The Bible states in Joshua 1:9, according to the King James Version: “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Now this may be hard to understand so before I go a little deeper here is the New International Version: “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.”
Meaning: In this text we are receiving a clear notice on why we should not become sad and down on our situations. There is nothing to fear because God has reassured us that he will be by our sides as we go through what sometimes can be the mess of life.
God asks “Have not I commanded thee?” In other words, Did I not call you? Wasn’t I the one that hit YOU up? If someone calls you, it usually is for a reason.
Rarely do I get a call from someone that specifically dials my number from their phone book just to have them say “nevermind” or leave me hanging on the other side of the phone. The lord will not leave you hanging. He has called you, he will be with you, and never depart.
That is a loyal friend like no other. I have had friends that quickly ran away when I encountered hard times. I lost my job and co-workers stopped talking to me like I had the plague. Only to start talking to me again recently, now that I am in a different place in my career. Now the linkedin requests and messages say “hey long time no talk, let’s go get a coffee and catch up.”
Friends may be around for a season but there is only one that will walk beside you through all of your problems. You always have back-up. That’s why the test is asking us to be strong and brave. Do not be discouraged.
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