WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:29.420 message from our preaching team. Hi everyone, 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:34.859 my name is Emma and my role at Encounter Hanley 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:39.439 is coordinating our kids ministry, but I dabble. 00:00:40.570 --> 00:00:44.729 in preaching. Just before we start I'd like to 00:00:44.729 --> 00:00:47.369 start in prayer so if you could close your eyes 00:00:47.369 --> 00:00:51.390 and pray with me today. God thank you for bringing 00:00:51.390 --> 00:00:54.890 us here today as we explore your word we ask 00:00:54.890 --> 00:00:58.170 that the words spoken would be your words not 00:00:58.170 --> 00:01:02.109 human wisdom but your truth. Quiet our hearts 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:04.890 and help us to listen to what you may be speaking 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:08.450 to us today. May we leave change not because 00:01:08.450 --> 00:01:12.750 of effort or emotion but by encountering you. 00:01:13.390 --> 00:01:17.329 We place this time in your hands. In Jesus name 00:01:17.329 --> 00:01:23.989 we pray. Amen. Now this week we're diving back 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:28.689 into our series And we're looking at a verse 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:31.849 that you might recognise from just a single sentence. 00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:34.689 So just for a bit of fun, I wanna see where this 00:01:34.689 --> 00:01:38.269 lands. I'm gonna start with the quotable part 00:01:38.269 --> 00:01:40.849 of the verse. And if you recognise it just from 00:01:40.849 --> 00:01:43.989 the quote, I want you to put your hands up. Be 00:01:43.989 --> 00:01:46.750 strong and courageous. Put your hand up if you 00:01:46.750 --> 00:01:51.209 know that verse just from that one line. Now, 00:01:51.390 --> 00:01:55.870 this verse is from the popular Joshua 1 verse 00:01:55.870 --> 00:02:08.349 9 and the full verse goes like this, Now, we're 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:10.590 in the series called Quotable, which as you can 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:14.289 already tell, we're looking at why these Bible 00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:17.270 verses are so popular that they've escaped the 00:02:17.270 --> 00:02:20.210 pages of the Bible and made their way into the 00:02:20.210 --> 00:02:24.270 homeware section. And Joshua 1 .9 is a classic 00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:27.389 example, especially the line, be strong and courageous. 00:02:28.770 --> 00:02:33.509 And you can see this verse on t -shirts. on mugs, 00:02:34.030 --> 00:02:37.389 on key rings, wall art, and yes, if you look 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:39.610 hard enough, you can actually find it on toilet 00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:42.889 seat covers. I'm not saying that I went looking, 00:02:43.129 --> 00:02:45.569 but I definitely saw one. The whole kit caboodle, 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:48.789 shower curtain, bath mat, toilet seat, because 00:02:48.789 --> 00:02:50.810 apparently people need affirmation when going 00:02:50.810 --> 00:02:56.250 to the toilet too. A pattern arose when I was 00:02:56.250 --> 00:02:59.169 looking for gifts and decor. I found that only 00:02:59.169 --> 00:03:01.650 the middle part of the verse is used. Not the 00:03:01.650 --> 00:03:03.830 beginning, not the end, just the middle, the 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:06.610 be strong and courageous part. So it got me thinking, 00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:10.590 why just this part? Why does be strong and courageous 00:03:10.590 --> 00:03:12.990 resonate so deeply with people that we want it 00:03:12.990 --> 00:03:16.750 in our homes and on our toilets? And I think... 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.599 It's because it's comforting. There's something 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.379 about that phrase in particular that brings a 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:26.860 sense of comfort and comfort is a real powerful 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.439 force in our culture. Now comfort is defined 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:33.860 as a state or situation in which... You are relaxed 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:36.840 and you do not have any physically unpleasant 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:41.479 feelings caused by pain, heat or cold, etc. And 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:43.960 that definition is helpful to keep in mind because 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:47.240 it captures what comfort promises, a sense of 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:51.060 ease, safety, control and relief from discomfort. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:55.750 But comfort isn't just about avoiding pain. also 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:59.050 tells us something deeper, that if we can just 00:03:59.050 --> 00:04:01.669 feel steady enough, prepared enough, or confident 00:04:01.669 --> 00:04:05.490 enough, then we'll be okay. Comfort reassures 00:04:05.490 --> 00:04:07.909 us that we don't actually need to change anything. 00:04:08.189 --> 00:04:11.030 We just need the right words, the right mindset, 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:14.830 the right systems in place, at least as long 00:04:14.830 --> 00:04:17.870 as life behaves in the way that we expect it 00:04:17.870 --> 00:04:21.589 to. Comfort says, if I can be strong enough on 00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:25.009 my own, I won't have to sit with discomfort and 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:28.610 uncertainty. And that is where comfort becomes 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:31.129 dangerous because it quietly places dependence 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:36.610 on God with confidence in ourselves. And when 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:39.189 I reflected on this, I realized just how deeply 00:04:39.189 --> 00:04:43.089 wired the desire for comfort is within me in 00:04:43.089 --> 00:04:47.360 a very ordinary, very practical way. I realised 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.220 how much I value comfort when I thought about 00:04:50.220 --> 00:04:54.319 packing for a trip. I am a very type A packer. 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.420 Packing for a trip is an overwhelming job for 00:04:57.420 --> 00:05:01.300 me. Every decision feels monumental. Every item 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:06.379 in my bag must earn its place. My toiletry bag 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:10.120 is the size of a small suitcase. Everything I 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:13.560 might need, could need or should need goes in. 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:18.259 And somehow none of it is ever enough. It has 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:21.379 to be all of it. Packing underwear for a two 00:05:21.379 --> 00:05:26.160 -day trip. Six pairs. No question asked. Because 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:28.800 honestly, who knows what will happen to your 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:33.720 bowels? I have learnt the hard way. The consequences 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:39.040 of not being prepared are discomfort. I like 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.819 comfort. I like being able to be in control. 