From Cautious To Courageous - Week 2 - Damon Moore - February 22, 2026

Isn't it good to have a church? That represents heaven.

Yeah, I don't know about y'all.

I don't know how y'all think about worship up in heaven, but I wonder if this morning they were like, oh, live on top of the world.

Come on, come on, come on.

I don't know what the, what the soundtrack of heaven is, but God has given all of our ethnicities a unique sound.

And man, when we bring that together as the body of Christ, we can literally set the world on fire.

We can literally set the world on fire.

We had a, an opportunity to go and do a missions trip in Cuba.

And man, the praise in Cuba, well have you come back.

And I could, I didn't know any of the words, but I was like, Gloria, adios, Gloria.

Adios, man.

And I was trying to get the, I was trying to get all that like with my lead feet, right? But I was like, man, if I could get a little bit of their praise and bring that back and just keeps me excited.

Come on now.

Come on.

Can you celebrate the worship band? Thank you guys.

Appreciate you.

If you have your Bibles, go to Joshua chapter one, man, Joshua chapter one.

Good stuff.

Life giving.

Do you feel life this morning? Yeah, man.

So good.

So good.

I'm so grateful for.

Just the sacrifice of so many so that we could be in a church that looks like heaven and uh, I just love it, man.

I just love it.

Joshua chapter one, Joshua chapter one.

We kicked off a series if you're here for the very first time.

We kicked off a series last week, thus focused on us being courageous, and we spent some time, for time's sake, I'm not gonna read at all.

I'm gonna read just a few, but for we, we started off in the book of Joshua.

In the book of Joshua verse one.

It says that, uh, Moses died.

It says that after the death of Moses, God spoke to Moses and just said this.

He said, Moses, my servant is dead.

Aris, and go.

And we said that there are moments in our life where God makes a clear distinction that there has been a season change.

One season of our life.

God literally makes it a poignant point to identify that this season has changed.

That one season where we were living our life, God shifted to a new season.

And whether we know it or not in our life, God has something new for you.

There's something that God wants to do that's fresh.

New for you.

It is a new year.

In a few days it's going to be a new month.

How many of us, and you can show your hands or not.

How many of us go into a new month going, God, I wanna know what you have.

That's new for me in that month.

Anybody? Or how many of us just live by the New Year's resolutions of January? In this year, X, Y, Z, but we get throughout the months and we may not lean into what God may have for us, and God might be going, January is over, February is here.

And so God has this unique way of going.

One season has ended and another one has began.

Let's read a little bit.

It says is after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of none.

Moses' assistant saying, Moses, my servant is dead.

Now therefore, arise and go over this Jordan, you and all those, all this people to a land, which I am going to show you.

Verse five, look down to verse five.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life as I was with Moses.

So will I be with you? I will not leave you or forsake you.

Verse six begins our platform for our year as city Place Church.

It says, be strong.

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

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

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

Go down to verse nine.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage.

Do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Let's pray.

Father, in Jesus name, thank you that we can come into your house and feel your joy and your love, and leave here with a life giving moment that recharges us and refreshes us.

Father, as we lean into your word, I pray that you'll speak to us, challenge us, encourage us in this season of life that we're in, God, all of the glory and all of the honor goes to you.

So our heart's ready.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you're ready, say, let's go.

Let's go.

Here's the question that we ask last week that I'll ask you again to see.

Maybe this is your first time, is what would you do if you knew you wouldn't? Couldn't fail.

What would you do if you knew that you wouldn't and couldn't fail? What would you do if you knew you wouldn't and couldn't fail? This is Joshua's moment when God says one season has come to a close and a new season is in front of you.

He says things like, Hey, Joshua, this is your territory to catch you up from last week.

This is your territory.

Just so you know, nobody will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

Nobody will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

No enemy will be able to step towards you and feel like they will claim victory over you all the days of your life.

Listen to that for a moment.

God gives a promise that nothing, no enemy will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

How many of y'all would say, God, let that be said to me.

That no circumstance, no situation that the enemy would try that would step to me, would be able to take me out all the days of my life.

There're gonna be tests.

There're gonna be trials, but God, wow, that that kind, boy, that was awesome.

Someone sneezing the whole church was like, bless you.

Bless you.

Bless you.

Bless you.

But listen, God gives a promise that nobody will be able to stand before you all the days of your life as I was with Moses, so I shall be with you.

There are promises in your family line of those that prayed and sought God, that God still wants to echo to you today.

I'm so grateful that I had a praying grandmother, but man, I wish I knew who was praying before she did.

My grandparents grew up in Sant, South Carolina, and they were praying.

Grandma would go to church and she would say stuff my mom would tell me.

So she'd say, boy, pastor sho preach today.

And my mom would ask, what did he preach about? I don't know, but Pastor Sho preach today.

Old school, like boy, there was life up in there.

I don't remember what pastor said, but it was sure good.

It was.

Sure.

Good.

Like I, I love the fact that God's house was a priority, and although we laugh about it, my grandmother was a praying woman.

I wonder if she was praying from some of the ancestors that she heard stories about or that were living history right in front of her.

God says to Moses, I mean to Joshua as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

Have you ever asked the Lord, Lord, what is the promise in my bloodline? So often we hear about generational curses and we ask God to break those, but do we ask God to release the prophetic promises that were spoken in generations before we ever showed up? I wonder if there's a promise out there for all of us this morning that your grandmother and uncle and auntie prayed for you.

The enemy tried to block, but God's like, let me unlock that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

This is a season change.

One season changes, but let me tell you about the season you're about to walk in.

Man, I pray that in our time with the Lord, we say, God, show us what you've already spoken in our family line.

Because sometimes we walk into things that people prayed for and we take it as our own.

No, people have been praying for us.

I know it seems crazy, but before you walked in here, there was a team in the, for you, that were praying for you.

There was a worship team that was practicing on a Wednesday night, uh, praying and believing that God would show up this morning, you are in here because somebody was praying for you.

I know it might seem like no, I drove myself, but somebody was praying.

Somebody was praying before City Place was ever planted before other churches in this area was ever planted.

Somebody was praying that God would show up in Orlando, Florida as I was with Moses.

So I should be with you.

God speaks and he starts repeating things like, this is my promise to you.

Now this is yours.

This is your assignment.

Be strong and courageous.

Don't be afraid or dismayed because I'm with you.

Verse seven, be strong and very courageous because I'm with you.

By the time he gets to verse nine, he's like, no.

Just so that we are clear, this is not a you can choose to.

This is a command to be strong and be courageous.

Courageous.

Be bold.

Shoulders back, head up.

Confident in what God has promised you.

So in this year, city placed church, when we ask ourselves what would we do if we knew we couldn't and wouldn't fail? Knowing what God has promised, what would you do? I keep asking you that question, knowing.

God said, I'll be with you every day and no enemy will be able to step towards you.

Can we walk and look at the problem in the circumstance and reflect on what God said and look at that situation and say, not today, y'all.

Okay.

Y'all trending with me.

Just so y'all know, if you're here for the very first time, you have message notes on your seats, and you may not fill out every blank.

There is a running joke, and I wish the Lord would step into those that are allowing the joke to continue to run, that we come on Sundays expecting God to speak, yet we leave with so many blanks.

Why Lord, why fill in these blanks of my life and this sheet of paper, Lord, no.

But we keep asking our ourself and we want to ask ourself what would we do if we knew we wouldn't fail? God gives this promise to Joshua because for four 40 years the people of Israel had a promise from God.

After 400 years of bondage, God sets him free and in numbers chapter 1312, spies go, look, go to look at the land and see the promise of God.

And when they see the promise of God that said it would be flown with milk and honey, they bring back a negative report even though they have the fruit.

God's promise and they drop the fruit from the land and they say this, they say, surely God really has given us the land.

It does flow with milk and honey.

And then they put their butt in the way and they say, but, but the people are great and they are mighty.

We saw some giants in the land and just so you know, we cannot go up against them.

And by the time they finish having this conversation, they say, Hey, listen, we were grasshoppers in their sight.

So we are in our own.

Sometimes we've gotta get our own butts outta the way.

God will speak to us and God will, God will encourage us.

But sometimes because we aren't leaning into what God's promise is, we start saying, I know you said that God, but I know you promised this God.

But God, if you understood what they did, then God, you would understand why you can't do what you said you would do.

And so here's what happens.

The Bible says that they get stuck looking at the promised land for 40 years.

God speaks to Moses and says, Moses, you've tolerated these people.

You're gonna look at the land, but you won't go in.

Moses looks at the land at the end of Deuteronomy and then he dies and God speaks to Joshua, and this is where we are now.

God speaks to, Joshua says one season is over.

A new season is beginning a rise and go right now.

This is the theme for 2026 for City Place Church City Place Church.

And I wanna charge you to do the same.

We're gonna move from being cautious to courageous.

We're gonna move from being cautious to being courageous.

God has spoken to so many of you in this building.

He's given you a promise, but so often we wait because of the circumstance and the situations of our life.

Or maybe it's delayed or maybe there's a hurt in church, a hurt from someone else, and we feel like God will not fulfill his promise.

But as I was with Moses, so I will be with E.

If I spoke it, the Lord would say, I will do it.

The challenge this morning is, is why would we be stuck in feeling like we're going to just wait on what God wants to say? Because the Bible says that Joshua just begins to move.

When you read Joshua chapter one, he starts to go throughout the camp and he tells him, get ready.

Because in three days we are about to go and get all that God has for.

He doesn't wait.

He doesn't pray anymore.

