Welcome to the in touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, January 2nd.

A new year can cause us to be anxious about what's ahead.

Today's podcast helps us find relief by learning about God's word. Here's part two of

facing fear with courage. In this passage of scripture I want to read today it is a passive scripture in the Old Testament and I want to

read about how God spoke to this one person and he gave us the key to overcoming fear. He gave us the key to

living a godly life, a successful life, and a prosperous life. So I want you to turn if you will to

Joshua the very first chapter. And in this first chapter of Joshua remember

what's happening that the nation of Israel, they had been to the

edge of the promised land which God had promised them years before, and having come through the Red Sea, Exodus out of Egypt, to Mount Sinai to receive

the law of God, across the wilderness and now to the edge of the promised land. And you remember what happened? the promised land to spy it all out. They came back and 10 of them said we can't do it because of walled cities and because they're giants there.

Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, said yes we can. God has given us this land let's go. The people listen to

the ten rather than to the two and as a result a negative attitude caused them

to make a decision not to go.

And so the fact they were just about the stone,

Moses and Joshua and Caleb, because they didn't want to go.

They were afraid. After all that God had brought them through,

crossing the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, receiving the law of God, all the things that had happened,

they said, no, we're not going. They moaned and groaned all night.

God said, all right, that's it.

He said, now don't try to go, because the fact that you have decided to disobey me, refuse to trust me, that's it.

Well, they tried anyway, and they suffered an absolute total failure, but of all for the next 40 years they

wandered around in the wilderness and all those over 20-some years of age dying off.

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