The Anchor Holds - Uncommon Courage

I promised Noelle with an evil laugh that I was going to tell a story about her tonight.

Noelle's not three years old anymore.

She's we forbade her to have the birthdays that have two numbers, but she continues to have them.

And uh her dad's getting the shotgun out now for the front porch.

But um This happened when Noelle was a little before she was three years old.

Her parents wanted her to go to Disneyland.

They wanted her to go.

She's not even free.

She had no idea.

But anyway, they're gonna go because they want her to go.

And so they go to Disneyland and um she she walks in there and they're all excited about her being excited.

And her reaction was was amazing, as I heard it described.

I'll do my best to replicate it as best I can replicate a three-year-old girl Here she walks in and she loves Cinderella and she loves you know Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

And here she is looking at Cinderella's castle.

Just got off the tram.

She's being greeted by all of these characters that have come alive.

They're actually coming up ready to shake her hand.

And her reaction. was something like this.

Her eyes got big, her hands went up to her face, and she just went, Ooh Disney land.

Is that right, Noel?

You remember that vividly, right?

Can you come up and do that for?

No, I'm just you know what?

She was seeing A world she had never seen before, and she was just blown away by it, didn't know what to do with it That's how I'm feeling about the world I'm living in right now.

It's no magic kingdom.

Believe me.

And there are some strange character actors coming up, but you know what?

I'm like , I don't know, it's I feel like I'm Rip Van Winkle and I went to sleep and woke up and what happened But I didn't go to sleep.

I've been awake the whole time.

And we are living in a world that is so stressful, so confusing, so unpredictable.

And uh, you know, you look around and and you think about um terrorism has metastasized and can pop up anywhere, anytime.

You look at uh economically we don't we have no idea what's going to happen.

Politically, oh for heaven's sake.

It's hard for us to recognize what's happening even in our own nation.

Now I did hear I've heard a couple of things. um that um uh one man said that he believes that this current election season uh is really demonstrating that the return of Christ must be near.

He said it's in the Bible, and I I was not sure that he could document that, but he said, yes, doesn't it say the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend?

So I don't know if that is a pol I don't believe that's a political statement, but But uh and then so I mean it it's just who knows what's going on politically, it's politically unpolig predictable.

We don't really know what our country will look like no matter who wins.

And then you look at uh like cybersecurity.

Now there's an oxymoron.

Cybersecurity, cyber insecurity.

Seems like anybody can hack anybody anytime.

If you have some issues with that, you should actually contact Hillary Clinton.

Actually, you should send her an email.

Maybe call.

But the fact is, I mean, you know, the the invasion of privacy, it's just uh it it there's you know what we're living in?

A spiritual upheaval.

Think about the spiritual upheaval we're going through And it used to be that we felt like the morality that we were sort of all committed to, whether we lived by it or not, was protection for us.

Now it's actually an obstruction.

People that get that out of the way, that's holding back good times Speaking politically, Conan O'Brien had an interesting statement.

I didn't see it.

I don't stay up that late.

Well if I do, I'm working, not watching TV.

But I s I I read I read a comment he made a few nights ago It was probably a couple weeks ago.

I don't know how many days it was.

He said, well, he said, we're only 42 days away from this election.

And he said, and then right after that, the book of Revelation.

Really?

He was trying to tell a joke.

I thought, isn't it interesting coming from a comedian, a late-night comedian He's like, even he could, there's like something crazy going on here, something off the chart, something unpredictable, something apocalyptic.

This is a tremendous fertile field for fear to grow, wouldn't you say?

And there's a lot of uncertainty and there's a lot of fear.

Now let's go down, let's make that take that from the macro down to the micro.

Let's come down to our personal lives.

As I prayed, I know that some of us here are facing the loss of income.

We are facing the loss of a loved one.

We're facing serious concerns over a family member, a child, a son or daughter, a grandson or granddaughter.

Some of you have a broken heart over that.

I know a little of what's going on in some lives here.

Some of you have some medical issues that are troubling to you.

Maybe you don't have those figured out yet.

And you're going into a changing season of your life.

How many of you would say your season, somewhere in your life, your personal season is changing?

Somewhere part of your life, family, job, whatever it is.

