11-09-2025 Accepting a New Challenge in Life

Text: Joshua 1:1-6

                   How long has it been since you accepted a new challenge in your life?  Are you one who tends to shy away from challenges that present themselves to you or do you take them on and put your best efforts toward completing them?  This morning’s text is from the Old Testament book of Joshua, chapter 1, verses 1-6 that say:   “(1) No after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that they Lord spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying (2) Moses My servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the Children of Israel.  (3) Every place that the sole of our foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.  (4) 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.  (5) There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with  you:  I will not fail you, nor forsake you.  (6) Be strong and of good courage:  for unto this people shall you divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them.”

                   At the opening of the book of Joshua the Israelites are camped along the east bank of the Jordan River at the very edge of the Promised Land, and they were completing the mourning period for their former leader, Moses, who had just died.  The Israelites were given an opportunity to enter the Promises Land 40 years earlier, but they failed to trust God to give them the victory while they waited for Moses to come down from mount Sini with the Law given to him by God.  As a result God didn’t allow them to enter the Promised Land and made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the of the disobedient generation had all died.  During these years they obeyed God’s laws and taught a new generation to do the same so that they could enter the Promised land.

                   Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel’s leader.  What made him qualified?  Numbers 27:18-23 tell us that God appointed him.  He was one of only two living adults who had witnessed the Egyptian plagues and the exodus from Egypt.  He had been Moses’ personal aide for 40 years, and out of the 12 leaders sent to scout out the Promised Land, only he and Caleb showed complete confidence that God would help them conquer it as we are told in Numbers 13-14. 

                   Now Joshua was facing a new chapter in his life.  We see how God commissioned him in vv. 2-4  of our text when he was told to ‘Go over this Jordan.’  Joshua had walked this land before as a spy and now in vv. 3-4 God asked him ‘how big are your feet?’  God was telling him in vv. 3-4 that every place he had walked as a spy would become the land promised by God to the Israelites.  But it wasn’t going to be as easy as just walking in and setting up their new homes.  The land of Canaan was occupied by very strong people.  Knowing that, Joshua accepted this new challenge because he had faith that the God of Israel would be there to help and guide him every step of the way.  We see in vv. 5-6 that God told him no man would be able to stand against him because God will never leave him or forsake him.  All he had to do was be strong and have courage, obey God’s laws, and he would be successful.  As a result Joshua was able to defeat the inhabitants of the land promised to them and succeeded in completing the challenge presented to him by God.

                   Joshua, a man of God, faced conflicts when he took on leadership of the Israelites.  The land they were given was occupied with inhabitants that were very strong and that the city of Jericho was surrounded by walls that had to be overcome.  Yet, as long as he remained strong in faith and trusted God, Joshua was able to win every conflict that he faced and the Israelites ultimately took possession of the land of Canaan. 

                   Just as Joshua and the ancient Israelites faced conflicts, Christians today will face conflicts.  I John 2:15-17 tells us that God values self-control, generosity and a commitment to humble service.  It’s possible to give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly desires in one’s heart.  Particularly when it comes to pride – including the obsession with our status or importance, and lust in the form of accumulation of material things and a preoccupation of physical desires.  But worldly things and pleasures will one day come to an end so by living as God wants us to live while in this world, our place in eternity with Him will be secured.  Galatians 5:18-21 tell us that we all have evil desires that we must deal with.  They include the obvious sins such as sexual immorality, interest in witchcraft, selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy.  But when we let go of our pride and admit that we have a selfish, sinful nature, surrender our bad tendencies to Jesus, ask God to do whatever is necessary to set us free; commit our actions, thoughts, passions, and capabilities to Jesus, ask the Holy Spirit to help us restrain our evil desires and angry reactions, and make serving others a top priority, we will become more like Jesus.  Ephesians 6:10-18 says that to defeat the enemy Satan, we must put on the full armor of God that includes truth, righteousness, the Good News of Christ, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.  The way to win when Satan sends his flaming arrows of temptation, doubt, lust, anger, despair or desire for vengeance at us, is to use our armor to fight them.  We’re assured that everyone born of God overcomes the world because our faith gives us the ultimate victory.  When we stand strong in faith with courage against, even when Satan uses his strongest weapons, God will assure our victory each and every time.

                   All of us make a choice to live our life in the wilderness of defeat or in the land of victory.  If your life is a constant struggle against the power of darkness with constant defeat, you can escape by choosing to trust in the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ and call on Him to take you into victory circle. 

                   Finally in verse 6 of our text we see the call to courage.  Joshua was told to be strong and of good courage.  He may have been afraid as he was beginning a new vocation, realizing the staggering responsibility he was given.  His hero Moses had died, and he was not a young man.  Joshua was probably about 86 years old when he was given the challenge to move the Israelites into Cannan and he died at the age of 110.  But he had courage because he was equipped with the power of God, the presence of God, and the promises of God.  All of this allowed him to be the victor over the inhabitants of the Promised Land.  And it’s that same power, presence and promises of God that will allow us to be successful in every challenge we face in our Christian life.

                   Salvation is only the beginning of the good things God has in store for His people.  When we’re faced with challenges that seem impossible to overcome, amazing victories are ours for the taking.  If we always go forward in faith, there isn’t an enemy in this world that can overtake us.  Our victorious Savior, Jesus Christ, will lead us all the way to victory and eternal life in the light and glory of God our Father.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.