Have I not commanded you?

I love God's straight forward yet empowering message to Joshua in chapter 1. After the death of Moses, Joshua was set apart as the new leader of the Israelites. He had VERY large shoes to fill, and there's no doubt that he felt unequipped, unqualified, and terrified. God reminded Him of His promise to Abraham and then to Moses of blessing, land, and a great nation. He promised him success in battle against their enemies, conquest of any land they stepped foot on, and best of all, the Lord's presence with them. Why would Joshua even have reason to fear? And yet, God says in verse 9, "Have I not commanded you?" This is NOT the first time God told Joshua these truths. This is a repeated message, most likely because Joshua was afraid. Even a God-ordained leader, with guaranteed success and God's presence is shaking in his boots! This illustrates to me the very human-like qualities of Joshua.

I can empathize with him. Too many instances of my life have been plagued by fear and what-if's. I have been led to a specific ministry, yet I've laid awake at night wondering if I'd had enough of what I needed to do what God had called me to do. I've been paralyzed by possibilities of disaster and failure. Yet I hear the Lord challenge,

 "Have I not commanded you??"

Photo Credit to Ken Watson

"Be strong and very courageous! Don't be afraid, don't be discouraged. The Lord YOUR God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

Fear is the antithesis of faith, and God is calling us to live a life of faith. I've had the privilege of journeying with the Corban community and engaging difficult topics like sexual identity. Topics like these can be scary and it’s tempting at times to just stick our heads in the sand rather than “go to battle” as Christ followers in a post-Christian society. Friends, will you link arms with me in this good fight? Will you courageously enter into dialogue and learn to ask the hard questions? Will you learn with me how to embrace both truth and compassion?

Using this lesson of Joshua, I pray that I continue to help create a culture of courage and of great faith, for the Lord our God offers us His presence.