He doesn't ask God for an additional sign.

He's like, now is go time.

One season is over.

This is our new season and we're gonna get all that God has called us to get.

But yet some of us will remain cautious even though we have a promise of God.

And so I want to give us some roadblocks.

Some roadblocks as to why.

We may remain cautious, and then the impact of those.

Here's a question that we asked last week, just so you know, just in case you are trying to fill in those blanks.

We said, what wouldn't you do? Even though you knew you would not fail, what wouldn't you do even though you knew you would not fail? And when you read numbers, and I wanna encourage you the, the texts on your notes when you read numbers, chapter 13, here's what we don't do.

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

Even though we know God won't fail us, we won't advance, we won't pursue if we start having a mindset of the Israelites to where it's like, I just don't know.

Life's not perfect right now.

I'm gonna try to get perfect and then I'll let God show up for me like we won't move.

We don't feel like it's perfect.

We won't move.

If we don't feel like God will do it.

We won't move.

If there's a hurt or a pain, we won't.

We won't move if we're just gonna let the time pass by, we won't move.

If we're only just waiting on God and we're never doing something to approach him, like, what wouldn't we do? Even though we know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly.

Ephesians chapter three, verse 20, what wouldn't we do if we had the mindset of the Israelites? We wouldn't advance.

We would just stay stuck.

Some of us have been stuck in seasons of our life that God never asked us to stay there.

It was a pass through season and we've been stuck.

God would tell you, move from being cautious to courageous.

Here's some roadblocks.

Write this down.

The first thing in worship team, you can come on back up.

Can't preach too long.

Who? Gimme five more minutes.

Come on.

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50.

I got another.

I got a whole second surface up in here.

Appreciate it.

Look at somebody.

Say we'll be out about one 30.

Look, nobody wanted to repeat that we had Bless you.

When someone's knees help the preacher, oh, write this down.

Write this down.

Here's a roadblock.

Here's a roadblock to walking in.

Courage.

Being cautious will lead us to be complacent.

Being cautious leads us to being complacent.

Now here's the thing.

We are going to be cautious because there, listen, nobody's just gonna walk out into the middle of the road road when there's oncoming traffic.

We were all taught to what? Look both ways, right? But do you know what we do? Sometimes cautious can become complacent.

We're just.

Wait at a light that's telling us to keep coming because we will assume that a traffic could potentially come, A car might come.

I'm not gonna go.

It's the same thing when we're doing our relationship with the Lord.

He could, we could have that white sign that says walk, but we so cautious that we just stand at the crossing, walk to the promise of God.

Here's the thing, sometimes.

We've seen God move.

We've heard testimonies in other people's lives.

We've seen God show up, and yet we go, but he probably won't.

The people of Israel in Numbers chapter 13, had seen the miracles, the stinking Red Sea parted like, I don't know about y'all, but man have fell from heaven.

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

If we were here this morning, no lion, olive of gardens started dropping from the ceiling.

How many of y'all would keep your phone in your pocket? You know, y'all would be like, oh my goodness.

Oh, this is a moment.

You would make sure that this moment was captured and you would try to make that moment go viral because it had never been done before.

Like the, the people of God were seeing God move like crazy, but then they grew complacent.

The land is what God said, but the giants look bigger than God's promise.

Like if we don't lean into the presence of God and keep going after him, the things that God could be doing in our life that is not just miraculous, but just the everyday care of a man and a father that loves us will become complacent and start saying, he doesn't love me, even though we know that he does, because greater love has no bend in this than to lay down his life for a friend.

He put his love for us on full display when his son Jesus died on the cross.

Like we can become complacent.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11, one, faith is a substance of things hoped for.

It's the evidence of things not seen.

Complacency also leads to complaining like, I'm cautious and I just don't want to go in.

I'm, I, I just can't because of the obstacle that looks like in front of me.

Even though God brought us from Pharaoh and Smite Pharaoh, and we could see the plagues and we saw the Red Sea and our clothes haven't worn out and water's flowing from a rock, and we we're seeing all of the mighty hands of God, if it's cold, he's got heat for us.

And if it's, if it's too hot, he's got the wind and the cloud like the, the miraculous signs of God.

We're still breathing.

We're still alive.

Like the promises of Abraham, we're getting ready to walk towards it.

You know what, we're gonna stop right here.

We going, he won't do it.

Like when we become complacent.

Here's what happens.

We start complaining in numbers chapter 14 verse one.

Numbers 14 · chapter mention

It says this.

So all of the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.

And all of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt.

Have you ever said that it was better? When you were in the pain, like, have you ever asked God to take you back? Have you ever felt like it was better back then? How many of you all have felt like time has passed you by that, that you cannot do what God has said he will do? How many of y'all feel like God's promise has a, has an end date? Like the glory days were yesterday? Like, have you ever complained? They got it better than me.

