Be Thou Strong

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 whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:6‭-‬7 KJV

When God made these statements to Joshua, He was trying to warn him about the tough times ahead. Recently, in Nigeria, elections were won and lost. Beyond the celebration lies the hard work of leadership. If a leader is not prepared to face and resolve challenges, that leader may get easily discouraged, and may be forced to throw in the towel. God understood that Joshua was in for a tough assignment. This is how one preacher describes Joshua’s new schedule: ” He’d have to claim the land from its current inhabitants, fight and lead battles, and provide spiritual leadership for a large group of people”. Think about that. It would have been easy to do that with Joshua if someone else provided oversight. Today, he has to combine the office. It was a bit overwhelming. God knew that. He also knows how overwhelming it is to raise children, or marry your spouse, and still go to work. Has anyone been there?. It is an aspect of Spiritual warfare, where your strength must be in the Lord( Eph.6:10 ). You need this strength and courage. Before Tom Rath and Barry Conchie developed the Strength Based Leadership theory in 2019, God had the attention of Joshua focused on dependence on Him. Today, be aware that God is not only instructing you, He is holding you by the hand, so you can lead others too.