Be strong (confident) and of a good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
- Joshua 1:6-7
Not only is it possible to be humble and bold, it is impossible to be truly bold without humility. Joshua was a man who was both. God told him to finish the job Moses started and take the Israelites into the Promised Land. Immediately after giving Joshua the command, God announced to him, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).
Joshua’s confidence rested in the fact that God was with him, and because of that he was able to go forward to do something that he probably felt unqualified to do. Joshua must have felt fear because the Lord repeatedly told him to “fear not,” which means “don’t run!”
God told Joshua that if he would be strong, confident, and full of courage, he would cause the people to inherit the land that God had promised them.
Lord, what an amazing promise this is! I receive it as my own. Help me to know Your Word and to be absolutely faithful to it. Amen.
Ignoring the Word Always Leads to Error
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.”
Luke 20:27–28
In September of 1862, General Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland hoping that victories in the north would encourage other nations to recognize the Confederacy and put pressure on the Union to end the war. Lee laid out an ambitious and risky strategy, dividing his army into three units and sending them different directions in hope of catching the Union Army, under General McClellan, off guard.
Lee’s detailed battle plan, Special Order 191, told exactly what he planned to do. Mistakenly, one copy was left behind and discovered by a Union corporal. Yet despite receiving full details of the Rebel plans, General McClellan delayed his response, waiting almost a full day before responding. He had all the information he needed, but because of McClellan’s delay the Battle of Antietam failed to be the smashing victory it could have been. Historians still debate the reasons for McClellan’s failure to act on the information he was given, but there is no question about the negative result.
The Lord has given us all that we need for the Christian life in His Word. When we fail to believe and act on the truth of the Bible, we always go astray. We forfeit the possibility of victory when we fail to take advantage of the wealth of information provided for us. God has given us knowledge of the enemy’s plan of attack and how we can defeat him: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Luke 20:27–28
In September of 1862, General Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland hoping that victories in the north would encourage other nations to recognize the Confederacy and put pressure on the Union to end the war. Lee laid out an ambitious and risky strategy, dividing his army into three units and sending them different directions in hope of catching the Union Army, under General McClellan, off guard.
Lee’s detailed battle plan, Special Order 191, told exactly what he planned to do. Mistakenly, one copy was left behind and discovered by a Union corporal. Yet despite receiving full details of the Rebel plans, General McClellan delayed his response, waiting almost a full day before responding. He had all the information he needed, but because of McClellan’s delay the Battle of Antietam failed to be the smashing victory it could have been. Historians still debate the reasons for McClellan’s failure to act on the information he was given, but there is no question about the negative result.
The Lord has given us all that we need for the Christian life in His Word. When we fail to believe and act on the truth of the Bible, we always go astray. We forfeit the possibility of victory when we fail to take advantage of the wealth of information provided for us. God has given us knowledge of the enemy’s plan of attack and how we can defeat him: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we do not take seriously what God has told us in His Word, our lives will be filled with error.
Humble and Bold
by Joyce Meyer - posted September 17, 2016Be strong (confident) and of a good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
- Joshua 1:6-7
Not only is it possible to be humble and bold, it is impossible to be truly bold without humility. Joshua was a man who was both. God told him to finish the job Moses started and take the Israelites into the Promised Land. Immediately after giving Joshua the command, God announced to him, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).
Joshua’s confidence rested in the fact that God was with him, and because of that he was able to go forward to do something that he probably felt unqualified to do. Joshua must have felt fear because the Lord repeatedly told him to “fear not,” which means “don’t run!”
God told Joshua that if he would be strong, confident, and full of courage, he would cause the people to inherit the land that God had promised them.
Lord, what an amazing promise this is! I receive it as my own. Help me to know Your Word and to be absolutely faithful to it. Amen.
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