Be Strong and Courageous! Learning to Live from the Heart - The Book of Joshua

Hey, I'm Pastor Steve Hole.

I want to empower you today to walk in your true identity as a worshiper and warrior.

Today, embrace the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.

Welcome to the Born for War podcast.

So we are in the book of Joshua.

So we moved into the book of Joshua.

No better book for us to be going through right now with what I think is coming in our nation than the book of Joshua.

And so Joshua, who is actually not very strong and not very courageous, has been chosen by God to replace Moses.

And Joshua leads us in.

He's going to lead the people in across the Jordan River to seven tribal nations that occupy Canaan.

And he's going to be called by God as we go through the whole book in how to navigate tactically and strategically these nations that are entrenched there.

Some of which, it appears, because they were sons of Anak, especially in the Hebron area, which is southwest of Jerusalem, which Caleb will go into, are descendants of the Nephilim that we read about, these half man, half-gods of Genesis 6.

And so in some cases, Joshua is going to be led by God to come in and take out the warriors and the warring kings of an area.

In other cases, he's going to be told to completely annihilate them.

You say, well, that seems like sort of confusing as to how God was tactically doing this.

Why was he saying such different things to Joshua?

And the reality is that I'm going to give you some insight when we get to those chapters about the Nephilim, these spirit beings that have invaded humanity since Genesis 6, who the descendants thereof are still in Canaan.

Some argue that the descendants of the Nephilim are still on the earth, half demonic, half human.

Now I know that's getting a little spooky here, but the bottom line is this: that there's no other passage in all of Scripture that is so powerful in commanding us to walk in breakthrough courage, to break through our fears in our life and walk in strength and courage.

So if we were to combine what we're about to read in Genesis, I mean, excuse me, uh in Joshua chapter 1, with what Moses has said to Joshua in Deuteronomy seven times, seven times, he's going to be told to be strong and courageous.

Joshua 1 · chapter mention

Three times by Moses, four times by God.

So what does that tell you?

That tells you we're dealing with a leader who's not strong and courageous.

I mean, if God has to keep telling you to be strong and courageous, you must not be.

Anybody relate to that?

Okay, and so we're we're sometimes living in fearful times.

I don't think they're more fearful than any other time, quite frankly.

If you know history, these are not actually that fearful of times.

But yet we get fearful because we're human beings.

We just do.

So turn in your Bibles to Joshua 1, and I want to camp on four verses talking about strength and courage.

They're just so good.

You probably couldn't memorize a more powerful set of verses than these if you if you want to memorize some verses that'll pick you up.

These are pick you up kind of verses, okay?

And um, and I love it.

This is God speaking to Joshua, and it's about being wholehearted.

That's really what courage is.

Courage, C-O-U-R, comes from the Latin core, C-O-R, where we get the word cardiologist.

It's been Englishized, but it's cardiologist for heart doctor.

So courage comes from the heart, church.

It doesn't come just from the head.

Now the head's important because sometimes you need knowledge to be able to be courageous, right?

And in my book, Breakthrough Courage, my point in the book, the thesis of the whole book is that until you develop habits of courage, you're not going to be ready for fearful times.

Okay?

So when we come to script, I mean when we come to scripture every day, I hope you do each day, or maybe a few times a week, because of different levels of commitment to the word in the church.

But you're here most Sundays, most of you are here most Sundays.

You're, those are, those are habits of courage.

You know, it's reading or hearing about something in the news, and yet you can turn that around and go, God's working there.

God's working there.

God's carrying out his kingdom revolution there.

That's a habit of courage.

So I love this passage because it's talking about being strong and courageous to a man, one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history, who must not be strong and courageous.

So I can relate to the guy.

And uh, so let's turn to Joshua 1, and we'll start at verse 6.

I'm gonna read all of it, and then we're gonna break it down because no place, again, no place in all of the Bible does God actually speak to us about how to be strong and courageous.

So it's not just an admonition to Joshua, there's actually principles here for our lives here in the 21st century.

Verse 6 be strong and of good courage.

For to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you.

Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Verse 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and of good courage.

Do not be afraid, don't be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

So at Wholehearted Men on Tuesday mornings, we have this cadence that we do.

And Ricky Bobby is usually the leader.

Ricky Bobby Thompson is usually the leader, and he starts off usually when I'm getting up or when I'm coming down from speaking, and he says, Whole heart.

Okay?

And then the guys say, set free.

So who will be my shout of whole heart?

All right, bro, you say it.

So say it as loud as you can.

