"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
This was verse of the day today for my account on www.biblestudytools.com homepage. It has become my daily habit to log onto this website for a "Bible in A Year" program. I have tried these on several occasions in the past, but it was more like a New Year's resolution...it did not last long. This time I started a Thematic plan, back in April of 2015. I did good for about a week (this site shows the date you completed the reading), then stopped again. I started it back up in October picking up where I left off. Today I completed my 241st day of the program. That does not mean that I had not missed a day or two in there, but the point was I continued on even after a set back. Today's message is not just about going forward, but about going forward after a setback.
They say that the first step is the hardest to take. I can almost agree with that statement, but I think the first step after a setback is the hardest. I think that step is the vital step in anyone's life. Enthusiasm and emotion are very powerful and can be used to make that original first step. Seriously, sit through a motivational speaker and you are ready to conquer the world. You want to charge ahead! Many people start many plans. I'm guilty. I am studying missions, so now I want to dump everything and run to the mission field. I watched a movie where the President gave a motivational speech and I was ready to jump into battle. We all experience these emotional highs and they motivate many to take a first step, maybe even a second step. However, once the emotions level out and that "thinking" part starts back-up progress tends to grind to a halt.
Making the first step under emotional motivation is not unlike a newborn Christian. We (those born again) all remember the day we received our salvation through Jesus Christ. We also remember the enthusiasm we had that first moment when we became believers. Some stayed up all night reading the Bible, others volunteered for every activity in the church, and others charged to the nearest person and started witnessing (sharing the Gospel of Jesus). There is a fire burning bright inside a newborn Christian that just wants to consume every aspect of your life. Then comes the next day when emotions have settled out and the reality of this world come crashing into their mind.
I would like to share an example that relates to this. A few years ago I received a phone call from my brother in Christ. He felt he was being led to pray for a lady he was looking at in a wholesale store. She appeared that she might be terminally ill. I advised him to take that step and call me after he was done. He did call me back, but he was very disappointed. He took that first step to walk over and offered to pray with this lady. She said "no thanks". He was shocked, stunned, and disillusioned. He could not understand why he felt led to do this only to be rejected. I told him hold to faith, there was a reason. Later that day the Lord placed a young man in his path that he was able to lead to the Lord (I will tell you that story at another time). The point was without taking that first step after a setback he would not have been able to bring another to salvation.
The summary is that taking a first step is easy because of emotion. The first step after a setback is hard because of different emotion. The courage it takes to get back on your feet and step forward again through fear and doubt is tremendous. What today's verse promises is that you have been given this courage and strength. God has called you to do something, this is the guarantee that He will provide you not only with strength and courage, but He will be with you wherever you go.
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