I you know, almost any of us, any time in your life, you could say we're I'm headed into a changing season, right?

So the first time we had a president's retreat and some of you were here.

I spoke from the Book of Deuteronomy, the predecessor to the Book of Joshua.

And I talked on the subject of changing seasons.

Man, how many how have our seasons changed since we had our first president's retreat 15 years ago?

Now, in the midst of all of this uncertainty, in the midst of all this potential fear, enter Joshua, who, by the way, shares a name with Jesus, as you know.

Because Jesus is Yeshua, which is the New Testament version of Joshua, which means the Lord saves or the Lord rescues Now, you live in a world like we do that's and you got I'm in your notes right now if you want to kind of get into your notes for a world that's navigating turbulent, uncharted times.

For somebody who is navigating a changing season of your life, boy am I In times when there are so many reasons to be afraid, the book of Joshua is God's roadmap to what I call uncommon courage.

And courage today is uncommon.

At least the kind I'm going to talk about.

You know what is common?

Complacency.

Compromise.

Compromise is common.

Confusion about the future, about the now, cowardice is common.

Courage, not so much.

This is a book about uncommon courage.

As I immersed myself in this book, I couldn't get out of it.

What came back to me was the theme, the drumbeat of courage, courage, courage.

That's what your future is going to take.

And that's what we're going to be gold mining the next few days.

Think about Joshua.

Here's why this is so for us.

Joshua was leading at least a million people.

Now realize this is not a little group of several hundred folks that are found.

This is a million, many I say it's up to two million people.

We'll take the conservative number.

A million people that he is leading into a brand new everything is changing time and uh I want you to look with me at uh Joshua chapter one where we'll look at it on the screen here we have the uh PPV, the PowerPoint version.

And I want you to watch eight words that transformed the life of Joshua.

After the death of Moses, stop for a minute.

Do you understand the weight of those words?

This is the only leader they have known.

This is the liberator.

This is the guy who let them out.

This let my people go.

This is the miracle worker.

This is the lawgiver.

This is the man who meets with God and brings him down to them.

This is the man who goes up on the mountain and smoke and fire and he comes back with the laws of Almighty God This is the man, the go-to guy, who adjudicated all their tough issues.

He is Mr.

Go-To.

He's all they've ever known.

Moses is gone.

This is this is a 9. 0 earthquake.

This is a uh cat five hurricane.

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses aid.

Here's the eight words coming up.

Moses, my servant, is dead.

Now then you.

What?

Moses, my servant, is dead.

Now then you.

And all these people Wait, isn't this a time isn't this a time to kind of take a time out?

Isn't this time to sit on the ball?

Isn't this time to maybe head to the locker room?

Isn't this time to just avoid getting sacked?

Oh no, this is a time for boldness.

Get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give them. to the Israelites.

Now, let's talk a little bit about who the man is that's getting this charge.

Joshua's tombstone could have said what many African American tombstones said in the late 1800s.

Born slave, died free.

Joshua's life begins in bondage in Egypt.

Its last scene is in a worship service in the Promised Land.

What a life this guy has lived.

The first time we meet him, he is in the book of Exodus, and he is the mighty general leading war against the Amalekites, the fierce enemies of the Jews.

Prevailing when Joshua when Moses prays for him, losing when Moses doesn't.

And then he becomes personal aid.

To Moses.

Moses obviously felt this was somebody he could trust.

He trusts him so much that he becomes the guard, the security guard of the most holy place there is at that time.

The tent of meeting In the center of the of the Israelite encampment with a million to two million people, he is the guard who guards that that place.

So he's very trusted.

And then for 40 years, he gets to wander in circles in the wilderness because some numbums, excuse me Joshua said, we can do it.

We can go in.

We can take the land.

Ten guys said, no, we can't.

Joshua and Caleb said, yes, we can, because God is bigger than the giants.

The whole the people didn't buy that.

And so Joshua and Caleb get for 40 years, boy would I be bitter, boy would I be disillusioned, boy would I be grumpy. 40 years they get to wander around in circles because of those guys.

And then he hears those eight words.

Moses, my servant, is dead.

Do you know what kind of changing seasons?