If I had what they had, then I would the people of God start complaining.

Now watch.

Here's the thing that they started complaining because the leaders started complaining.

And when the leaders started complaining, the whole congregation started complaining.

And then when the congregation started complaining, they turned to the leader who God had been speaking to.

Like if we are cautious, we start to become complacent.

We're not paying attention to what God has done and then we start complaining, God, you never show up for me.

God, you're not speaking to me.

God, where are you? Have you ever done that? Guilty of that? Could it be that we've been complacent? What started off as being cautious and we forget about how amazing God really is? Y'all got space for a few more blanks to be filled in.

Y'all are like, yes, please, Lord Jesus.

Here's what happens when we start complaining, and it's seen in numbers Chapter 14, when we start complaining, it cancels, or let's just say this, it silences your faith.

Numbers 14 · chapter mention

It begins to silence your faith.

We cannot go up.

We're not able to do it.

We know what God said when we left, but we can't do it, and if we can do it.

He can't do it.

We're grasshoppers in their sight.

And guess what? We are in ours too.

I know he does miracles.

I know he does signs and wonders, but he not gonna do 'em no more.

When we start complaining, it starts to silence the faith that God gives us.

Watch.

When we complain, we begin to forget God's faithfulness and his power.

When we start complaining, we forget God's faithfulness.

And his power.

And here's the thing that got me, y'all.

When we start complaining, complaining begins to unlock pride, which leads to self-reliance.

When we start complaining, it unlocks pride, which begins to lead us to self-reliance.

The people of Israel said, Hey, you know what, what we'll do is we'll take out Moses and um, maybe we can concoct a plan to go back to better days when we were being beaten, told when we'd eat, when we sleep, ask, when we do whatever, you know, being told what to do, you know what? That day was actually better than just trusting God.

And taking one courageous step.

Like sometimes y'all, when we start complaining, it unlocks that pride issue to where we say, you know what? I can do it better than him, but God hasn't called us to that.

Write this down.

God looks at Moses and he literally says, the season that Moses.

Dealt with where the people were cautious and they were complaining and they lost faith.

I just want you to know that that season is dead and I want you to recognize it, and this is gonna be a new season of courage.

Write this down and then we're gonna pray out.

I'll hand it over to Sean, write, write this down, to move from cautious to courageous.

God.

God closes one season so that he can begin a new season.

God has to close one season to begin a new season.

When God is trying to move us for being cautious to courageous, he moves us from one season into a new season.

Let me prove it.

Isaiah chapter 43.

Isaiah 43 · chapter mention

Sean, you come on up.

Isaiah chapter 43, verse 18.

Isaiah 43:18

This is what God says.

Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing now.

It shall spring forth, shall you not know it.

I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Listen, God says, Hey, listen.

The past was the past.

I'm doing something new.

Will you pay attention to what I'm doing? That's new.

Will you acknowledge what I'm doing? And just so you know.

There will be no impossibilities to my, to my promise for you in the new season.

He says, I'll make a road in the wilderness and streams in dry places.

When God closes one season, he puts his hand and makes it clear that it's a new season.

For some of you watch this.

The wilderness season, just so you know, is not a desert.

The wilderness is not a desert.

The wilderness has terrain that has to be navigated, but it does have water and it does have shade.

It is not a desert.

So if you say to yourself, I'm in a wilderness season, that should not be a dry place.

It is when you and I are navigating terrain where we've never been.

But if the season is changing and you've been in the wilderness and God says, I'm doing something new, then in the wilderness season, we should expect a road because God's changing it.

So in one season when I'm having to navigate the issues of family and finances, what if, okay, God, one season is over and it's a new season.

Now in this wilderness season, I'm not navigating this season it's.

I'm at the stop.

Oh, I'm walking.

So I don't need to stand and wait when there's no traffic.

No, it's time to move.

Some of you have been in a desert season where every aspect of your life has been dry.

In this fresh season, God says, I'll make a river in what was dry places.

So if you've been in a dry season, don't leave this Sunday morning going My season, Lord has been dry.

No, it's a new season.

So now start looking for water.

Start looking for refreshing times in his presence when you're spending time with him, and it feels like it was dry yesterday, but then when you wake up tomorrow, God, you said you'd show up because it's a new season.

God's moving us from being cautious to courageous.

Do I have permission to celebrate next week in God's Word? Next week, city place turns 10 years old.

Isn't that awesome? And we're gonna be talking about living courageously.

Now, here's the promise that I can't make to you and I won't make it.

And I said this last week, we are in a series about being courageous, and we're going to deal with every point by point, and it may take some weeks, but next week we're gonna celebrate what God's done over the last decade.

So I wanna, I wanna invite you to be our guest next Sunday as we take a look back at what God's done and we take a look ahead at where God is calling us to be.

In this courageous season of life.

Amen.

Awesome.