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:46.220 The feeling that I have this in the bag, literally, 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:50.439 is comforting. It feels safe. It feels like I 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:54.560 can handle whatever life throws at me. And that's 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:59.019 why, for me, overpacking is comforting. Every 00:05:59.019 --> 00:06:02.740 eventuality is accounted for. Extra underwear, 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:08.139 check. Backup snacks, of course, and shoes for 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:12.500 every person. mood naturally i like knowing that 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:16.000 i can manufacture a sense of comfort in the things 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.839 that i bring with me comfort whispers to me if 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.100 i'm prepared enough nothing can catch me off 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:27.439 guard but here's the reality I actually can't 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:30.319 know what will happen. I could act prepared, 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:33.540 but the truth is that no amount of packing will 00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:37.199 protect me from the unexpected. In theory, I 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:42.639 could poo my pants seven times. And who knows? 00:06:44.379 --> 00:06:47.360 Suddenly my six pairs of undies are useless. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:53.100 Which is exactly when it hit me so much of what 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:56.800 I call comfort Having everything I need so I 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.100 won't have to face the being uncomfortable is 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:04.759 just an illusion Comfort tells us we can control 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:07.519 everything we can stay safe and avoid discomfort, 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:11.000 but no matter how prepared we think we are uncertainty 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:15.500 always finds a way in the comfort of packing 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:19.879 for all sorts of things is actually just temporary, 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:23.420 it's fragile and it disappears the moment reality 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:27.300 shows up. The more I try and plan for everything 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:30.639 the worse it gets because guess who ends up hauling 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:37.120 all that extra luggage around? My husband. But 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:40.500 in reality I do have to end up managing where 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:45.370 all that weight of the extra things goes. And 00:07:45.370 --> 00:07:48.230 the funny thing is, even after all of this, I 00:07:48.230 --> 00:07:51.110 still go through the same process every trip. 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:54.930 I return to what is comfortable. I try to convince 00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:58.329 myself that this time my preparation will be 00:07:58.329 --> 00:08:02.170 enough, but it never is. Life is unpredictable 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:05.769 and no amount of careful planning, lists or extra 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:09.269 undies can change that. And just like the extra 00:08:09.269 --> 00:08:11.550 underwear can't save me from the uncomfortable, 00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:17.860 the unexpected messes, on a trip and relying 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:21.300 on a comforting phrase, neither will protect 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:24.399 us from life's uncertainties. Now we're going 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:28.089 to look at the quote. Be strong and courageous. 00:08:28.829 --> 00:08:32.269 On its own, it's easy to treat it like an affirmation, 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:34.690 a pep talk in front of the mirror before heading 00:08:34.690 --> 00:08:38.409 to work, something we repeat when we are nervous, 00:08:38.730 --> 00:08:41.190 overwhelmed, or stepping into something uncomfortable. 00:08:41.769 --> 00:08:44.210 And when we do this, the verse becomes about 00:08:44.210 --> 00:08:48.509 how we feel, not about how we live. It promises 00:08:48.509 --> 00:08:52.840 courage. confidence and reassurance without requiring 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:56.500 us to trust anyone beyond ourselves or to actually 00:08:56.500 --> 00:09:00.980 move and face a challenge. We live in a culture 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:03.860 that values comfort, and so we are encouraged 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:07.500 to find strength within ourselves to push through, 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:11.919 to self -soothe, to self -motivate, to self -manage. 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:15.220 So when we isolate the quote from the verse, 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:17.860 like be strong and courageous, and reduce it 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:21.100 to a personal mantra or affirmation, it fits 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:25.379 perfectly within our culture's ideal. We display 00:09:25.379 --> 00:09:28.940 the words on mugs and wall art. We repeat them. 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.299 to ourselves and hope that the reassurance of 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:34.139 the phrase will carry us through uncertainty. 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:38.080 And just like my meticulously packed bag, promise 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:41.600 protection from every disaster, those words give 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:45.539 only the impression of security. But here is 00:09:45.539 --> 00:09:49.059 the problem. On its own, those words can only 00:09:49.059 --> 00:09:53.220 offer the impression of comfort, not the reality 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:56.629 of it. And I don't know about you, but when I 00:09:56.629 --> 00:10:00.610 have genuinely needed courage, like real courage, 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.889 telling myself to be brave over and over like 00:10:03.889 --> 00:10:08.669 a mantra has never been enough. At its core, 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:12.690 this version of the verse becomes empty comfort. 00:10:13.409 --> 00:10:16.570 And repeating the words in the moment might soothe 00:10:16.570 --> 00:10:18.970 me for a little bit, but it actually doesn't 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:23.049 sustain me to get through anything. It comforts, 00:10:23.049 --> 00:10:26.129 but it never carries me through. And this was 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:28.309 because the verse was never meant to function 00:10:28.309 --> 00:10:31.649 as comfort on its own. Where culture promotes 00:10:31.649 --> 00:10:34.690 comfort, this verse points to something more. 