“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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 courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:6-9 ESV

In this series, we will be looking at three characteristics of STRONG & COURAGEOUS women. Strong and courageous women are those who know God’s power in their lives and rest in His strength. They are women who are not deterred by danger or pain but stand brave because they are in a beautiful relationship with The Lion of Judah.

If you are not feeling strong or courageous today, by the end of this series, you will see that in Christ, you have everything you need to stand strong and courageous!

READ PART ONE HERE.
READ PART TWO HERE.

In Part One of this series, we learned that like Joshua, the first characteristic of being strong and courageous is that we know God’s Promise is a sure victory. In Joshua 1:5-6 we saw that just as the Lord was with Moses and Joshua, so will He be with you. He is holding your hand and giving you His strength to see those promises through to completion.

In Part Two of this series, we learned that strong and courageous women know that God’s Word is a safe guide. In Joshua 1:7-8, we saw that the Lord gave Joshua a firm command and the same is true for us today. Meditate on the Word day and night. Don’t turn from it looking to the right or the left. Stand firm on His Word because it will guide us to be brave!

PART THREE: Strong and Courageous Women Experience God’s Presence

For this study, we are going to dig into Joshua 1:5-9. Joshua is a man who was strong and courageous and much can be learned from his life as we learn to live with bravery and strength in the face of difficult circumstances.

God gave Joshua . . . HIS PRESENCE.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9 ESV

The third time we see "be strong and courageous" is when God gives Joshua His Presence. "Joshua, I am going to go with you. Do not be frightened. Do not break down due to confusion or fear. I am with you. Wherever you go, I will be there. My presence will surround you all the days of your life.”

Joshua had God’s Presence and because of that presence, he had sustaining power!

God gave you . . . HIS PRESENCE.

God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at once. "The Scriptures teach that God is infinite. This means that His being knows no limits. Therefore there can be no limit to His presence; He is omnipresent. In His infinitude He surrounds the finite creation and contains it. There is no place beyond Him for anything to be. God is our environment as the sea is to the fish and the air to the bird.” - A.W. Tozer

“God is over all things, under all things; outside all; within but not enclosed; without but not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly beneath, sustaining; wholly within, filling." - Hildebert of Lavardin

He is with you, Dear Friend. He will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

Don’t Break Down.

The Hebrew word for “dismayed” in Joshua 1:9 means to be shattered, be broken, be abolished, be afraid. It means to break down due to confusion and fear.

Life is hard, My Friends. Nowhere in the Bible does it promise us life would be easy. As you grasp onto the Promises of God and you Meditate on His Word, know that even in the difficult parts, God is with you. His presence is your sustaining power.

Don’t break down. Lean into the presence of the Lord. Worship, praise, pray and get into the Word. This is your sustaining power. He inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) He speaks to you through His Word. He is close to you in prayer.

The first characteristic of strong and courageous women is that they know God’s Promise on their life is a sure victory.

The second characteristic of strong and courageous women is that they know God’s Word is a safe guide. They meditate on it day and night. They don’t turn from it looking to the right or the left. They stand firm on His Word because they know it will guide them to be brave.

The third characteristic of strong and courageous women is that they know God’s Presence is with them. It is their sustaining power through the difficult task ahead. It is their sustaining power as they grasp onto the promises of God in their lives and it is their sustaining power as they stand firm on God’s Word.

Notice the order of these three characteristics:

The Promise
The WORD
The Presence

The Promise and The Presence are on God’s end. He gives us the Promise, our sure victory. He makes His Presence known to us, our sustaining power. Those both depend on God.

The Word depends on us. God gave us 66 books of the Bible and it is our responsibility to open the Word and hear Him speak to us through it. The Word was given, have we picked it up?

Notice also, THE WORD touches the Promise and the Presence. If you aren’t in The Word, you will not know how God speaks and won’t know the Promises He has for your life. If you aren’t in The Word, you will not know how God moves and won’t feel His Presence in Your life.

The Word.
The Word.
The Word.

The longer I am here at A Symphony of Praise, the more I see that The Word of God is all that we need. Through it we praise, we worship, we pray, we see the Promises and feel His Presence.

Strong and Courageous Woman . . .

You have the Promises of God written in His Word.
You have His Presence with you.
You have His Word available to you to meditate and learn from.

You already have all that you need to live STRONG & COURAGEOUS.
He has given you a sure victory.
God has given you a safe guide.
He has given you sustaining power.

Grasp it.
Step into it.
Embrace it.
And live brave!

WITH ALL MY HEART,
ERIKA 💛

For All of this Series: