After Moses died, God chose Joshua to take the reins and bring his people to the Promised Land. Put yourself in Joshua's place, how would you feel if you had to succeed Moses as the next leader? How would you feel to follow in the footsteps of the deliverer?
- Moses, the man who single-handedly brought down the world's superpower at the time.
- Moses, the man who split the Red Sea.
- Moses, the man who knew God face to face.
These are pretty big shoes to fill and you would certainly feel daunted and overawed by the task. You must also realize that the children of Israel were not the easiest people to lead. Moses had to deal with their constant complaint and disapproving eyes. One would not blame Joshua, if he had said to God, 'Thanks, but I'll pass this time.'
No! No matter how daunting the task seemed to be, Joshua rose to the challenge given to him by God. Let's look at the beginning of God's conversation with Joshua:
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 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.
Joshua 1:1-9
God drummed into the mind of Joshua that he needed to be bold in order for him to transition into his destiny and to take others also in their destiny. Three times God said, 'Be strong and of a good courage'. Modern translations have these verses as, 'Be bold, be strong'. In fact a while back, 'Be bold, be strong' became a very popular praise song in many churches worldwide. God unveiled to Joshua that it would take boldness to enter the Promised Land. The reason why so many have not entered their Promised Land is because they lack this key ingredient. Boldness is the secret to enter and maximize destiny. That is why God said to Joshua, 'Have I not commanded you, Be bold and be strong?' What God was saying to Joshua were:
- Where Moses could not go, you will go
- Where Moses could not enter, you will enter
From today I want you to see boldness as a command from God. It is the secret to fulfilling destiny. Why is boldness a necessary ingredient?
1. Boldness is required to leave the wilderness
Wilderness can be comforting. People can complain about it and still not move into the Promised Land. There are giants to kill, enemies to exterminate and unknown factors to face in order to move in the land of milk and honey. Somehow people can gripe about the wilderness and still be comfortable in it not to move because they are familiar with their surroundings.
2. Boldness is a prerequisite to enter the Promised Land
Without boldness you cannot enter God's destiny for your life. Without boldness, you will flounder, wander and wither in the wilderness. The multitude who believed the voices of the ten spies with the negative report triggering fear, all of them died in the wilderness. They were fearful and unbelieving. You see unbelief is the evidence of a lack of boldness.
3. Boldness is necessary to take others in their destiny
God told Joshua, 'Be bold, be strong, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.' (Joshua 1:6). Some people will never enter their destiny if you do not enter in yours. When you enter your destiny, you will enable others to enter.
4. Boldness is vital to act upon the Word of God
See what God said to Joshua, ' Be bold and be strong in order to obey all the instructions of the Law. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.' (Joshua 1:7). It takes boldness, tenacity and courage to act upon the Word. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Not acting on the Word is proof that one lacks boldness. It is only when we boldly act upon the Word that we will enter our destiny. This is why I tell you that boldness is the secret to enter destiny.
Boldness: the missing ingredient to the supernatural
Boldness is the key to breakthrough and the key to see the release of the supernatural in your life and ministry. You need boldness in your life – an attitude of fearlessness – to move into your inheritance. This two-part series is vital to your growth and spiritual welfare. Feeling down? Order this series today!
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