Taking Ground | Week 2
day 1
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9
If you’ve ever stepped into something that felt too big for you, too heavy, too overwhelming, too much responsibility, then you can relate to Joshua. He wasn’t simply taking a new job; he was stepping into the space previously occupied by Moses. Moses, who talked with God face-to-face. Moses, who led millions out of Egypt. Moses, who split the sea.
And now Joshua is the guy who has to follow that guy.
Sunday’s message captured this perfectly: “As a leader, you never want to be the guy who follows the guy who was a legend.”
Joshua must have felt the pressure pressing on all sides. And in that pressure, God speaks. What’s interesting is what he doesn't say. There’s no “Joshua, here are the ten battle strategies you’ll need.” No “Here’s the map for conquering Canaan.” God skips all that and goes straight to Joshua’s heart.
“Be strong and courageous.”
And then again: “Be strong and courageous.”
And then again: “Be strong and courageous.”
Three times in three verses. God repeats Himself because Joshua needed to hear the same truth more than once. And honestly, so do we.
We often think we need more information, more clarity, more details before we can move forward. But God knows that what we actually need is stability, a truth to return to when everything feels uncertain. That’s why in Sunday’s message we said: “We stay sane in a world gone crazy by returning to the same truths over and over and over again.”
God wasn’t reinforcing Joshua’s to-do list. He was reinforcing Joshua’s identity. Courage wasn’t supposed to come from Joshua’s personality or talent—courage was supposed to come from God’s presence.
Something else worth noticing: Joshua didn’t suddenly become a leader the day Moses died. He had been preparing, quietly, faithfully, for forty years. He had watched Moses. Served Moses. Learned from mistakes. Developed habits. Chose humility. All those years weren’t a delay; they were formation.
And formation is usually slow. One of the insights in your message mentions that our brains get a dopamine hit simply from planning, making us feel like we’ve accomplished something even when we haven’t actually done anything yet.
Joshua didn’t need more planning. He needed movement.
Which is often exactly where we get stuck. We love to prepare. We love to think about change. We love to imagine breakthroughs. We love the idea of doing something great for God… just not the actual doing part.
But God wasn’t giving Joshua a suggestion. He was giving him a command.
Step into the river.
Step into leadership.
Step into the unknown.
Step into the future that has been waiting.
But notice what God ties the command to: “My presence goes with you.”
Courage is not loud or flashy. Courage isn’t about feeling confident. Courage often feels like trembling hands and a willing heart. It feels like showing up when you’re unsure. It feels like taking a step before you feel ready.
Later in the chapter, something remarkable happens. Joshua communicates God’s instructions to the people—and instead of resisting him, criticizing him, or comparing him to Moses, they rally around him and echo the exact same phrase God had been saying to him: “Only be strong and of good courage.”
What God spoke privately, the people confirmed publicly. God often works this way. He gives you a word in private, then reinforces it through others once you step out in obedience.
Joshua didn’t get a perfect plan, he got a perfect promise. And that promise was enough.
As you start this journey, let Joshua remind you that God doesn’t call you to be fearless, He calls you to be courageous. And courage is simply this: moving forward because God is with you.
