Morning

April 17

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

Two times in this chapter and once from the mouth of Moses, Joshua has heard, "Be strong and courageous". (See yesterday's morning devotional and Deuteronomy 31:23.) Sometimes we need to personally hear it from God to have faith. What a word this is for us when there is a change in leadership or we begin to be called to lead. We should never be terrified or discouraged because the LORD our God is with us wherever we are.

Here we see two tools of the enemy, fear or terror, and discouragement. Today we often label discouragement as depression. If Satan can get you to forget about God's omnipotence and omnipresence, then he has a position from which he can resist God in you. When we realize that is a lie, our faith in who God has been, and is today, enables God in us to be an unbeatable foe, which is Satan's worse nightmare. It takes faith in God to receive the enabling.

Discouragement is a tough battle to fight. Moses succumbed to it at times. Joshua would surely face situations that on the surface would look discouraging. Certainly, every one of us does. We need to respond with eyes that see the spiritual realm. There all things work together for good, and even the defeats are steps forward. Only eyes of faith that see God with us, working through the difficulty, can claim this positive attitude that keeps us strong and courageous. Are you faced with discouragement? Open your spiritual eyes and see past the difficulty to God in you working good things into your life.

Consider: Am I seeing with eyes of faith?