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:39.870 Where culture promises comfort, God promises 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:44.309 his presence. When I started researching the 00:10:44.309 --> 00:10:46.950 common misunderstandings of the context around 00:10:46.950 --> 00:10:50.309 this verse and how we use be strong and courageous, 00:10:50.309 --> 00:10:55.620 isolated, one argument stood out for me. And 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:58.620 it was this that this verse isn't actually for 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:02.720 us. It was a command given to Joshua and purely 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.960 Joshua. And at first, that really unsettled me. 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:08.440 I actually disagreed. I thought, well, there 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:10.840 are plenty of things that God says in scripture 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.720 that weren't originally spoken to us and yet 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.019 they still shape our faith. So why would this 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:20.580 one be any different? And it's a question worth 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:24.490 sitting with. Why was this verse said and who 00:11:24.490 --> 00:11:27.889 was it really for? And what might we be missing 00:11:27.889 --> 00:11:31.149 when we take it out of its original context and 00:11:31.149 --> 00:11:33.809 moment and apply it as a comforting phrase for 00:11:33.809 --> 00:11:37.450 ourselves? And understanding the original context 00:11:37.450 --> 00:11:39.730 doesn't actually strip the verse of meaning, 00:11:40.409 --> 00:11:43.480 it actually restores it. It helps us see that 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:45.759 this verse was an display to it while told which 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:49.440 is commanded through to decor in the very Joshua's 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.299 world for a moment and we don't fill it back 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:56.820 Joshua 1 9 is a transition and at this point 00:11:56.820 --> 00:12:00.100 we got of Enormous or thorough wilderness for 00:12:00.100 --> 00:12:03.879 forces gone Israel is facing a time of uncertainty 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.080 a time of discomfort the people are grieving 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:10.090 the promise of the land hasn't yet been filled 00:12:10.090 --> 00:12:14.029 and the future is unknown. And it's into this 00:12:14.029 --> 00:12:17.350 moment that God commissions Joshua to take up 00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:20.950 leadership. God speaks directly to him. It says 00:12:20.950 --> 00:12:24.269 in Joshua chapter 1 verse 2, Moses my servant 00:12:24.269 --> 00:12:27.509 is now dead. Now you and all these people get 00:12:27.509 --> 00:12:30.429 ready to cross the Jordan River and into the 00:12:30.429 --> 00:12:34.210 land I am about to give them. Joshua is not a 00:12:34.210 --> 00:12:36.970 stranger to God or to leadership. He has been 00:12:36.970 --> 00:12:40.009 a part of the story all along. He served closely 00:12:40.009 --> 00:12:42.830 under Moses and he was one of the two faithful 00:12:42.830 --> 00:12:45.909 spies in Numbers 14 who trusted God when others 00:12:45.909 --> 00:12:50.309 were afraid. But this moment is different. Joshua 00:12:50.309 --> 00:12:52.950 has moved from the background to the forefront. 00:12:53.409 --> 00:12:56.450 The responsibility no longer sits with Moses, 00:12:56.730 --> 00:13:00.539 it now rests on him. And the challenges before 00:13:00.539 --> 00:13:03.899 Joshua are immense. This is not a comfortable 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:06.720 moment. It is not a settled season. He is to 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:10.220 lead the Israel into the promised land, confront 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:13.419 nations and their strongholds, tear down their 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:17.379 idols and lead the people faithfully. It is in 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:20.740 this moment of enormous responsibility and uncertainty 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:24.799 as Joshua prepares to step into the task God 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.279 has set before him that God speaks the words 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.740 of Joshua 1 .9. It is here that God does not 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:33.019 remove Joshua from the discomfort of the moment. 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:36.740 He meets him within it. God does not offer Joshua 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.980 to escape from the uncomfortableness he offers 00:13:39.980 --> 00:13:44.279 himself. Now when we slow down and listen carefully 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:46.539 to this verse, you'll notice that this verse 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:50.080 isn't flat. It isn't static. I'm gonna read it 00:13:50.080 --> 00:14:04.019 to you again. It actually moves in three parts. 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:09.100 The reminder, the command and the source. For 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:12.110 the reminder, parents in the room, why do we 00:14:12.110 --> 00:14:17.789 repeat things to children? Is it because we know 00:14:17.789 --> 00:14:19.769 that they may not fully grasp the concept the 00:14:19.769 --> 00:14:23.909 first time? They take lots of times after. Repetition 00:14:23.909 --> 00:14:27.190 helps things sink in and it prepares people for 00:14:27.190 --> 00:14:29.809 what's coming. When something has to be said 00:14:29.809 --> 00:14:34.529 three times, it usually matters. That dynamic 00:14:34.529 --> 00:14:37.330 helps us understand how God speaks to Joshua. 00:14:37.789 --> 00:14:42.610 The verse begins with, Have I not commanded you? 00:14:43.210 --> 00:14:46.980 This isn't a frustration, it's a reminder. God 00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:50.440 is calling Joshua back to what has already been 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.980 spoken to him. In Joshua chapter 1 verse 6 God 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:56.919 says, be strong and courageous because you will 00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.460 lead these people to inherit the land. In verse 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:03.700 7 God repeats it, be strong and very courageous, 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:06.899 be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:10.919 gave you. Now in verse 9 God says it One more 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:14.419 time. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:17.919 courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:22.159 Three times. God reinforces the call like a parent 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.399 preparing a child for the day. Put your shoes 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:33.139 on. I said put your shoes on. Shoes now. God 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:37.440 repeats these words. Not because Joshua is incapable. 