acknowledge the giants are there, but they don't focus on them. They focus on the power of the Almighty God. Courage. In Exodus 24 Israel came under attack from the Amalekites. Moses told Joshua to choose some men and go out and fight them.
Sarita Bernadette:Moses said he would stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand signifying the presence of the Lord. As long as Moses was up there with his arms raised, the Israelites prevailed. But when Moses got tired and lowered his arms, they began losing. So Aaron and Hur, who had gone up with him, propped Moses up on a rock and held his arms up until the sun set. Joshua and the Israelites came out victorious.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, it takes courage to keep fighting. But when you know God is in the battle with you, you can keep swinging that sword until you see the victory. After the battle was won, something of note happened in verses fourteen and fifteen. It reads: Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this as a remembrance in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua. I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.
Sarita Bernadette:And Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner. I believe the Lord's instructions to Moses served to turbo boost Joshua's courage by reminding him of the victory against the nation of Amalek. God was preparing him for what was ahead. He told Moses to have the remembrance read in his hearing, read aloud, spoken, if you will. Remember, the kingdom of God is voice activated.
Sarita Bernadette:We as believers activate our faith, God's divine power, and God's promises by speaking his word out loud. Use your words, beloved. Later, in the thirty third chapter of Exodus, something else happened that we cannot overlook in the eleventh verse. It says, Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.
Sarita Bernadette:That's Exodus thirty three and eleven. So Moses set up a tent of meeting, they called it. It was outside the camp, and he would go there to meet with God face to face, it says, as a man speaks to his friend, my Lord. A pillar of cloud would come down at the entrance of that tent whenever Moses went in there, and the people would stand in the doorway of their own tents to watch and to worship. After Moses finished speaking with God in the tent of meeting, young Joshua, his assistant, would not leave the tent.
Sarita Bernadette:He would stay in there, beloved. He wanted to remain in the presence of the Lord. And I can only imagine what that experience was like for him. I know when I'm in his presence, I don't want to leave either. The Lord was preparing Joshua for leadership there in that holy place.
Sarita Bernadette:Joshua became devoted and committed to the work of the Lord there in that holy place. Because of his spirit of leadership, the Lord chose Joshua to be Moses' successor in Numbers twenty seven and eighteen. Now note, beloved, this was forty years in the making. My Lord, that's another day's discussion. Moses laid hands on and appointed Joshua to be the next leader of the Israelites after forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Sarita Bernadette:The Lord has Moses to do this publicly so there's no doubt who the next leader is to be. Joshua was encouraged multiple times to be strong and courageous because ahead of him was the formidable task of leading two to 3,000,000, yes, two to 3,000,000, do your research, people into Canaan. But the Lord promised to be with him. And sure enough, God began Joshua's leadership era with a major miracle. The parting of the Jordan River allowed the Israelites to cross into Canaan on dry ground.
Sarita Bernadette:Just as the Lord had confirmed Moses' authority by parting the Red Sea, he did similarly for Joshua. Again, it's the small details that appear huge to me. Joshua three and five. Joshua told the people, Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you. It takes courage and faith to make that kind of declaration, especially before two to 3,000,000 people.
Sarita Bernadette:Remember, beloved, again, the kingdom is voice activated. The Jordan River was at flood stage at that time. It wasn't passable by normal means. So at the instruction of the Lord through Joshua, the priest stepped in first. Courage and faith in operation.
Sarita Bernadette:As the priest's feet touched the river, the river stopped flowing and the people were able to cross over. After all the people were across, Joshua instructed 12 men, one from each tribe, to set up a memorial of the event. There it is again, the memorial. There it is again, the reminder. Joshua four and six says, he told them, This is to serve as a sign among you.
Sarita Bernadette:In the future, when your children ask you, what do these stones mean?' Tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. The memorial served to document the miracle and to encourage future generations. Then there was Jericho.
Sarita Bernadette:God instructed Joshua to have the army march around the city. You're probably familiar with this story. They march around the city with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. For six days they march around once daily in silence. And then on the seventh day, they marched around seven times.
Sarita Bernadette:The priests blew a long blast on the ram's horns, and the people shouted in one great and loud shout. The walls fell down, allowing the Israelites to enter the city and destroy it. Then, as a military commander, Joshua led the Israelites in a seven year campaign conquering 31 kings and their cities west of the Jordan River. This all included that famous battle where he commanded the sun to stand still to ensure victory. Joshua eleven eighteen through 20 reads, It took seven years of war to accomplish all of this.
Sarita Bernadette:None of the cities was given a peace treaty except the Hivites of Gibeon. All the others were destroyed for the Lord made the enemy kings want to fight the Israelis instead of asking for peace. So they were mercilessly killed as the Lord had commanded Moses. Joshua faced fortified cities and fearful people, yet he led with courage. Courage rooted in the promise of God's presence.
Sarita Bernadette:So Joshua began life in Egypt as a slave, yet he rose to become one of the premier leaders of Israel through faithful obedience to God and courage. Yes, courage, beloved. One last important point about Joshua. He serves as a profound Old Testament type, if you will, a foreshadowing of Christ. He was a leader, deliverer, and warrior who brought God's people into their promised inheritance.
Sarita Bernadette:He and Jesus share the same name: Yahweh Saves. Joshua led Israel into Canaan while Jesus leads believers into a life of fellowship, victory, and ultimately eternal rest. I've had several conversations lately that, have weighed heavily on my heart, and in these conversations we discussed our goals, our aspirations, our frustrations, and even our disappointments. And along the way, these questions kept coming up. What if we could see the forces surrounding us, rooting for us, working diligently on our behalf?
Sarita Bernadette:God's forces. What if we could see what was going on daily to guarantee our success? What if we fully embraced what God promises in his word when he tells us to be courageous because he is with us? I honestly believe fear and doubt would disappear. We would be all gas and no brakes.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, I read a quote recently and I'm not sure who gets the credit. I couldn't find the author, but it read: Some don't recognize your courage because they don't know your story. Appreciate how far you've come. Many of us sell ourselves short when it comes to courage. We don't give ourselves enough credit for tapping into the supernatural part of God and getting the work done.
Sarita Bernadette:We tend to check a box and move right on to the next, never stopping to really take stock of what the Lord has done in our lives. Remember the Lord's instruction to Moses. He said, Write this as a remembrance in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua. Beloved, I'm telling you it's time to make a list of the victories and recite them in your own hearing out loud. Encourage yourself.
Sarita Bernadette:The kingdom is voice activated. First Corinthians sixteen thirteen: Keep alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. You've been listening to Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it.
Sarita Bernadette:You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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