My Chaos… God’s Kingdom

So much has been going on that I have really slacked off on continuing updating you all. Today it’s self has been a long day. However it has been a good day. I pray that it is a productive afternoon.

We have been in such a hard season lately. Not that long ago a very dear friend got a prophecy for me from God. It contained Joshua 1:9 “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.” Along with this came a word She also received from the Lord, Brave. Courage or Courageous appears in the bible at 38 times according to biblegateway.com. According to dictonary.com brave means is defined as; to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage. Courage (by the same source) is defined as; the ability to do something that frightens one. so 38 times doing something despite the fear is mentioned. Let that sink for a minute. As I was looking at Joshua 1:9 I pulled up the Step Bible app on my phone the, and the Blue Letter Bible app and looked up the Hebrew word for courage. It is awes which is pronounced aw-mats’ meaning: to be strong, alert, courageous, brave, stout, bold, solid, or hard.

It has been pointed out to me many times that it doesn’t say to feel strong or feel courageous. God starts off Joshua 1:9 with “have I not commanded you” this doesn’t mean only if we feel like it or when we want to it means to do it. God also said “be strong and courageous in 1:6 and 1:7 says “only be strong and very courageous…” (A little back story is the is after Moses had died and God was commissioning Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites). I don’t know about you but I think God is trying to convey to Joshua that he needs to be a strong and courageous leader. If you know Joshua’s story you know he goes on to conquer many of the people that stood in the way of them inheriting the land God had promised their fathers. So we know that the courage and strength was necessary.

I have to admit that I haven’t spent much time in Joshua. However it has been on my heart to spend time there and see how he used his courage and strength God told him to have. So as I settle in to read more and dig in, I find myself wonder if Joshua ever felt the heaviness of that mantle. Right now it’s hard to see the brave that so many say they have seen. It feels so heavy because I don’t FEEL brave. However a sweet sweet friend reminded me this weekend “Brave isn’t what you have, it’s what you do despite the fear” I pray that you will join me on this journey in Joshua! Stay tuned for his many victories in the Lord!

Much Love, Stacie