00:15:38.029 --> 00:15:42.490 but because what lies ahead is significant. Joshua 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:45.210 needs to remember both what he has been called 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:50.519 to do and who has called him. The command is 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:54.940 next. God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous 00:15:54.940 --> 00:15:58.480 because he is about to lead a grieving, uncertain 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:02.000 nation into the promised land. He will face fortified 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.279 cities, powerful enemies, and the weight of Israel's 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:08.840 future is on his shoulders. This courage is not 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.600 just for battle. Joshua will need strength to 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.440 make hard decisions, to stand firm when people 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:18.129 resist, and doubt him and to remain faithful 00:16:18.129 --> 00:16:23.049 even when progress seems slow. God names the 00:16:23.049 --> 00:16:26.649 inner struggle of Joshua too. Fear will rise, 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:29.870 discouragement will press in and the task will 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:34.169 often feel bigger than Joshua's capacity. God 00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:38.409 doesn't deny those realities but he instead commands 00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:42.299 Joshua not to let them lead him. Strength and 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:45.399 courage are required because Joshua cannot wait 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:49.299 until things feel safe or manageable. God does 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:52.860 not offer his comfort first, he actually calls 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:57.500 for obedience in the uncertainty. Strength and 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:01.179 courage are not emotions for Joshua to achieve, 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:05.200 but rather a posture that Joshua must choose. 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:09.440 Now we move on to the source. The command to 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:12.559 be strong and courageous does not stand on its 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:16.420 own. Its source is the promise for the Lord your 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:19.700 God will be with you wherever you go. Courage 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:22.559 is not the source, strength is not the source, 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:27.109 but God's presence is the source. This presence 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:30.490 is not a temporary encouragement or empty comfort 00:17:30.490 --> 00:17:33.670 as we explored before. It is a promise that has 00:17:33.670 --> 00:17:36.809 been fulfilled again and again throughout scripture. 00:17:37.450 --> 00:17:41.049 God was a source of Abraham's obedience as he 00:17:41.049 --> 00:17:44.390 stepped into the unknown, the source of Moses' 00:17:44.769 --> 00:17:48.410 perseverance in leading Israel out of Egypt, 00:17:49.089 --> 00:17:52.089 and the source of the judge's deliverance in 00:17:52.089 --> 00:17:55.289 moments of crisis, and as well the source of 00:17:55.289 --> 00:17:58.089 the prophet's faithfulness in times of fear and 00:17:58.089 --> 00:18:02.490 uncertainty. Now that same source stands with 00:18:02.490 --> 00:18:06.119 Joshua. Joshua draws his strength and courage 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.140 not from the words themselves, but from the presence 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:12.880 of the one who stands behind them. Joshua doesn't 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.279 need comfort, he needs a source, a source to 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:21.140 sustain. Leading a nation at a pivotal moment 00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:24.400 requires more than just reassurance, it requires 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:28.650 a foundation that does not shift. The words be 00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:31.430 strong and courageous only carry the weight they 00:18:31.430 --> 00:18:34.650 do because they are anchored to the source of 00:18:34.650 --> 00:18:37.910 God's presence. Remove the source and the command 00:18:37.910 --> 00:18:41.910 becomes nothing more than comfort. And this is 00:18:41.910 --> 00:18:45.329 where we often miss the point. We take the command 00:18:45.329 --> 00:18:47.910 out of its source. We turn it into something 00:18:47.910 --> 00:18:50.910 that we can use for comfort. We cling to those 00:18:50.910 --> 00:18:54.849 words to feel better rather than to live faithfully. 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.680 We chase comfort instead of God's presence. We 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:02.920 expect God's presence to smooth the path instead 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:07.700 of sustain us on it. And it confuses courage 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:13.380 with emotional ease. Where culture promises comfort, 00:19:14.019 --> 00:19:18.559 God promises his presence. But scripture is not 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:22.990 offering comfort, it is offering a source. Comfort 00:19:22.990 --> 00:19:27.230 asks, will this feel safe? Where presence asks, 00:19:27.470 --> 00:19:31.650 who will go with me? Comfort looks like relief, 00:19:32.569 --> 00:19:36.869 presence offers relationships. And Joshua faces 00:19:36.869 --> 00:19:40.690 real fear, there's no denying that. He faces 00:19:40.690 --> 00:19:43.910 real uncertainty and real discomfort and God 00:19:43.910 --> 00:19:47.089 does the comfort or self assurance from trusting 00:19:47.089 --> 00:19:51.799 the source feel. Why this uncomfort turns courage 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:55.680 also into a feeling and presence into something 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.579 that we are hoping for. But scripture calls us 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:03.859 to something deeper, a presence we trust in even 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:08.220 when comfort is absent. Joshua does not simply 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:11.119 hear the promise of God's present, but he actually 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.960 that it shapes the way that he leads. The call 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:17.559 to be strong and courageous places him in real 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:22.220 uncertainty and this is where the command finally 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:25.740 makes sense. Strength and courage do not come 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:29.079 first. God's presence is the source in which 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:33.160 they flow. So rather than asking what the command 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:37.140 means, the question becomes what does it look 00:20:37.140 --> 00:20:40.779 like? How does Joshua live from God's presence 00:20:40.779 --> 00:20:44.819 instead of reaching for the comfort? And scripture 00:20:44.819 --> 00:20:48.900 shows us three ways in which he does this. The 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:52.299 first one is that he meditates on God's word. 