Whole heart, live free, whole heart, live free, whole heart, live free.

Now, the reason we put those together is because you, when you learn to live with your whole heart, you learn to live free.

The more you live from your God-anointed, spirit-empowered heart, the more free you live, the more free you get set in areas of your life.

Because legalism will kill you.

Your sins will shackle you.

Now everybody's got sin, and everybody here has some legalisms.

We're all recovering religious legalists.

Okay?

But what we're gonna learn at Good Friday, which is coming around the corner, Good Friday, which is the best Good Friday service you've ever been to.

Okay?

And a powerful time on Good Friday.

This place is packed, standing room only.

People from all over the city come to the Road Good Friday service.

We're gonna look at the cross, we're gonna stare at the cross.

We're gonna, I'm gonna do a teaching on the cross because men and women, we have been crucified with Christ.

We have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.

We're gonna talk about that.

So that's the freedom that comes from living wholeheartedly on this side of Calvary, on this side of the resurrection and the ascension of Christ.

So remember, Joshua and the Israelites don't have that yet.

And yet, here God says to them, commands them to be strong and courageous.

And I see four things that he's saying here that literally apply to our lives right now.

So look at verse 6 again.

Be strong and of good courage.

For to this people you shall divide as an inheritance, underlying inheritance or circle inheritance of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

So we're seeing Joshua lead about a million plus Israelites across the Jordan River.

That's coming up.

We're gonna look at that in the next couple weeks, across the Jordan River, that this land was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph before them.

So they've heard about it all of their lives.

Their grandparents have heard about it, their great-grandparents have heard about this land.

They're going in to take it, and I'm here to tell you, men and women, this was 300,000 square miles.

300,000 square miles promised to Israel, and Israel has never controlled more than 15%.

That's a visual.

Listen now.

That's a visual of most Christians today.

Most Christians today, you're occupying about 15% of your inheritance.

Because there are seven nations.

There are seven tribal nations that Israel is going to have to take.

And they will not take them completely like God called them to do.

And I'm here to say that in this room, in each of your lives, there's probably seven demonic nations that are holding you back.

And we're going to learn in the weeks and months to come how to take those nations and gradually take the territory, because it doesn't happen overnight, it's piece by piece, and it's a little by little.

Talked about that last week, but it's taking back that territory that begins to gradually set you more free.

So my prayer at the road is always that you'll be more set free this year than last year.

And that you'll be more set free next year than you were this year.

So it doesn't just all happen in some revelation of revival or something.

It's little revivals, it's little works of the Spirit in your life that you're willing to surrender to Him.

So here's our first point.

So look at verse 6.

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

Number one, be courageous, be courageous in claiming your inheritance in Christ.

Claim what you've been given in Christ.

That's what Good Friday and Easter is all about.

It's about the inheritance that is yours.

And that's why we do it every year.

It's a reminder.

But it's also for you here in this room, you're here almost every Sunday.

You see, you're building habits of the heart.

I would call them habits of the heart.

The habits of the heart, you're in a community group.

So you've got relationships with believers.

You come on Sunday morning, you have relationships with believers, and you worship with believers out of 168 hours a week.

You give an hour and a half to being here.

And in this church, it's amazing.

Snow, rain, hail, you're like postmen or something, you know?

You know, you just keep on coming.

It's fantastic.

But in but in Ephesians 1, Paul talks about, and I don't want you to turn there.

I just want you to, why don't you just close your eyes with me right now?

And I want you to hear, I'm gonna read Ephesians 1, part of it.

And let me bathe you in your inheritance.

So hear me tell you what your inheritance is.

Now you're not gonna be able to remember it all, and I'm gonna give a recap.

But what I'm about to say is the way Paul wrote.

So Paul, in all his letters, would write these long principle-laden commands and reminders with no with no periods.

For all of you that are English teachers, I dare that you take Ephesians 1 and try to parse and break down those sentences.

It's really hard.

So what he does, Paul, and I think it's the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he stacks truth, truth, truth, truth on top of each other.

So close your eyes.

Let me read this little passage.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us all with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Just as He chose you in Him before the foundation of the world, that you and I should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the beloved.

In Him you trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Now listen to the last part.

Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory.

Now that's amazing.

I mean, that's just one truth after another, just stacked on top of each other, remind us this is your inheritance.

And here's what he says: he's saying, every spiritual blessing, we are chosen to be holy in love, adopted into his family, to the good pleasure of his will, to bring praise to the glory of Christ.

