Do Not Be
Afraid: Overcoming Memories
Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the
LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
When Joshua was preparing to take the Israelites into the Promised Land, God gave
him a promise: "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go." It wasn't just
the task that had Joshua worried. It was also a thirty-eight-year-old memory.
Two years after the exodus from Egypt, the nation arrived
at Kadesh where Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan. After forty days, the spies
returned burdened with the fruit of the land -- and burdened about the warlike
nature of the inhabitants. Ten of the spies warned Moses not to try to take the
land because the giants that lived there would surely defeat them. To their credit,
Joshua and Caleb disagreed, saying God would give them victory. For rebelling
against God at Kadesh, the nation wandered in the wilderness thirty-eight years
until that generation died off. Now Joshua would lead the second generation of
Israelites against the next generation of Canaanite giants and their iron chariots.
Memories are powerful things. If God is calling you to do something, don't
let a bad memory stand in your way -- "for the Lord your God is with you."
Take courage. We walk in the wilderness today and in the Promised Land tomorrow.
Read-Thru-the-Bible
Matthew 27-Mark 3
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