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.039 Joshua 1 .8, God says to Joshua, keep this book 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:01.200 of the law, always meditate on your, always on 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.720 your lips, meditate on it day and night so that 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:06.680 you may be careful to do everything written in 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:10.119 it. Then you will be successful, prosperous and 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.559 successful. God tells Joshua to meditate on the 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.279 Lord day and night, not simply as reassurance 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:19.259 or as a spiritual discipline, but because the 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:22.920 Word of God is the path through which he experiences 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:27.200 God's presence. A .W. Tozer captures this reality 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.819 when he writes in his book, The Presence of God, 00:21:38.869 --> 00:21:42.750 Only one path is correct and that path is revealed 00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:46.549 in the Word of God. Only in the Bible do we begin 00:21:46.549 --> 00:21:49.690 to understand what these inward stirrings are 00:21:49.690 --> 00:21:52.829 and how to find entrance into the presence of 00:21:52.829 --> 00:21:56.109 God. A right understanding of the Bible opens 00:21:56.109 --> 00:21:59.410 to us the only path into the presence of God. 00:22:00.029 --> 00:22:03.509 Now, Tozer isn't saying that God cannot be encountered 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:06.470 through prayer, creation, community or the work 00:22:06.470 --> 00:22:09.190 of the spirit. Scripture itself affirms that 00:22:09.190 --> 00:22:12.289 God is present and active in all of those ways. 00:22:12.630 --> 00:22:15.430 But what Tozer is naming is the unique role of 00:22:15.430 --> 00:22:19.130 God's Word as the place where we come to to know 00:22:19.130 --> 00:22:23.490 who God actually is. When we are attentive to 00:22:23.490 --> 00:22:26.789 Scripture, it shapes our understanding of God's 00:22:26.789 --> 00:22:31.119 character, His purposes and His ways. It gives 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:34.940 us the framework to rightly recognise his presence 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:39.670 everywhere. In that sense, the Word becomes the 00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:43.029 path, not because God is absent anywhere else, 00:22:43.250 --> 00:22:46.650 but because Scripture anchors our understanding 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:49.869 of Him so that our experience of His presence 00:22:49.869 --> 00:22:54.430 is grounded in truth rather than feelings or 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:57.589 self -made confidence. And Joshua understands 00:22:57.589 --> 00:22:59.750 this. He does not look for God's presence through 00:22:59.750 --> 00:23:02.650 his feelings or through his self -assurance. 00:23:02.809 --> 00:23:05.789 He seeks it through attentiveness to God's Word. 00:23:06.029 --> 00:23:08.849 His courage is formed not by repeating God's 00:23:08.849 --> 00:23:11.670 command to be strong and courageous, but by living 00:23:11.670 --> 00:23:14.650 in alignment with the God who has promised his 00:23:14.650 --> 00:23:18.190 presence. For Joshua grounding himself in God's 00:23:18.190 --> 00:23:21.890 word is not about information or comfort, is 00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:25.329 about staying close to the God who speaks, leads, 00:23:25.549 --> 00:23:29.130 and goes with his people. And just as Joshua 00:23:29.130 --> 00:23:31.869 intentionally engaged in God's word each day, 00:23:31.990 --> 00:23:36.420 we too are invited to do the same. Imagine starting 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:39.740 or ending each day by pausing with God's Word, 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:43.220 reading even a small verse or a passage and asking 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:47.119 God, what are you showing me about who you are 00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:50.380 today? When we do this, we're not just checking 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:53.539 off a to -do list, we're opening ourselves to 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:57.799 the God who walks with us. A great way to build 00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:01.240 this habit is to join the encounter Bible reading 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:05.160 plan and it's never too late to start. But you 00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:08.019 actually do need to take the first step to do 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:12.099 it. And like Joshua, daily engagement with God's 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:15.059 Word invites us into His presence that He promises 00:24:15.059 --> 00:24:18.220 and helps us live with courage knowing that He 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:21.720 is with us every step of the way. The second 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:26.140 way Joshua seeks God's presence is to place his 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:29.680 trust in God's promise rather than his own strength. 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:32.660 The command to be strong and courageous is not 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:36.640 an invitation for Joshua to look inward or to 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:39.599 summon hidden reserves of courage and strength. 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:42.960 It is a call to place his trust in somewhere 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:46.539 specific, to place his trust in the promise that 00:24:46.539 --> 00:24:50.299 the Lord will be with him wherever he goes. Joshua's 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:52.680 courage is not measured by how fearless he feels, 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:57.210 but by where his trust is anchored. God's present 00:24:57.210 --> 00:25:00.130 compels Joshua to act not because he feels ready 00:25:00.130 --> 00:25:03.630 or comfortable but because God has spoken and 00:25:03.630 --> 00:25:07.130 will go with him. Joshua steps forward trusting 00:25:07.130 --> 00:25:09.970 not his own strength not his own preparation 00:25:09.970 --> 00:25:13.690 or certainty but the strength of the one who 00:25:13.690 --> 00:25:16.710 accompanies him. And Timothy Keller puts language 00:25:16.710 --> 00:25:20.609 to this when he says, Strong faith in a weak 00:25:20.609 --> 00:25:24.470 branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a 00:25:24.470 --> 00:25:27.369 strong branch. Salvation is not finally based 00:25:27.369 --> 00:25:31.009 on the strength of your faith, but on the object 00:25:31.009 --> 00:25:35.829 of your faith. Joshua's faith may be imperfect, 00:25:36.630 --> 00:25:41.289 but its object is sure. His trust rests not in 00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:45.089 his leadership ability, his military strategy 00:25:45.089 --> 00:25:48.190 or emotional readiness, but in the promise of 00:25:48.190 --> 00:25:52.470 God's nearness. That is what allows him to move 00:25:52.470 --> 00:25:55.170 forward when comfort would say, wait until you 00:25:55.170 --> 00:25:58.650 feel ready or prepared. We can practically do 00:25:58.650 --> 00:26:02.349 the same. When fear or uncertainty starts to 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:05.049 grip you, you can bring those fears to God in 00:26:05.049 --> 00:26:07.549 prayer. We have a beautiful prayer room that's 00:26:07.549 --> 00:26:14.079 open 24 seven. We can bring fears to God in prayer. 