Your beloved, sealed with the Holy Spirit, redeemed for the praise of his glory.

Men and women, you get courage if you remind yourself of all that you have in Christ.

The closer we get to the cross, the closer we get to the inheritance, and we understand the inheritance.

We read inheritance books of the Bible.

There's inheritance books of the Bible.

There are books of the Bible that are inherently built to enable us to understand our inheritance.

Ephesians, Galatians, 1 John, James, Romans.

These passages, these books are there.

And to saturate yourself, underlining, oh, that's mine.

Oh, that's been given to me.

I'm going to claim that.

I'm going to believe that's true of me.

The closer we get to our inheritance, the more power you have in your life.

The closer you believe the inheritance, the more courage you have in your life.

And the more distant you get from the Bible, the more distant you get from the inheritance and truth about who you are in Christ, the more you set yourself up to be vulnerable to demons.

Some of you in this room are completely wrapped up in fear because you're living in witchcraft.

I'm not going to go to the synagogue of Satan or something.

I'm not saying that.

I'm talking about Galatians 3.1.

Galatians 3.1, which may be, I haven't decided yet, but it may be the key passage I'm going to use at Good Friday service.

He says, Oh, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?

Now these are spirit-filled believers, miracle working church.

I mean, amazing what God was doing with the churches in Galatia.

He even says, you see miracles working among you.

But they were in witchcraft.

So the further you get from Jesus, the further you get from God's word, the more vulnerable you're setting yourself up for in the arena of witchcraft and fear.

And so what so what Joshua is being told here is be strong and courageous and lead these people in so they can get the inheritance.

Folks, I'm here to tell you God wants to lead you across these Jordan rivers of your life into your inheritance, but you got to want it.

I can't make you want it.

I can't make you believe this.

All I can do is motivate you, and then you have to decide whether you're going to believe and get your inheritance.

You've got one life to live.

You got one life to live on this earth, and you can live it half-hearted or you can live it wholehearted.

But nobody can make you live wholehearted if you just want to live half-hearted.

And the way you know is how much, how much are you standing on this earth, and how much are you standing in the kingdom of God?

You got two kingdoms.

You got kingdoms of this earth, and you got kingdoms of God.

And there's a war going on, gang.

And you got to make a choice.

And here's what I love.

This is why I love this church.

I'd go to this church if I was not the pastor.

Because I like this church.

I like the kind of people you guys are.

You're steadfast, you're wholehearted.

All it takes is visiting or speaking in another church for me to go, oh, let me go home.

I just want to go home.

Because you guys are so awesome to be with.

So it's beautiful.

So that's the first point.

Know your inheritance.

Number two, look at verse 7.

Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe, observe, to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you.

Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

So number two is be courageous in obedience to God's word.

Be courageous through being obedient to God's word.

Now, if you're not opening God's word, then you don't even know what to be obedient to.

Okay?

Some of you have been Christians too long.

That's your problem.

Your problem is you've been Christians way too long and you think you know everything.

And then I'm in counseling or something with some couple that's got all these problems, and they've been in the church for a hundred years or whatever.

And then I say, You should, you guys should get together as husband and wife and read the word together and pray together.

Oh, oh, I knew you were gonna say that.

And it's like, what do you want me to do?

Mention Sports Illustrated Swimming Edition?

I mean, I don't know what you're what you're looking for, but that's what I believe in.

That's what I signed up for, and it works.

I've tested it for 45 years.

It works.

Waking up in the morning and spending time in God's Word.

So he says, what does he say?

He says, not to the right or to the left.

So don't be a Pharisee, don't be a Sadducee, don't be a Republican, don't be a Democrat.

He's saying focus in on the main thing, and the main thing is not political.

The main thing is not even economic.

The main thing is not being an American or not an American.

It's about being a kingdom of God worshipper and warrior.

That's the main thing.

People are gonna disappoint you.

You're gonna sometimes like our governor, and sometimes you're not gonna like our governor.

Sometimes we like our president, sometimes we don't like our president.

Sometimes we don't like our U.S.

Congressman, sometimes we do.

But there's a steadfast, steadying strength and courage when you keep the main thing, the main thing in your life.

This book does not change, but it changes you.

Now the book doesn't change, but it changes what it says to you every time you open it up.

Every time you open God's word, just fresh revelation.

Now you may not feel it, you may not even experience it.

That's okay.

Don't go to God's Word and have to have like some revival session every time you come there.

But I would say come with expectation.

But then sometimes it's just boring.

It's boring.

