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Joshua 1:9

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”.

In the days and times in which we live, we must ask ourselves this question from time to time. I would like to think that once would be sufficient, but I also like to be “real” as well. This is an excerpt from a sermon that I preached shortly after having a rather severe back injury, that could have easily kept me at home. But, I refused. It was a test, a BIG test that has been teaching me things that I never thought of, or were even possible.  Lets look at a couple of things:

  1. PRIDE – One of Satan’s best used tools! Are we “too good” to do the Lord’s work? Face it, sometimes we feel like it’s beneath us, like we have something better to do. WRONG! God said: “GO”, and that we must – regardless.
  2. SHAME – Satan is bold, why aren’t we? I used this just yesterday in a sermon as well. Look at the boldness of Peter and John in the Book of Acts! ( I preached from Chapter 4:5-13) In fact, when we think of “bold” Joshua should be one of the first names that comes to mind! Joshua was a “kick tail and ask questions later” kind of guy. Especially since he knew where his directions came from. (And so should we) We need great BOLDNESS resonating from the church house, not just the pulpits….
  3. FEAR – What have we to fear, but fear itself? Look back at the verse. It’s a common theme here! You can reference vs. 5, 6, and 7 real easily. In fact, it flows perfectly. We have the promise that God will be with us “whithersoever”. Let that sink in! That will preach from many different angles, but for now I want to focus on our daily walk with Him. Regardless of what we face – HE IS WITH IS! Daily. Never forget this. We have nothing to fear, even death itself.
  4. COMPLACENCY – I dare say that most reading this attend church somewhere. Let me ask you something – What do you do with what you hear in church? Seriously, think about it? Does it have any impact on your life beyond a slightly muttered “amen”? Or, are you simply “saved, seated, and satisfied”? Friends, that won’t cut it with God! We must get out of our comfort zones and do something for the On in Whom we call Lord!

Its kind of like this: When we are faced with challenges (even on a daily basis) we have but 3 choices:

  1. Turn and walk away.
  2. Stand still.
  3. Press forward, regardless. (<- Guess where the biggest blessing lies)
  • Ultimately, YOU are the only one who can stop you! The world can’t. Even the Devil himself can’t. He can be very powerful, enticing, and convincing – yes, I know. BUT, if we draw close to Him AND STAY THERE, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish when we do things God’s Way. “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”.

So, how about you? What is going to take to stop you? We can all be hindered from time to time, but even that should be minimized if our walk is right…..

 

Bro. Billy McCormick

 

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