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:17.259 We can say, Lord, I trust you to go before me 00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:20.440 in this situation. You can remind yourself of 00:26:20.440 --> 00:26:23.599 his faithfulness and the promises that he has 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:27.180 given you. Take time to reflect on the times 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:30.180 that he has carried you through or write in a 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:33.559 journal the ways that he has been faithful in 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:38.799 your life. Think about who God is, what his promises 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:42.099 mean for you today and how he wants you to trust 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:47.000 him in this moment. Courage and strength don't 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.920 come from getting rid of fear. It comes from 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:52.740 leaning fully on God's presence, holding on to 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:56.400 his promises and letting him guide you and strengthen 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:00.440 you in every step you take. The third and final 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:04.359 way that Joshua leans in on God's presence is 00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:08.950 that Joshua sustains himself by God's presence 00:27:08.950 --> 00:27:13.730 as his source. Meditating on God's word is how 00:27:13.730 --> 00:27:17.250 Joshua begins. Trusting God's promises is what 00:27:17.250 --> 00:27:21.170 moves him forward and God's presence, the source, 00:27:21.490 --> 00:27:25.849 is how he keeps going. This focus on God as his 00:27:25.849 --> 00:27:28.930 source shapes everything Joshua does. Turning 00:27:28.930 --> 00:27:32.490 his attention outward toward the Lord rather 00:27:32.490 --> 00:27:35.730 than inward towards himself. A distinction that 00:27:35.730 --> 00:27:40.250 becomes clear when we compare presence and comfort. 00:27:41.369 --> 00:27:44.950 Where comfort turns us inwards, present turns 00:27:44.950 --> 00:27:49.029 us outwards. Comfort, doing okay, happy. Who 00:27:49.029 --> 00:27:54.150 am I walking with? It fixes our eyes on who God 00:27:54.150 --> 00:27:57.390 is and reminds us that courage and strength comes 00:27:57.390 --> 00:28:01.960 from Him, not from ourselves. Joshua's strength 00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:06.400 and courage doesn't come from constant self -assessment, 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:09.599 but from attentiveness to the Lord who walks 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.750 with him. He writes, everyone there. But they 00:28:13.750 --> 00:28:16.490 do not call it goodness. They do not call it 00:28:16.490 --> 00:28:20.009 anything. They are not thinking of it. They are 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:23.829 too busy looking at the source from which it 00:28:23.829 --> 00:28:27.829 comes. Generate his word, his promises and presence. 00:28:28.269 --> 00:28:32.890 Strength flows to him from the source. And we 00:28:32.890 --> 00:28:36.759 can do the same. When fear or uncertainty comes, 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:39.900 we can simply keep our hearts and eyes on God's 00:28:39.900 --> 00:28:43.019 presence, staying close to the source that can 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:47.799 sustain us. It's no quick comfort, but a slow, 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:53.029 steady presence. And when comfort fades, God's 00:28:53.029 --> 00:28:56.309 presence remains. Revealing a pattern that points 00:28:56.309 --> 00:28:59.930 beyond the story of Joshua toward a greater reality. 00:29:00.329 --> 00:29:04.309 In Joshua's story we see a pattern at work. God's 00:29:04.309 --> 00:29:07.289 presence sustains him but the story itself can 00:29:07.289 --> 00:29:10.509 only be completed from something far greater. 00:29:11.109 --> 00:29:13.690 Joshua leads people into the promised land yet 00:29:13.690 --> 00:29:17.690 the story is unfinished. The land is entered 00:29:17.690 --> 00:29:20.690 but the journey isn't complete. Throughout scripture 00:29:20.690 --> 00:29:23.759 God's people not with whether God is present, 00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:27.079 but with remaining attentive to His presence. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:30.480 Again and again, the people of God, they turn 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:33.720 to substitutes that promise comfort, control, 00:29:33.819 --> 00:29:37.279 or certainty, and Joshua stands within that tension. 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:40.720 His reliance on God's presence does not resolve 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:45.299 it, it reveals something more. It becomes a signpost 00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:48.880 toward a greater reality, that God's presence 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:52.259 is... God's presence with his people extends 00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:56.099 far beyond one man, one moment, and one land. 00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:00.039 And scripture itself invites us to see this connection 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:04.220 more clearly. Even their names tell the story. 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:08.299 Joshua in Hebrew is, I'm gonna butcher this, 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:13.480 Yehoshua, meaning the Lord saves. The Greek form 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:17.670 of that same name is Jesus. Where Joshua leads 00:30:17.670 --> 00:30:20.509 God's people into the promised land, Jesus leads 00:30:20.509 --> 00:30:24.150 them into the life God promises. Where Joshua 00:30:24.150 --> 00:30:28.049 steps forward amid fear, Jesus steps into a broken 00:30:28.049 --> 00:30:31.430 world shaped by sin and suffering. Where Joshua 00:30:31.430 --> 00:30:34.230 is told to be strong and courageous because God 00:30:34.230 --> 00:30:37.589 will be with him, Jesus is God's present among 00:30:37.589 --> 00:30:42.470 us. Jesus walks in perfect dependence on the 00:30:42.470 --> 00:30:45.730 Father. He continually returns to God's presence 00:30:45.730 --> 00:30:49.609 as his source, shaped by God's Word, trusting 00:30:49.609 --> 00:30:53.390 God's promises and sustained by God's nearness. 00:30:53.809 --> 00:30:56.710 His strength doesn't come from avoiding the suffering 00:30:56.710 --> 00:31:00.390 that is before him or seeking comfort, but it 00:31:00.390 --> 00:31:04.150 is from remaining aligned with the Father. Both 00:31:04.150 --> 00:31:08.289 Joshua and Jesus are sent. Both are obedient. 