Sometimes when I make a meal for my family, or Liz makes a meal for our family, it's a boring meal.

It's just boring.

And it's like, whatever.

You know, like nobody says, hey, it was really good, Dad, or anything like that.

Okay?

I didn't even think it was good.

And I made it.

Okay.

But I'll guarantee you this, it was healthy.

It was healthy, all right?

So it may not taste exactly the way your seed oil meals taste.

Okay?

It may not have all the crap that goes with a lot of restaurant food, but it's healthy, man.

This is a healthy book.

This is a healthy book, you guys.

You just, there's just something about it.

You just read it and it's setting you free.

You don't even know it.

You don't even feel it sometimes.

Sometimes you go a week or two, it's like, ah, I'm going through Joshua.

And it's like the first part's pretty cool, the rest is boring.

Or I'm going through Romans and I like this chapter, but that chapter is boring.

That's okay.

That's good.

That's how you grow.

You guys that work out, you men and women that work out, you know, you have good workouts, you have crummy workouts.

And say, that's not the point.

The point is, is it healthy?

Is it strengthening your heart?

And are you becoming more wholehearted and breaking that spirit of half-hearted living?

So he says, Don't look to the right or the left, but stay focused on the main thing.

You keep the main thing, the main thing, and my word will not return void.

So Isaiah 55, 11, so is my word that goes out from my mouth.

That's God speaking.

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire.

And it will achieve the purpose for which it was sent out.

But men and women, you can't achieve the purpose for which it's sent out if you never open the book.

So you're like going, well, I don't know why it is that my husband and I we're always fighting about stuff.

And I don't know what it is.

I just keep losing my jobs, or I don't know what it is.

We never seem to have, you know, enough money.

Or I don't know what you're, you know, we all have our problems, right?

And we've all said those kind of things at different times.

But if you're not in God's word, if you're not opening his word and hearing from him, I have nothing to offer you.

I mean, I'm a pretty good teacher, pretty good preacher, pretty good pastor.

There's better ones out there than me for sure.

But all I can do is motivate, encourage, and strengthen.

But men and women, you gotta open it up.

How bad do you want it?

How bad does it have to get?

It's so encouraging, though, because it's a habit you build.

And when you get the habit, then you don't care if it's like really uh exciting or not, or it's really uh you're pumped up afterwards and go, man, God really spoke to me.

You don't have to have that because it's a habit.

It's just what you do.

And so when you do that and God intervenes at times, you go, whoa.

Because if every day was whoa, then there's not gonna be more.

You gotta be whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

That's what Pentecostals do, man.

They they they always have to have another whoa, whoa, whoa.

And it's like, come on, man.

All your whoa, whoa, woes, and then look at your pastors, and they're sleeping around, and they say spirit-filled.

Oh, spirit-filled, it's a spirit-filled charge.

Well, a thimble is spirit can be can be filled.

Or a cup can be filled, or a tub can be filled.

I want a tub full.

I'm tired of thimble-filled spirit life.

Right?

So that's how we do it.

When we're spending time in God's word, you become a bath, you become a place where God can fill you up with the Spirit because His Word is becoming a part of who you are.

And it's really, really exciting.

And so, so here's what we do, though.

We pick and choose.

You go, man, Hoochie Weed, marijuana, God made it, why can't I smoke it?

And like, well, whatever, we're in a legal state, and some of you smoke pot in this room, okay?

Well, I don't know all the benefits or lack thereof in that.

But you know, God made uranium.

You gotta figure that one out with God.

Oh, we live together.

We're gonna get married.

Don't be talking to me about that kind of stuff.

I'm gonna set you straight.

I'm gonna tell you you gotta walk in purity, man.

And if you're messing around and you're and you're messing around with stuff, and you go, I just I just want to meet a really beautiful Christian lady.

Or I want to meet a really godly Christian man.

Well, guess what?

Godly Christian women are queens looking for kings.

And if you're gonna act like a prince or a pauper instead of a king, they're not interested in you.

They're not interested in you, and vice versa.

So, church, if you want to walk with strength and courage, and I think you do, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't true.

I'm speaking in the choir.

Get into God's word.

But nobody can do it but you.

You have to open God's word and be wholehearted so that you can actually live free.

All right, so verse 8.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate, meditate, circle, meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

So I've talked a lot about meditation because it's in my book, and when I was going through chapters of my book and habits, I talked about meditation.

But for the sake of redundancy, we're gonna call this be courageous through meditation.

Be courageous through meditation, number three.

And then would you turn to Psalm 1?

