Be strong and courageous.
—Joshua 1:6
Joshua was eighty-five years old when God drafted him to lead a cantankerous crowd into the Promised Land.
The assignment was daunting: Canaan was occupied by seven nations, all stronger than Joshua’s ragtag flock.
So, three times, recorded in the early verses of Joshua, God tells him to be strong and courageous (1:6, 7, 9).
Like Joshua, you may be traveling into new territory. A move to a new town, a new school, a new job, a new challenge. Or you may be enduring a painful passage in your life: the breakup of a marriage, the death of a loved one, a distressing health issue.
Be strong and courageous. And don’t face it alone. Claim these three powerful promises from God: I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you (Is 41:10).
Your life shrinks or expands
in proportion to your courage.