I said changing seasons, let me tell you.

Their whole economy is going to change, like some of yours have.

Because they have been, maybe yours went the other way, they have been living hand to mouth in the wilderness, God's hand in their mouth.

Now they're going to suddenly be affluent.

They're going to have wells they didn't dig, vineyards they didn't plant, they're going to have houses they didn't build.

They are going to be instantly rich.

Whole economy is going to change.

Joshua gets to lead them into this.

Their leadership is going to change.

Oh, and their surroundings are going to change.

Let me tell you who they're going to meet when they get into the promised land.

There are seven major tribes in Canaan.

Now let me just tell you a little bit about them.

Human sacrifice, licentious orgy orgies Incest, bestiality, and prostitution, part of their worship.

Fierce warriors And they have cute girls that Jewish boys are gonna like.

And hunky guys that Jewish girls are gonna like.

And so their whole culture, they are suddenly going to go from a God-based culture to a godless culture.

They'll be surrounded by.

Joshua, you get to lead them.

Everything you talk about, you think you got a changing season.

There's nothing staying the same And Joshua gets the call from the bullpen.

Oh, and in front of him, here's what he's got.

He's got an impassable river.

He's got to get a million people across a river that is at flood stage.

How do you get you across?

How do you get a million people and whatever they've got with them?

How do you get them across that river?

Thank you, Joshua.

You get to do that.

And if you get past the impassable river, guess what you can see from the banks of the Jordan River?

You can see walls because Jericho's right close to the river.

And so here's an impaso river, there's some impregnable walls, and here's an intimidating enemy out there.

Barbaric tribes.

Hello, Joshua.

Sounds like some of what some of us might be facing.

Well, what does God have to say to them?

I'm going to give you three game-changing words because he had big shoes to fill, big risks to take. big walls to face and big battles to fight.

But in spite of all that, God says this is a time for boldness.

So here we go Three game-changing words.

I lift them all out of the first chapter of Joshua.

Three game-changing words for your changing seasons.

Number one, courage.

Of course.

Courage.

There is one command given three times in four verses in Joshua chapter one.

As Joshua takes the lead, into this convoluted, swirling world of change that he has to lead in.

God must have thought he needed to hear this three times in four verses, he says the same thing to him.

Let's take a look at it right here.

Joshua chapter 1.

Bread those first four words with me.

Be strong and courageous.

That sounded like be wimpy and quiet.

Let's try this again.

Be strong and courageous.

You ready?

Here we go Be strong and courageous.

Oh, I like that.

Okay.

Once more, I like that.

Just hearing those guys.

Be strong and courageous.

You might need to look in the mirror and say that before the next few days are over.

Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestor to give them.

Let's keep going.

Oh, here we go.

Oh wait, we added a word.

Be strong and very courageous.

Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you.

Do not turn from it from the right to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go.

Have I not commanded- Oh, here we go again.

This is, have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Let's add a couple things.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

For the Lord, your God, will be with you.

Wherever you go.

You actually have just seen the three game-changing words.

We're going to go back and take a look at them.

By the way, that command, be strong and courageous, is repeated again three times in the book of Deuteronomy When Moses tells that to Joshua, be strong and courageous, be strong and courageous, be strong and courageous.

It is repeated 13 times in the Old Testament, that phrase, be strong and courageous.

Okay, it's time to learn some Hebrew I hope you had a bagel before you came.

Sorry, on the front row.

This is It's a very liquid language.

Hebrew is.

Hazak.

It's C -H A-Z -A-Q.

You knew that.

Hazak.

Has a nice sound to it.

Now say that, but don't necessarily be looking at someone in the face when you say it.

Here we go, here we go.

Hazak!

Nice.

You just said be strong Okay?

Hazak.

Now, Amats.

Armatz.

That means be courageous.

It's spelled A-M-A-T-S, but it's kind of an Armatz.

So let's try that.

Armatz!

Now let's try it together.

Here we go.

Hazak Amats!

Once more.

Hazak Amats!

I suggest you not try that at the airport if you're flying home.

You'll be on a watch list for sure if not worse than that.

So Hazakamatz, be strong and courageous.

That's what God was saying.

Now, look at the uh English definition.

A quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain.

Think, difficulty, danger, one of these is you, or pain.

Without fear.

Halakamats.

I'm just having fun with that.

Now, here's what I want to ask you.

This is a question I want you to think and maybe give me a response.

If God were to stop you on your way out of here tonight, knowing what you're in the middle of or what you're headed into in your life, And we're to call you by name and to say, be strong and courageous.

About what?

What do you think for you, if he were to say be strong and courageous to you, and say it three times, you go, oh, you know, huh?

If God were to say to you, be strong and courageous, given the trajectory of your life right now, he'd be saying it about what?

Let's hear from a couple people.

What would he be talking about for you?

Yeah.

The election.

Okay, the election.

What else?

Be strong and courageous.

Health issue.

Huh?

Health issue.

Health issue.

Be strong and courageous.

What would you what would he be talking to you about?

Be strong and courageous.

I'd say all your names, but I won't do that.

But if he called you by name, what's he mean in that?

What's that meaning for you?

Be strong and courageous about what?

Business deals.

What else?

Be strong and courageous.

Grief.

Grief.

No kidding.

Be strong and courageous. don't know the Lord.

Uh what with people who don't know the Lord?

Mentoring people who don't know the Lord.

Mentoring.

Mentoring them.

Okay.

Be strong and courageous about I'm being a grandma.

Being a grandma?

Aging parents.

Aging parents.

Be strong and courageous.

What?

This is good stuff.

We I actually think he is saying that to everybody here.

You're gonna figure out why he's saying it to you Now, we're gonna be looking at over the next couple of days six bold choices.

I just did four.

Anyway, I never math was not my specialty Six bold choices for uncharted times.

Everybody here is headed into some things you can't plan, you can't control.

We may know what it is, we may not know what it is, but We're going to be looking at six bold choices that are the essence of uncommon courage.

Number one, I will embrace each new season.

I will not run from it I will not worry about it.

As God changes things in my life, I will embrace that new season because all seasons are God's seasons.

God changes the seasons.

Business cycles don't change the season.

Elections don't change the seasons.

God changes your seasons.

Doctor's reports don't change your seasons.

God changes, he may use those things, but that he changes the seasons.

There are two choices that will defeat you, however. if you're facing changing times.

And it's exactly what God said.

As soon as He said, be strong and courageous, he said, do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

Number one is fear.

Fear will keep you from going in and possessing a land God wants you to possess in the new part of your life.

Here's what fear is.

It's focusing on bad things that might happen.

Bad things that might happen.

By the way, I would guess that a fairly large percentage of those never do, but we focus on the bad things that might happen.

Do you know that fear not is one of the most repeated commands in all of the Bible?

Yep.

For example, let me tell you who God said fear not to.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Moses, Joshua, Gideon , Elijah.

This is like a hall of fame here.

Hezekiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Mary, Joseph.

Peter, he said it to the disciples ten times, of course.

And Paul, and that's just a little taste of all the times God said, fear not, fear not.

So this is a big deal.

It's focusing, if you choose to focus on the bad things that might happen, you're staying on this side of the Jordan River and you are not going into the promised land.

In fact, I would say, and this is my testimony, I wonder if it'll be yours, one of the biggest reasons for decisions we now regret. is fear.

Think about.

If you think about choices in your past that you wish you'd done differently. .

Turns in the road that you're not sure you made the right choice.

I'm gonna guess fear was one of the reasons that kept you from making the right choice.

Some of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life.

Because I was afraid to choose the course that would have been the smart and the white one.

Fear costs us a lot.

The other one's discouragement.

By the way, I'm not going to ask you to say this out loud, but I wrote this question in here.

If I had not been too afraid, I would have what?

Think about that.

Looking back at your own autobiography, if I hadn't been too afraid, I would have.

Probably should have.

That's what fear does.

Discouragement.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

What's discouragement?

That's the bad things that did happen.

Focusing on the bad things that did.

Now fear is focusing on the bad things that might happen.

Discouragement is focusing.

It really did happen.

And don't you love that word, no, don't you hate that word?

Discourage.

Just suck it right out of you.

Suck the courage right out of you.

I was feeling strong.

I was going for it.

