lessons from Josh

So I just have to say...

I'm sooo sorry that I haven't blogged in awhile!!

I promise I'm going to work on consistency.

Anywayyyy,

in the year long reading plan, we've been reading the book of Joshua.

I'm not sure if you've been reading along, but as I've been reading, I've noticed one major theme in this book. 

You wanna know why?

Because there is one phrase that is repeated over and over again.

(Repetition is a clue for "HEY, this is important!!")

"Be strong and courageous..."

Just in chapter 1, this phrase is repeated 4 times. 4 times! 

Verse 6 - "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them."

Verse 7 - "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go." 

Verse 9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Verse 18 - "Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous."

So let's think about this...

If we are being told to "be strong and courageous", that must mean that we are doing the opposite. So what is the opposite of this repetitive phrase?

Be weak and fearful.

So raise your hand (not really), if you have ever felt weak and fearful.

Yep, I'm raising my hand (not really). 

Clearly, the world we live in must cause us to be weak and fearful. 

Right?

Whether it be my Lyme Disease that makes me weak (literally) and fearful

or

maybe it's the economy that makes me feel weak and fearful.

There are plenty of reasons that we can feel this way. I'm sure you can list off some.

Joshua was commanded to do a lot of hard things, but just because they were hard or even if he was scared, he still went through with the commands God had given him.

Just like Joshua, we are going to face challenges, but God tells us to...

"Be strong and courageous." 

A lot of times it isn't easy to be strong and courageous, but God promises us that..

He is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9)

and 

when we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

With that being said...

Friends, "Be strong and courageous".

You have God on your side!

Check out this song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns! 

Bible reading plan for this week (I know I'm 2 days late, but I'll list them anyway):

April 8: Joshua 9-11

April 9: Josh 12-15

Today: Josh 16-18

April 11: Josh 19-21

April 12: Josh 22-24

April 13: Judges 1-2

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

Breakdown

b

So you might be thinking, "Breakdown? Your car broke down?" Nope...I broke down last night..yes, me. No, I didn't break down and eat some chocolate (that I'm not supposed to eat), but I guess you could say I had a mental break down. I like to think of myself as a strong person. At times, I am strong, but most of the time I'm not. Last night, emotions and lies overwhelmed me. Every second I would have a new emotion. I've never felt that way before...it was not a fun feeling. Part of it is that my treatment is killing some bacteria and releasing toxins in my brain so I kinda go a little crazy (haha I have an excuse! jk ), but the other part is that I am overwhelmed by so much. If I had a list of things that are overwhelming me, they could probably line a football field...well, maybe not that long, but you get the picture. So enough about my break down...I'm not sure, but I don't think I am the only person who has break downs. Many people may think that break downs show that you are weak. Last night, I did feel weak. The truth is that we are weak. It may not seem like a good thing, but it actually is...yes, I know you are probably thinking, "You're kidding, right?" No, I'm not kidding. The reason why being weak can be a good thing is that God is strong. He can be our strength. It's hard to stay strong on our own. I was trying to stay so strong for so long, but I couldn't stick with it. I'm weak. Am I proud of it? I should be, because God is my strength. He is the only person that can be strong 24/7. Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Well that's proof that we our weak, but God is our strength. What a great promise! We must wait on the Lord and trust in Him that He will make us strong. So back to the break down...when we have break downs, remember it's okay for us to cry and to feel weak, BUT we MUST remember that as long as we wait for God, He will be strong for us. Many blessings :)