After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:1-9).
The charge and commandments given by the Lord in this opening chapter of the book of Joshua were direct and powerful. God gave Joshua simple yet very direct orders as to what he was to do in order to lead Israel to victory. In this critical time in Israel’s history, Joshua needed to hear and obey the Lord.
The message and commands were not only for Joshua and Israel at a unique time. It is a message for all believers – the church of Jesus Christ – in all circumstances and at all times. Our approach to following Christ should be just that – a bold and aggressive approach and perspective – continually.
In what ways and in what areas of life should this be true? Every way and every area. We are called to be strong, bold, and aggressive in our walk with Christ.
Pray boldly and aggressively. Read the Word of God boldly and aggressively. Obey the Word of God boldly and aggressively. Proclaim the truth boldly and aggressively. Fulfill the call of God on your life boldly and aggressively.
Why is it so important to do this? Because this is what it will take to get our job done. A powerful and great example in Scripture that illustrates why courage and boldness are so critical is the story of David in 1 Samuel 17.
The story powerfully parallels many truths we see in our society today. Goliath was loud, bold, arrogant, and confident as he challenged and dared the army of Israel to send out a champion to fight him. Goliath was a part of the Philistine army, the enemies of God. They worshipped idols and were a wicked nation.
However, Goliath and his taunts went largely unchallenged for a while. Why? Because the soldiers of the army of Israel and their king were afraid of him. Sadly, in our world today, too often sin is loud, bold, arrogant, and aggressive in promoting its agenda. And too often it has appeared that the people of God have been afraid, timid, and reluctant to even speak against, much less openly oppose an enemy like Goliath.
It was not until David arrived on the scene that things changed. David knew that his God was bigger than the problem that stood in front of Israel that day. So with confident trust and faith in God, David met Goliath’s challenge and went out on the battlefield and defeated him!
Much like the Goliath that Israel faced, the body of Christ faces a world of giants who come in many different forms. Giants with names like human trafficking, pornography, abortion and Planned Parenthood, homosexuality and LGBTQ, darkness, communism, etc.
Just as it took a believer who trusted his God, we too must keep our eyes on God and our trust in Him. We must be bold and courageous about hearing and speaking the truth. We are to pray and obey boldly, standing ready to be witnesses who share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not be intimidated. We are to seek God for biblical, wise, and fruitful solutions to the problems and challenges in our world. We are to boldly speak out against the injustice of abortion and say what the Word of God says “You shall not murder” Exodus 20:13.
We are to take a stand whenever and wherever necessary to faithfully represent Christ in this dark world. We are to share gospel tracts wherever and whenever the Lord wants us to. We are to get involved in ministries that are on the front lines of the issues of our day. We are to be His courageous ambassadors wherever we go.
The world should never outdo the people of God in anything. Our cause is Jesus Christ! It is God and His will! It is the building of the kingdom of God.
What is their cause? Darkness, destruction, and hell. Let’s be about our Father’s business – with strength - boldly and aggressively moving forward.
We are wise to faithfully heed what the Lord told Joshua. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
