Joshua 1: 7-9, New International Version

“Be strong and very courageous. 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. 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We all need reminders of the truth. Our feelings can get in the way of the actual truth that lies before us. We can easily get caught up in the expected outcome of a situation that hasn’t even happened yet, and it causes fear, anxiety, stress and other negative things to creep in and try to dig into your life and make a comfy place to stay.  But here is a truth that the Lord reminded me of earlier today…

“Be strong and very courageous. 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. 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9, NIV)

This scripture says so much to me, to us, that we need to be reminded of! Let’s break it down. The Lord tells us to be strong and courageous. He is saying this very thing to Joshua as he is preparing to lead the Israelites into the land God had promised them.  God was with Joshua. That is why Joshua could be strong and courageous! He wasn’t going anywhere where God wasn’t! Also, Joshua trusted in God; he knew God’s commands and saw the benefits of obedience to God. The scripture tells us to “keep this Book of the Law on your lips; meditate on it day and night.” We have 66 books in the Bible that give us what we need to live a life of holiness and righteousness. If we are spending time in the Word to know the Word, our confidence and trust will grow as we grow in Him. There will be no room in our lives for fear, anxiety, or discouragement.  Those things may come at us, but we can look back on the Word, and we can bring down these “strongholds” with the Word of God and live a life of victory over our enemies!

What are you dealing with today that needs to be overcome with the word of God?  What has God spoken over you and this situation? Whenever we need help, we should go to the source of life, of hope, of strength—where our help comes from! He knows all things and has the answer to all things. His truth was meant to set the captive free! All we have to do is trust, believe, and obey the Word of God and the Lord will do the rest!

We all have moments in our life that can be challenging. Sometimes it is easy to respond in the flesh to those situations. I want to encourage us to recognize the situation and take it to the Word of God! I have experienced freedom in my own life because of the Word that is active and alive! This only encourages me to continue to seek truth and apply it to my life! I hope and pray that you will be encouraged in the same way! If you have not experienced God at work in your life through His Word, there is no better time to seek Him through His Word and open your heart to Him than right now. Scripture tells us, “’Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:12-14, NIV) I pray that together, we will seek the Lord with all our hearts, that we will find Him, we will call to Him, He will hear us, and He will gather us to Himself and experience Him deeper than ever before, reaching a place of peace and contentment as we rest in Him.