And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage. Joshua 10:25
Suggested reading Joshua 10
It was 5:30 in the afternoon and the traffic was horrible. It had been “one of those days” at work and all he wanted to do was to get home, get supper and get into his easy chair. The boss had been in a mood all day. Everything that he had attempted at work had crashed and now the bad mood of the day hung over him like a black cloud. Finally home, he was greeted at the door with, “Hurry and get ready. We have just enough time to make it to the revival meeting. You promised to sing in the choir tonight.” Revival?! Sing?! All he wanted to do was to run and hide somewhere. Anywhere!
In Joshua 10 the Israelites had been deceived and attacked. They were forced to fight a battle to defend a people who had tricked them into an unwise alliance. Now they were faced with many battles against a host of enemies. In verse 25 Joshua promises them that the Lord would give them victory over all their enemies. The rest of the chapter proved this to be true and in verse 42 we read,”The Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” In I Corinthians 10:11 we learn that the events in the histories of the Old Testament were illustrations for us. Pictures of events in our Christian lives. “Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition.” The book of Joshua recounts the history of the Jews from the time that they crossed the Jordan River until they possessed Canaan, the land that God had promised them. These stories are examples to us. Crossing the Jordan river and fighting battles are pictures of the Christian’s struggle to live a spirit filled life. The battles of Joshua picture the struggles we all fight against our enemy Satan. The People of God were discouraged. They had fought several battles already and had marched many miles. There were many more kings and nations yet to be defeated before they could rest. Joshua knew he had to encourage his people. He said to them, “Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage” because God would give them the victory.
He went to the revival that night. He was hungry but supper would taste even better after he had put the Lord first. Satan, the great enemy of our souls, had fought him all day and had almost defeated him. He was frightened by the prospect of even more spiritual struggles. By continuing to fight and not giving in to Satan, he overcame the fear and found victory in the strength that the Lord provided. God has promised us victory. God gave victory to Joshua and the Children of Israel over their enemies and “thus shall the Lord do to all YOUR enemies against whom YOU fight.”
Therefore, Fear not . . . and claim the victory.
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” I Corinthians 15:57
[podcast]https://lifeabovefear.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fear-Not-To-Claim-The-Victory-Life-Above-Fear.mp3[/podcast]
