“…I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

When Joshua took over the challenging and confrontational leadership position of leading the children of Israel, he was backed by a convincing and powerful promise of God, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) Believers often quote the promise of God to Joshua by personalizing it “The Lord will not leave me nor forsake me”. Indeed, God will never leave His own, except if His own disown Him by living outside of His command. It is a great blessing to have God on our side; however, God’s blessing is rooted in conditions that have to be met before the blessing manifests itself. It would not have happened for Joshua if he had failed to operate under the conditions that were laid down for the manifestation of God’s promise. The conditions for Joshua were for him to, “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6) This same condition applies to any believer who wants to personalize God’s promise to Joshua. Without being strong in the Lord and having courage rooted in trusting God, Joshua would not have entered into the promises of God. Being strong and courageous is what will make any believer to be able to observe the word of God. Observing the word of God is in meditation just as it was laid down for Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it…” (Joshua 1:8) It is clear in the word of God that meditation will generate the ability to observe the word (Observe: to regard with attention, so as to see or to obey, comply with, or conform to). Without meditating on the word, nothing will be in place to observe. A believer can only be strong when the joy of the Lord is present inside of him.  Nehemiah 8:10, “…For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Joy that is rooted in the heart, not laughter or a smile, is a direct access to the presence of God. The Psalmist stated, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11) With the presence of God, a strength that cannot be shaken will make it impossible for any man to stand against a believer that is in the word of God. Having joy in the Lord is the evidence of fully trusting. Courage is to shut fear down and open up to faith. Faith is what provokes the move of God’s, hand not fear. With strength and courage, the grace to observe the word will lead to doing what the Lord had said. The word that He spoke to Joshua is also speaking to us, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7) Evidently, being strong and courageous in the face of undeniable challenge or overwhelming pressure will make a believer prevail. When crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel demonstrated great fear when Pharaoh and his force drew near to them. The Children of Israel cried unto God and Moses responded, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14) Being strong in the Lord (having strength in the joy of the Lord) enabled the children of Israel to stand still. The lesson is clear: having courage will terminate fear. Without fear, there will be that ability to see victory even when the victory is yet to be there. Most times quoting the word of God is easier said than done. It is easy to confess, “The Lord will not leave me nor forsake me”, but it can be challenging to hold on to His Word of grace that will keep us in His promise. The word of God has to be consciously activated before it can deliver unto us the promise. Challenges might persist, it might present itself unexpectedly, however, standing in the word of God will make us to become victorious. As a final point: it is important to know and accept that the word of God is living and it is deliverance for those that choose to live in the word of God and not in the word of this world.
 
The combination of strength and courage makes a winning believer.
Strength is the testimony of character; boldness is the evidence of courage.