What Are You Looking At?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.

Hmmm.

These are all commands. God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid and discouraged.

Hmmm.

How does one do that? When one is feeling weak, cowardly, afraid, and discouraged how are you supposed to not feel these things?

It’s kind of like saying to someone who just stepped on a piece of lego with their bare feet and saying, “Don’t feel pain.”

How? How is someone not supposed to feel what they are feeling?

That’s a great question. It’s just the wrong question.

God is not telling Joshua to feel this thing or that thing. This text has nothing to do with feelings.

God said, “BE strong. BE courageous. Do not BE afraid. Do not BE discouraged.”

This is about being. No matter the circumstance, you can choose strength, courage. You can choose not to be afraid and discouraged. These are choices.

These aren’t choices that are made in a vacuum. These are choices made with the understanding that we are never alone because the LORD our God is with us wherever we go. You see, the source of strength and courage is not in us. It is in the LORD our God. God is our strength and courage.

How does this work? It has to do with your eyes. What are you looking at? If you focus on the problem, the discouragement, the struggle, that’s what you see. If you focus on God, that’s who you see.

What are you looking at?

God said, “BE strong. BE courageous. Do not BE afraid. Do not BE discouraged.”