I want to just read a few verses from the opening of the book of Joshua.

We're going to think about, talk about courage.

Joshua is one of the great places where there's this repeated refrain.

And so I want to use this as a jumping off point for our consideration of courage.

Joshua chapter one, I'm just going to read

verses one through nine. This is God's word. Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord,

it came to pass. The Lord spake and Joshua the son of none, Moses minister, saying,

Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore rise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people

under the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Every place the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said,

unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the wilderness in this Lebanon even unto the great river, the

river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun

shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life

as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong

and of good courage, for unto this

people shall thou divide for an inheritance, the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them.

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law,

which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left.

Thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt

meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein,

for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.

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