Discouraged.

That's focusing on your feelings and focusing on your failures.

When you focus on on the bad things that might happen, or on your feelings or on your failures, failures, you're going down, you retreat to what's easy and safe.

That was the most heavily fortified fortress in all of all of the promised land.

You can see it from the Jordan River, and the fact is that you can't get into Canaan until you get past that.

You're gonna have to get past that.

How as as you look at something daunting out there, you say, I don't know how we're gonna face this challenge The walls can't be higher than Jericho.

And the flood can't be greater than the April flood of the Jordan River Here's some things we learn.

Leadership demands courage.

Leadership demands courage.

You say, well, I'm not a leader.

I don't have an office.

If you have influence over anybody, If you are mother, if you are father, if you're an aunt, if you're an uncle, if you're a grandmother, if you're a grandfather , someone looks to you.

There is someone who looks to you.

And you cannot lead them without courage.

Have you ever noticed, oh, let's say one of those big old Texas thunderstorms?

Some of you have actually lived in Texas your whole life.

Is that right?

Never lived anywhere else They they this has been enlightening for for my Texas friends to be here and find out there are other states.

They didn't think there were any others.

But you get one of those Texas thunderstorms, don't you love it when this happened the other night here?

We're not in Texas, but man, I mean all of a sudden there was no warning.

Boom!

I mean it was like the whole state blew up and lit up.

Now at a time like that, if there's a little child with you, have you noticed what they do?

They look at you and they're like, how m what do I what am I supposed to do?

If you freak, they freak.

They look at kids look they look at the they're like you're the leader and they're like I'm gonna react like they react and if they see panic in you they panic if they s if you just go oh it's nothing You know, you're lying, but you're scared to death.

You're almost under the bed, except that they're watching you.

Well a leader is being watched for their reaction.

And how are they handling it?

And without courage, you cannot lead them to anywhere but cowardice, retreat, and hunting for cover.

Secondly, courage is contagious, and so is fear.

You know how I know courage is contagious?

Because when you start to go through Joshua chapter 1, Joshua says to his leaders, Be very strong and courageous.

And they go out and they tell the people, be very strong and courageous.

At the last verse of Joshua chapter 1, guess what's happening?

The people are talking back to Joshua.

Guess what they're saying to him Joshua, be strong and courageous.

His courage was contagious and spread through the ranks.

But fear is just as contagious.

So you're taking other people with you wherever you go.

General Eisenhower said , let me read this to you.

I thought this is great about leadership.

He said, optimism and pessimism are infectious.

And they spread more rapidly from the head downward than in any other direction.

And they do.

That's right, courage is essential and it is contagious.

I remember one night when uh I I think Little Jordan, who's not little anymore, and little Blake, I think Blake was there.

I'm not sure.

I don't remember all the details.

They were at our house with uh grandma, uh, who they call Ama, and uh And all of a sudden there was one of those just big sudden kaboom storms.

And they they couldn't sleep.

They would come running out of the bed every time the kaboom and the kabooms were pretty frequent.

And she said, listen guys, every time it thunders, here's what we'll do.

I'll give you a thunder hug.

And she gave them thunder hugs.

Pretty soon they were able to go to sleep.

Because grandma. made a scary storm a place to get thunder hugs.

By the way, that's what many of you have been giving us.

Thank you for your thunder hugs But you know what?

The kids calm down because courage is contagious.

So if you're whining and you're complaining and you're all worried and you're all anxious about whatever Thank you for taking other people down that road with you.

And courage is not the absence of fear.

Courage is not the absence of fear.

It is the disregard of it.

I didn't say that.

I will not take credit for it.

That was spoken by a correspondent watching the troops land on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

And they went in there knowing there were snipers up here on the cliff.

There were landmines all across the beach.

And as they went plowing into that, he said, courage is not the absence of fear.

These guys are scared to death.

It is a disregard of it.

It will not decide what I do.

No longer will I be will my fear stop me, defying me.

It 's a disregard of it.

Now Where does uncommon courage come from?

For Joshua, it certainly did not come from his situation.

There was no place to get courage.

Only fear.

His was a fear-feeding environment at that point.

Well, we actually see it in what we read.

