Watchmen of the Wall

Walking in His Wake

Scripture Reading: Joshua 1
“Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid; neither be thou dismayed, for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9).

In Joshua 1:9 God warned Joshua not to fall for two of the most effective deterrents to a Promised Land existence. “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.” Fear. Discouragement.

Fear is the very factor that keeps many of us from living out the reality that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We can do it, but frankly we won’t if we’re too afraid to try. Satan will do anything he can to scare you away from your God-ordained destiny. I have wrestled with a stronghold of fear much of my life. Like you, my life challenges and long list of loved ones provide the enemy no few opportunities to prey on my fears. I have often heard the statistic that 90 percent of what we fear never comes to pass. Certainly, those statistics have proved true in my experience, but God has taught me as much from the 10 percent as the 90. Paradoxically, one of the ways God has cured many of my fears is to allow a few of them to come to fruition. After the crises came and went, He seemed to say to my heart:

“ Did you live through it?”
“Well, yes, I guess I did.”
“Was the devil able to use it to destroy you?”
“No, Sir. Apparently he wasn’t.”“Are you still serving me?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“Did you glean anything that might serve the body?”
“I believe I did. Volumes in fact.”
“Do I still love you?”
“Undoubtedly, Lord.”“Do you still love Me?”
“More than ever, Lord.”
“Why?”
“Because we made it. You and me.”

Immediately after God told Joshua not to be terrified or discouraged, He gave him the important reason. The reason had nothing to do with the absence of terrifying or discouraging circumstances. On the contrary, Joshua had never faced anything so frightful or potentially disparaging. What reason did God give Joshua for turning from fear and discouragement in the face of huge opposition? “The LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9). When Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid in the storm, the reason wasn’t the removal of their frightful circumstances but the presence of their Savior. “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).

Remember, faith is never the denial of reality. It is belief in a greater reality. In other words, the truth may be that you are presently surrounded by terrifying or terribly discouraging circumstances. The reason you don’t have to buckle to fear and discouragement is the presence of God in the middle of your circumstances. Call upon Him to step His One and Only shoes onto your territory and take over like the commander of the LORD’s Army (Joshua 5:15) Hear Him say to you the words He said to Joshua: “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” That place, that circumstance, is holy because God stands on it with you. You don’t have to fill His shoes, Dear One. Take off your sandals and walk barefoot in His wake.

Almighty God, thank You that I don’t have to pretend that my frightful and discouraging circumstances aren’t real. The source of my courage is that You are present in the middle of the battle. Please help me overcome fear and live out the truth that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I praise You for the new perspective that these battlefields are holy ground because You are there with me. Let these trials produce the fruit You desire from my life. In the strong and mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Written by: Beth Moore