CAST OUT FEAR

Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel (Joshua 1:2)

Image courtesy tickledbyfear.com

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 (Joshua 1:9).

This is Joshua (not the image, referencing scripture above); the guy who together with Caleb in Numbers 14 confidently beat their chest and said “we are well able to take over the land of Canaan.” Okay, Mr. bold and optimistic, what happened? What are you afraid of now? Obviously, taking over from Moses was no child’s play. Now the transition from Moses to Joshua though captured in only a few verses in Chapter one, I believe there were days and nights Joshua was pacing up and down his tent thinking of the task that has passed on to Him. Probably he got scared and that precipitated God’s encouragement in vs 9.  Pause here! Note the phrase “HAVE I NOT COMMANDED THEE?” The phrase heightened my curiosity. Why? Because it is a past tense: it might be, and I am just speculating, that maybe before vs 9, God had already spoken to Joshua not to be afraid, but still the guy was afraid. 

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel”.  This command paints a picture of change: new things, new assignment, change of direction in life and venturing into the unknown. Now, I believe we all desire changes in our lives but change also comes with fear of the unknown. “Will I win, will this turn out well?” “Can I truly do this?” “Am I competent for this task?” Fear is a potent power that can ground and immobilize anyone from venturing into new territories. Fear will stop you from entering the place of change God has for you.

Fear I believe is “faith in the devil.” In 2 Timothy 1:7 it is clear that fear is a spirit—a spirit which is not from God. “…God hath not given us the spirit of fear.” Don’t allow your fear to stop you. Let your fears drive  you to your only source of strength—God (see Acts 4:29).