A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (December 6, 2016)
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9, NLT)
Did you know that you and I are responsible for leading people to receive their Godly inheritance? That’s right, it’s us!! But there is one catch. We have to be strong and courageous. In other words, this is not a cake walk. This will not be accomplished without opposition.
Let’s look at the Hebrew words used for strong and courageous. The Hebrew word for strong is “chazaq” and the Hebrew word for courageous is “amats.” Chazaq means to seize, to fasten upon, to take hold, to withstand, and to be obstinate. Amats means to be alert, to be steadfastly minded, to be strong, to be established, to be hardened, and to be obstinate. The picture that I see here is a person that has taken hold of the Word of God and will never let go. This is a person that knows they have an enemy and stays alert at all times. They are hardened to God’s Word and will not back down or back up.
One of the prime examples I see in the Bible of this type person is David when he faces Goliath. Here was a young shepherd boy with a sling shot and he was not about to back down from the enemy.
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man (Goliath), fled from him, and were sore afraid. (1 Samuel 17:24)And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26)
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. (1 Samuel 17:32-33)
And when the Philistine (Goliath) looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:42-47)
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he
fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:48-51)
It is time for all of us to be strong and courageous!!!