00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:12.420 Both move forward not by comfort but by God's 00:31:12.420 --> 00:31:16.119 presence. But only Jesus carries that presence 00:31:16.119 --> 00:31:19.660 to its ultimate fulfillment. Entering the battle 00:31:19.660 --> 00:31:23.779 Joshua could not finish against sin, death and 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:28.279 separation from God. On the cross Jesus does 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:32.180 not turn from suffering. His surrender is held 00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:34.920 and carried by the Father's presence and through 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:38.119 that same presence he carries God's presence 00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:42.880 into death itself. It says in Hebrews chapter 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:47.400 12 verse 2, for the joy set before him he endured 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:51.359 the cross. On the cross, the separation between 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:56.059 God and humanity is finally reconciled. What 00:31:56.059 --> 00:32:00.019 once stood between us and God is removed. The 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:03.680 barrier is gone. God's presence is no longer 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:07.480 distant or meditated through fear or law or effort. 00:32:07.660 --> 00:32:12.019 It is open. It is secure. It is given freely. 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:16.759 Jesus' surrender on the cross was sustained by 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:20.339 the source. That same source, the presence that 00:32:20.339 --> 00:32:22.980 carried Joshua and was fully revealed in Jesus 00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:28.019 is now available to us. We are invited to remain 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:32.200 turned towards the source that sustains to trust 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:35.220 the one who has gone before us and to live in 00:32:35.220 --> 00:32:38.640 the reality of God's presence already given in 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:41.839 Christ. Where Joshua needed courage to step into 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:44.279 the unknown, we live in the presence of the One 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:47.740 who has already gone through every trial, sin 00:32:47.740 --> 00:32:52.440 and shadow for us. Joshua is a signpost. Jesus 00:32:52.440 --> 00:32:56.660 is the destination. This is the point where everything 00:32:56.660 --> 00:33:00.579 began to come together for me. When I first came 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:03.400 across the idea that this verse was spoken just 00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:06.740 for Joshua and not directly to us, It did unsettle 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:09.839 me. I had assumed that it was a command meant 00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:12.460 to give us courage and strength in the current 00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:15.279 moment. But as I sat with the question of if 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:18.740 Joshua 1 .9 was spoken to Joshua, what does it 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:21.640 mean for us today? I began to see that this verse 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:24.680 was never meant to function as comfort detached 00:33:24.680 --> 00:33:28.180 from its context. And it was in discovering the 00:33:28.180 --> 00:33:30.579 connection between Joshua and Jesus that finally 00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:33.319 helped me understand why. The command be strong 00:33:33.319 --> 00:33:35.779 and courageous was given to Joshua because he 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:38.759 stood on the edge of uncertainty. He was being 00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:41.859 asked to obey while the outcome was still unknown. 00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:44.579 The battles were still ahead. Fear was still 00:33:44.579 --> 00:33:47.700 real. God's promise was sure, but the victory 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:51.400 had not yet been secured. Joshua needed courage 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:55.259 because obedience carried risk. But our position 00:33:55.259 --> 00:33:58.099 is different. For us, obedience still involves 00:33:58.099 --> 00:34:00.940 risks. But in Jesus, God's presence is already 00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:05.200 with us. In Jesus, we have God's presence with 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:08.519 us in a way that Joshua never did. Where Joshua 00:34:08.519 --> 00:34:12.639 depended on God going with him, Jesus is Immanuel, 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:16.639 God with us. His presence dwells among us in 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.300 a tangible and real way. We can see him in his 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:23.639 life. We can hear him through his word and experience 00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:27.159 him in prayer and trust him in every fear and 00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:30.409 struggle. This means that God's presence is no 00:34:30.409 --> 00:34:33.170 longer distant. It's no longer conditional or 00:34:33.170 --> 00:34:36.570 promised for the future. It is fully accessible 00:34:36.570 --> 00:34:40.579 and already secured for us right now. The command 00:34:40.579 --> 00:34:43.539 is no longer a call to find courage by ourselves 00:34:43.539 --> 00:34:47.099 but an invitation to live in the reality of God's 00:34:47.099 --> 00:34:50.579 presence that has already come. Because of Jesus 00:34:50.579 --> 00:34:55.119 the verse now flips. For Joshua the command comes 00:34:55.119 --> 00:34:58.579 first and trust is required without resolution. 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:02.880 For us Christ has fulfilled God's promise not 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:05.780 by removing discomfort and uncertainty but by 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:09.260 securing God's presence within it. Our trust 00:35:09.260 --> 00:35:12.500 flows from what has already been done for us. 00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:17.219 We do not hear Joshua 1 .9 as people standing 00:35:17.219 --> 00:35:20.179 on the edge of the unknown, hoping that God will 00:35:20.179 --> 00:35:23.510 meet us there. We hear it as people standing 00:35:23.510 --> 00:35:26.630 on the other side of the cross and resurrection. 00:35:27.110 --> 00:35:30.469 In Christ, God's presence is not something promised 00:35:30.469 --> 00:35:33.469 for our future. It is something that is already 00:35:33.469 --> 00:35:37.409 given. God is with us. His presence is with us 00:35:37.409 --> 00:35:41.030 now. Jesus has stepped into fear, darkness and 00:35:41.030 --> 00:35:44.550 death and has not been overcome by them. The 00:35:44.550 --> 00:35:47.420 greatest enemies have already... been defeated 00:35:47.420 --> 00:35:50.960 for us. So when we hear be strong and courageous 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:53.739 it's no longer the call to rely on our strength 00:35:53.739 --> 00:35:56.539 it is an invitation to live in the response of 00:35:56.539 --> 00:36:00.639 God's good grace. In Christ God says I am with 00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:04.260 you I have gone before you I have overcome and 00:36:04.260 --> 00:36:07.719 because that in my strength you can be strong 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:11.280 and courageous not to earn my presence not to 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:14.460 secure the victory but because both have already 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:17.909 been done. So instead of haven't I commanded 00:36:17.909 --> 00:36:20.510 you be strong and courageous, do not be afraid 00:36:20.510 --> 00:36:23.289 or discouraged for the Lord God is with you wherever 00:36:23.289 --> 00:36:27.650 you go. It becomes in Christ the promise is fulfilled. 