Number one is God's presence.

Always, this is how God answers the fears of Moses.

What do you mean go to Pharaoh and say, let my people go?

Are you kidding me?

He is going to let go his entire labor force that holds the economy together?

I don't think so.

I will be with you.

God's presence.

Joshua 1.

9.

And then we'll look at verse 5.

Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous?

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

For the Lord your God , this is all you need to know.

Why should I be brave?

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Verse 5.

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.

As I what do you think made Moses Moses, Joshua As I was with Moses, I told them that at the burning bush I would be, and I was.

Wait, if you think Moses was awesome, this is why.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

God buries his workers.

He never buries his work.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

That presence is the reason for courage.

It's from the call of Moses to the walls of Jericho when God comes to Gideon.

I love the picture of Gideon.

You know where Gideon is when God calls him to be a soldier and be a warrior?

He's in a pit hiding from the Midianites.

And he looks down in that pit and the angel of the Lord says, mighty warrior.

That's hilarious.

That's a light leg.

Big chicken.

Bok He's like Mighty Warrior.

Yeah.

He looks at what he's gonna be.

He doesn't look at who he is.

I'm glad for that.

He says, Mighty warrior.

Yeah, mmm, there's no one here but me.

I thought you were looking if you're looking for mighty warrior.

He checked out Nope.

He says I want you to go and and then of course you know what he does.

He wants him to go against 130,000 Midianites with 300 guys.

Hello?

He just says this is the this is the entire contract.

You go into that, I will be with you.

I will be with you.

That presence is the reason for courage All the way to the Great Commission, when eleven guys are standing on a hill, and he and Jesus says to them, All authority is given to me in heaven and earth.

Go and make disciples of all nations.

Excuse me, Jesus, I just counted the huddle here.

We looked in the huddle.

There are eleven of us.

How many do you count?

Go and make disciples of all nations.

Write.

Talk about overwhelming.

Jesus says.

I am with you always.

Therefore you go What's that have to do with anything?

Simply means whatever is bigger than you are that's keeping you from moving out and going in and taking possession of what God wants you to take possession of in the next season of your life.

He is bigger than it is.

Name it.

He's bigger than it is.

Do you know what stopped the Israelites 40 years before?

It was they did not believe this.

They did not see this. and most of them said, we see giants and we see walls and they're bigger than we are.

And two guys, Joshua and Caleb, said, that's interesting.

We see God and he's bigger than walls and bigger than giants.

It's all in who you're focusing on.

I will be with you.

And so?

I'm gone the night before?

Who could have known it was Karen's last night on earth?

We have the joy of watching our firstborn grandchild, Jordan, not only graduate from high school, we're in the stadium in Harrison, but to watch him give the valedictorian speech.

All about Jesus.

To a stadium full of people.

And I turned to Karen because my dear friend Gary Plank is here and a native brother.

We had to drive all night to get to what I was going to do in Ohio.

I was leaving from there as soon as Jordan walked.

And I said, I love you, honey.

And she said, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said, I love you.

She said, I'm really going to miss you.

I said, it won't be long.

A call came from the kids to Ohio the next afternoon, and our separation, our temporary separation had begun.

I wasn't even there.

But yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil because you are with me.

The presence is the difference Secondly, uncommon courage comes from God's perspective.

Joshua 1, verses 8 and 9.

God's perspective.

In the midst of telling him to be courageous when there's no reason to be, this is what he says.

Keep this book of the law always on your lips.

I want it in your mouth.

I want you talking about it.

I want you to meditate on it day and night.

I want it in your heart.

So you may be careful to do everything written in it.

Three things here.

It should be in your mouth, it should be in your heart, and it should be in your life.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.

He says whatever you do with my book is going to determine your success So, what Joshua's told to do is marinate in God's word.

I was speaking at Marinatha Bible Conference in Michigan. several years ago and a national a great national leader in Youth for Christ had passed away about six years before and that had been my vehicle for serving the Lord before he led us to start RHM and And I knew him and I knew her and and and uh I hadn't seen her though, of course.

And I was in Michigan and Norma came to hear me speak one night.

She came up and and I said what, you know, of course people kindly say to us, Norma, I'm so sorry, we miss Wendy, what a great And she said, Ron, let me just tell you something.