So keep your finger in Joshua 1.

Turn to Psalm 1.

You know, Steve, you've already preached on this before.

Okay, so I'm gonna hope that retention comes from repetition.

So Psalm 1, verse 1.

Psalms 1:1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and his law he meditates, Haga, that's the Hebrew here, day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose lot, whose leaf does not wither whatever he does prosper.

So the two really big prosperity, success chapters, and verses of the Bible would be Psalm 1 and Joshua 1.

And he's saying, both are saying, that to meditate is haggah.

It's the same word.

And I've shared this before, so again, I'm gonna repeat it again, that haggah is the same word in Isaiah 31.4.

You're taking notes, write down Isaiah 31.4 over to the side of Psalm 1 or Joshua, where you see Haggah or meditation or meditate.

And here's what it says: as a young lion growls, growls over his prey.

Growls is haggah.

It's the idea of a wolf or a lion, or in my case, sage or river, my two hunting dogs, sitting by the fire next to me at my fire pit, and I shouldn't say at my fire pit, because they they pull these bones into our house too, so they're they could be gnawing on them anywhere.

But where I hear it is I'm sitting out there by the fire pit, and I can hear that low rumbling sound, that growl as they work that bone.

That's meditation.

So meditation is not being in a lotus position with your palms up humming.

I'm not talking about Eastern meditation or Buddhism.

I'm talking about biblical, Christian, Spirit-anointed meditation, which is from God's word.

It's looking at a passage, it's looking at a verse and thinking it through and looking at the words, closing your eyes, having your journal nearby, your Bible in your marriage, God, speak to me.

God, teach me.

God, take me deeper.

Lord, I have fear about my marriage.

I have fear about my job.

I have fear about our country.

Lord, would you minister to me right now?

Matter of fact, great place would be what we're looking at right now, verses six through nine.

Meditate in it sometime this week.

He promises that if you'll meditate in the scriptures, you will be successful.

You'll be prosperous.

Because what he's doing is he's saying you'll become whole-hearted.

And as you become whole-hearted, even your external life will begin to exhibit that.

So I wrote in my book this meditation in its true biblical meaning is to chew on, gnaw, and digest God's word through spending time on a biblical passage, a truth, with a hungry heart for God.

It's metabolizing truth.

That's what meditation is.

It's metabolizing truth, just like a dog metabolizes the ingredients and the vitamins of a bone, the marrow of that bone, we're to metabolize truth through the intimacy we experience with God in our spiritual life to become part of us and fuel our outer life.

So we become strong internally, and then we become strong externally by meditation, metabolizing God's truth into our lives.

And then lastly, verse 9, have I not commanded you, be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid nor be dismayed.

What is love when it says, do not be afraid nor dismayed?

Because dismay to me is kind of like surprise or shock.

Guys, don't be shocked if in April some stuff comes down, okay, that affects your life and affects our nation.

Don't be dismayed.

I've warned you again and again.

For the Lord your God is with you.

He's going to be with us.

So lastly, be courageous through God's presence.

Remind yourself that God is with you, you guys.

God's going to come in his presence and worship.

God's going to come in his presence through your prayer life.

God comes in presence when you just go home today.

Get up in the morning tomorrow before you do anything else, before you look at your phones, before you open up your laptop or do a YouTube survey.

That's addictive, right?

But you open God's word, don't get into any devices, and you say, Lord, speak to me.

I want to be prosperous.

I want to be successful.

I want to be healthy.

Make me healthy again.

Make me great again.

Because you're walking in the inheritance of God.

You're walking with a clear focus on the word of God.

You're not letting the right or the left and all those temptations get in your way.

You're meditating in God's word, and now that God's presence is there.

And so in Deuteronomy 20, in Deuteronomy 20, Moses is preparing the people to go into the land.

He says, This when you go out, before I read it, think about this for your own life.

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see their horses and their chariots and the people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them.

For the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

I took you out of bondage.

Don't go back to Egypt.

Go into the promised land.

So it shall be.

When you are on the verge of battle, some of you are on the verge of battle right now.

That the priest shall approach and speak to the people.

And he shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you're on the verge of battle with your enemies.

Do not let your heart faint.

Do not be afraid.

Do not tremble.

Do not be terrified because of them.

For the Lord your God is with you.

He's going with you wherever you go, and he will fight for you against your enemies to save you.

Thank you for listening to the Foreign for War podcast.

We hope today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.

To connect with Pastor Steve's sermons, books, and blog, visit Steveholdonline.org.

God bless.