00:36:28.110 --> 00:36:32.150 God is always with you. Fear, hopelessness and 00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:35.849 despair have been overcome. And because He is 00:36:35.849 --> 00:36:42.440 with you, you can be strong and courageous. We've 00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:46.380 seen how Joshua's courage was rooted not in comfort 00:36:46.380 --> 00:36:49.940 but in the presence of God and we've seen that 00:36:49.940 --> 00:36:53.239 Jesus embodies that same presence for us. He 00:36:53.239 --> 00:36:55.639 has already entered the greatest battles and 00:36:55.639 --> 00:36:58.480 secured the victory. But what does that mean 00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.849 for our everyday lives? How do we take the call 00:37:01.849 --> 00:37:04.909 to be strong and courageous out of an ancient 00:37:04.909 --> 00:37:07.849 text and into the reality that we live today 00:37:07.849 --> 00:37:11.210 while remembering that we are standing on the 00:37:11.210 --> 00:37:14.849 other side of the cross? The pressures, the fears, 00:37:15.230 --> 00:37:18.210 the uncertainties we face at work at home in 00:37:18.210 --> 00:37:21.469 our relationships are different from Joshua's, 00:37:21.730 --> 00:37:25.590 but the invitation remains the same. The command 00:37:25.590 --> 00:37:27.989 is no longer about finding strength or courage 00:37:27.989 --> 00:37:31.150 by ourselves, but is an invitation to live in 00:37:31.150 --> 00:37:37.090 the presence of God. Now, comfort just like my 00:37:37.090 --> 00:37:42.630 giant toiletry bag. It's heavy. It promises safety, 00:37:42.710 --> 00:37:47.190 but it rarely feels like extra cloth or convinced 00:37:47.190 --> 00:37:49.429 that it will put is by harder if you just hold 00:37:49.429 --> 00:37:52.840 on, if you just push through. And in our lives, 00:37:53.059 --> 00:37:56.159 comfort often looks like this. Trying to fix 00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.880 our own feelings instead of letting God meet 00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:03.139 you where you are. Pushing through fear or anxiety 00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:05.760 without pause, pretending you're okay when you're 00:38:05.760 --> 00:38:09.559 not. Clinging to self, helping you grow. The 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:14.119 weight slowly builds. We carry the burden of 00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:16.659 trying to control what was never ours to carry. 00:38:17.480 --> 00:38:20.960 And that's the backpack of comfort. We think 00:38:20.960 --> 00:38:24.019 it where comfort makes us carry the weight ourselves 00:38:24.019 --> 00:38:27.800 Pray does not promise comfort does not take away 00:38:27.800 --> 00:38:31.880 fear and uncertainty It does not remove the cost 00:38:31.880 --> 00:38:35.920 but it does change the weight that we carry God 00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:38.739 calls us to step away from comfort and to move 00:38:38.739 --> 00:38:44.099 forward into uncertainty but into his nearness 00:38:44.099 --> 00:38:46.989 courage and strength no longer depend on our 00:38:46.989 --> 00:38:50.170 own resolve, it flows from walking in step with 00:38:50.170 --> 00:38:55.449 God. Presence is light, but it asks something 00:38:55.449 --> 00:38:59.110 of us. It asks us to release what we cling to, 00:38:59.150 --> 00:39:03.070 what we trust, to step forward even when it feels 00:39:03.070 --> 00:39:08.329 uncomfortable. And here's where surrender becomes 00:39:08.329 --> 00:39:12.480 the hinge. the pivot between comfort and presence. 00:39:13.039 --> 00:39:16.780 Where comfort tightens our grip, surrender opens 00:39:16.780 --> 00:39:21.420 our hands. Surrender is not giving up, it's not 00:39:21.420 --> 00:39:25.320 doing nothing. Surrender is about earning, is 00:39:25.320 --> 00:39:28.780 not about earning courage or strength or God's 00:39:28.780 --> 00:39:32.260 presence. Surrender is the act of putting down 00:39:32.260 --> 00:39:35.960 the backpack, letting go of control, letting 00:39:35.960 --> 00:39:40.059 go of... Letting go of the illusions that I've 00:39:40.059 --> 00:39:44.539 got this and turning towards God. Surrender is 00:39:44.539 --> 00:39:48.699 not a passive action. It is participation. It 00:39:48.699 --> 00:39:53.400 is choosing presence over comfort. It is a posture. 00:39:53.940 --> 00:39:59.179 It is a choice. A step. And like a mirror turning 00:39:59.179 --> 00:40:02.039 toward the light, the light is already shining. 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:06.400 Our job is simply to turn and reflect it. The 00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:09.420 posture of surrender itself is uncomfortable. 00:40:10.920 --> 00:40:13.840 It asks us to leave behind the weight we've been 00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:16.699 clinging to. It asks us to step away from the 00:40:16.699 --> 00:40:20.480 familiar even when staying put feels safer. And 00:40:20.480 --> 00:40:24.300 here's the truth. Again, the weight we need to 00:40:24.300 --> 00:40:27.059 release was never ours to carry in the first 00:40:27.059 --> 00:40:30.679 place. When we surrender, the heavy luggage falls 00:40:30.679 --> 00:40:33.780 away. The things we thought we had to hold on 00:40:33.780 --> 00:40:37.570 to. Our control, our plans, our attempts at courage 00:40:37.570 --> 00:40:41.829 no longer can anchor us down. In that letting 00:40:41.829 --> 00:40:45.250 go, something remarkable happens. Courage begins 00:40:45.250 --> 00:40:49.309 to flow, strength rises and life itself feels 00:40:49.309 --> 00:40:52.610 fuller and freer. And it is in this revelation 00:40:52.610 --> 00:40:55.630 that we see it clearly. Surrender, not comfort, 00:40:56.030 --> 00:40:58.929 is the power that overcomes because surrender 00:40:58.929 --> 00:41:03.320 keeps us abiding in the presence of God. From 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:06.460 that place of abiding, everything we need, courage, 00:41:06.739 --> 00:41:10.579 strength, freedom, comes as a gift freely given. 00:41:11.139 --> 00:41:13.400 They're not gifts that we earn. They are not 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:16.420 resources that we have to manufacture. They flow 00:41:16.420 --> 00:41:19.699 naturally from the one who is already with us, 00:41:19.980 --> 00:41:23.340 the one who has carried the heaviest of loads 00:41:23.340 --> 00:41:27.320 before we ever stepped onto the path. God's presence 00:41:27.320 --> 00:41:31.320 fully given in Jesus becomes tangible in our 00:41:31.320 --> 00:41:34.119 lives. It is something that we can feel in the 00:41:34.119 --> 00:41:36.980 quiet moments of prayer, see reflected in the 00:41:36.980 --> 00:41:40.139 scripture, hear guiding us in the decisions and 00:41:40.139 --> 00:41:43.139 trust in the midst of fear. We don't have to 00:41:43.139 --> 00:41:45.679 lean on comfort, the false assurance that we 00:41:45.679 --> 00:41:49.039 can manage it all on our own or pretend to muster 00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:53.380 it together. That weight drops away when we engage 00:41:53.380 --> 00:41:59.050 in a posture of surrender. Thanks so much for 00:41:59.050 --> 00:42:01.610 tuning in to this week's message. If you felt 00:42:01.610 --> 00:42:04.389 challenged or need prayer, we'd love to hear 00:42:04.389 --> 00:42:07.429 from you on Instagram at encounterhenley. Or 00:42:07.429 --> 00:42:09.710 if you're interested in how you can support this 00:42:09.710 --> 00:42:13.409 ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:42:13.409 --> 00:42:17.570 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:42:17.570 --> 00:42:17.949 you.