Have Not I Commanded Thee?

Courage is more easily spoken about than practiced. It’s easy to talk about what the Lord can do but challenging to put yourself in a position for Him to do things through you. 

We can talk about healing all day and night, but when sickness stares us in the face, the activation of faith is suddenly hindered by an overwhelming presence of fear.

We speak highly of love yet curse when faced with hate. We ask God for a wife and then run when a sister looks in our direction. 

We have lost our backbone. We, the wicked and adulterous generation of little faith, more than anything, lack courage. 

Much like God and His people, this world and age require courage. Cowards will not bring Christ’s second coming; only those brave enough to stand up against the devil, the heroes of the faith, can complete the acts. 

This is a subject the Lord has been working with me on, and it has been a hard lesson to learn. In other words, I thought I was big and bad until I came face to face with the devil, using my greatest weaknesses against me. 

The devil knows no limits. He fights dirty. We expect the enemy to come from behind enemy lines, but what we least expect is when he comes from friends, family, and loved ones.

Add to that his armament of our childhood trauma and the weaponization of our insecurities, and we have ourselves a recipe for disaster.

But with God, there is hope. 

As we read these passages, I encourage you to catch this revelation: To realize God is talking to you fully, you must place your name in the scripture. It will help your faith and relationship with the Lord tremendously. 

Joshua 1:5 says, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 

I don’t know about you, but this is God speaking to me. Of course, we understand we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, so do not confuse this with a call to take up arms against the vessels of the devil, but rather the devils that anoint them. 

The devil himself. 

Verse 6 - 7 says, “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” 

‘Be strong and of good courage.’ There’s a lot to unpack here, but the keywords that stick out are ‘strong, good, courage, law, servant, prosper,’ and ‘goest.’

Have strength. Be good. Have courage. Follow the law, be a servant, prosper, and in the infinite way of speaking, ‘goest,’ meaning continually go, a word that applies today to us, just as much as it did yesterday to Joshua. 

Anything we want, we can have; as long as we ask in the Spirit of God, Him placed in our hearts, and vanity done away with, we will prosper. 

Do you want to prosper? Be strong and of good courage. 

Do you want the victory? Follow the law; be a servant. 

You want eternal life—the inheritance—the promised land?

Go. 

Go into all the world and preach the gospel, so that whosoever shall hear it will not perish, but have everlasting life, being made free indeed while receiving the joy of their salvation. We do not go to a lonely land reserved for a few, but the promised land is a home for multitudes, and we are a part of them. It is not mine or yours alone, but it is all of the bride’s home.

Where is she? This bride. She’s out there where we once were, in the world, waiting for the one who will be sent to take the Bridegroom to her. 

We must get ready. He’s coming sooner now than we think. 

Verse 8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” 

The Word of God is our weapon, not to use against the people but to use against the enemy, and honestly, I have nothing else to discuss in this scripture. I feel like it’s pretty straightforward. 

Do you want success? Meditate day and night to do all that is written. 

Do you want to prosper? Remember who the Commander is, good and faithful servant. 

Verse 9, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” 

Oh, the most encouraging part of this scripture: Who is your commander? Who tells you what to do? Who do you serve? Have you seen the nature of the serpent or the dove? Are you of God or the devil?

Who is your master? 

If your master is God, then you will be strong and of good courage, for He commandeth you. He leads you through the battle to take you to the promised land. 

He will not leave you nor forsake you. 

The devil? He is a punishing and fear-mongering master who leads you down the path to damnation, making you feel pain, cowardice, anger, and hatred. What good has that ever done? There is no good in it! The only way it can be worked for good is through God. 

Be not afraid, brothers and sisters. The Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. 

Be courageous and strong-versed in the word, my fellow fighters; lean not to your understanding. If you do, you will fail, acting as a devil servant. Yet, as a servant of God, you shall not perish but have everlasting life. 

Go, my brothers. Go! Take Christ with you! Though we near the end, this fight is not yet over.