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“Cultivating a Courageous Heart” Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have 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."

The power to choose is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. Why? Because by choosing courage we can take possession of what He’s provided. Courage is a ‘heart issue.’ God doesn’t want to control us. (Love…to be love, it must be voluntary.) So He has given to us the Spirit of self-control---which is the power to manage our own hearts.

The heart is like a garden---it must be tended. We are the gardeners of our own hearts, under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for “land” occurs 197 times in the book of Deuteronomy alone. What is the “land” God wants us to possess under the New Covenant? The most important piece of “land” God wants us to subdue and bring under the influence of the King----is our own hearts.

What would you do with your life if you had 10 times the courage you now have, and you knew you couldn’t fail? What dreams of yours are waiting to come true if you only have the courage to go after them? “Most of what you need in life will come to you, but what you want, you’ll have to go after.” - Bill Johnson

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Through  The Promises of God 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Through  The Promises of God (Cont’d) The heart is like a house. Are there promises on your premises? What promises from the Bible are you currently ‘leaning into’?

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Through  Prophetic words (personal prophecies) 18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, (1 Timothy 1:18) *The testimonies of God- “Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2 NAS)

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Through  Prophetic words (personal prophecies) Don’t ‘dread-itate’---meditate! Dave Noel’s Dictionary: ‘Dread-itate’ - verb, 1. To dwell on what you dread until you’re discouraged, despairing, despondent, and depressed. 2. To come into agreement with ‘the spirit of stupid’ “Any area of the heart that is without hope is probably under the influence of a lie.”

Cultivating a Courageous Heart  The Testimonies of God (J. Wimber - ‘Ghost’ Stories) “Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2 NAS) What ‘Ghost stories’ can you tell at the drop of a hat? (If you don’t have any, tell someone else’s!)

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Through  Heavenly visions 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (Eph. 2:4-6)

Cultivating a Courageous Heart  Heavenly visions So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18) 17" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,your young men will see visions,your old men will dream dreams. What heavenly visions are fueling you right now?

Cultivating a Courageous Heart Review: Through the Spirit of self-control, we are able to manage our own hearts. We cultivate a courageous heart…  Through the Promises of God  Through Prophetic Words  Through the Testimonies of God  Through Heavenly Visions