“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-9).

Got fear? Get faith. Here’s how…

Background: God has just given Joshua a commission to lead Israel from the desert into the Land of Promise. Joshua is scared because he knows he can’t succeed on his own. The situation is really a crisis – a million people to feed, enemies on every side, no experience to lean back on… Sound like any situation in your life?

But God doesn’t leave Joshua alone with his problem. He gives him PROMISES that work like a superenergy source for his faith. These promises become a prescription for dealing with his fear; and this prescription becomes the outline for securing the miracle he desperately needs. God tells him “meditate on the scriptures day and night…”

Faith works the same for us. The Bible says “faith comes by hearing the word of God.” Miracles begin by first packing our minds with God’s truth… There’s a sequence here:

·         To succeed we must be stand “strong and courageous,” mastering our feelings with God’s promises. 

·         To master our emotions (to “be courageous”) we must do what God says – motion creates emotion.   

·         To do what God says we must change our thinking by meditating on and speaking about God’s promises.

In practice this process looks like this: We meditate on God’s promises à We think differently à We act differently à We feel differently à We believe differently à The miracle comes. 

Have fear? Get faith. Here’s a line of action:

·         Identify your challenge (finances, sickness, loneliness, family crisis, global turmoil)

·         Identify a promise from God’s Word that counters this challenge.

·         Meditate on that promise, writing it on a Post-It Note and repeating it. 

·         Hold to that proomise until your actions line up with the promise.

·         Keep acting until your emotions line up with courage, and “faith.” 

·         Sustain your courage until you have realized victory. 

·         Tell somebody!