How are you doing?

She said, Ron, this is the final exam. that you study for your whole life in Christ.

And you can't cram.

No way to cram for this exam.

Ready or not.

Here it comes.

If you have marinated in God's word as he told Joshua to do, There's something inside to meet even the valley of the shadow of death with.

It all comes down to having God's perspective on the situation.

Immediately your mind starts to run toward And the Holy Spirit does this.

What is God seeing here?

Not what am I seeing?

What is God seeing here?

Look at your notes.

Courage and strength come from knowing that you are standing on God's word and you have a perspective that lifts you above the battle.

It will be uh 11 years ago or so you guys got the news about Taylor?

He'll be 11, unbelievably.

What?

Uh next month.

Taylor might not have survived.

John and Julie and Ron and Karen have miracle grandchildren.

Taylor, as many of you know, Doug and Anna were prayed for on their way to the hospital in Philadelphia by folks here, by some of you.

And um he had a one in 10,000 heart condition, should not have survived.

They didn't think he would.

When they operated on his heart was the size of a nickel.

I never you may tire it of hearing it, but I never tired of telling you that.

They were operating on a part of the nickel.

We had my on the table in the waiting room we had my Bible with a nickel on it.

He was to have been born with tremendous disabilities and all kinds of issues if he did survive because of the syndrome that accompanied it.

He is our miracle boy.

Every birthday is really something special.

But when Doug called and said, mom, dad, get your grace helmets on, this was six months into the pregnancy.

And miraculously, the doctor, normally an obstetrician would not have spotted this.

It's a condition that they're not used to seeing.

And he saw something there and he said, something outside myself told me to look again.

And Doug explained what the sum one was What do you do with news about this, about this boy that we're so looking forward to happens to have my name as his middle name, Taylor Ronald.

It was hard.

You know what happened?

We take no credit for this, but for Dugame, God's perspective kicked in And I'm on the phone.

I said, Doug.

And the story of the blind man in John 9 came to me.

I said, all this has happened that the works of God might be displayed in his life.

All this has happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.

You can't think of that yourself, not when you're getting news like this about your son's son.

But it is only as you marinate in God's word that you get his perspective.

Twelve times in the book of Joshua, I charted this.

There's this couplet.

It says, the Lord said, and then it says, so Joshua.

This guy just keeps going, the Lord says something, so Joshua knows what to do.

So he just goes and does it.

The Lord said, so Joshua, put your name in there.

Is that your experience on a regular basis?

The Lord says, and fur fur does it.

Are you getting that kind of direction?

That's what you need for uncommon courage.

Last of all is God's promise.

You got God's presence, you got God's perspective, you got God's promise.

Remember what Joshua 1. 3 says?

As, oh let's go, let's look at it.

I will give you every place where you set your foot as I promised Moses.

What land are they going into?

The what?

Promised land.

It was promised hundreds of years before.

To who?

To Abraham.

One guy standing there in a land that is not his, surrounded by people who are not his.

This will be your your land of your people someday.

So let's go to the second word.

Promise.

Promise.

This don't take long.

This is the best part.

I don't know what's the best part.

Promise.

Everything in life moves sometimes.

Sometimes.

Your health moves.

Your wealth moves.

People move.

Plans move.

Feelings move.

The promise never does.

The promise never does.

Courage comes from making your promise from God, and you're going to get sick of hearing our promises this weekend.

But courage comes from making your promise from God, your operating reality.

It is not a plaque on the wall.

It is a life preserver you're hanging on to.

It goes down, you go down, and it never will.

As long as you hang on to that.

Forget the plaques on the wall.

I'm talking about this becomes the operating reality.

It is the basis on which you will decide is the promise of God.

Not the odds, not the math, you will decide, not the doctor, you will decide based on the promise.

Because of who's behind the promise.

The promise.

I tried to get back to Arkansas as fast as I could from Ohio that day.

And uh I got back late that night, managed to get into get into the Harrison Airport.

Yes, we do have one.

You have to push the planes out.

But I mean it's a it's no, it's it's it's good.

And um and there were our three children and their spouses. waiting on the worst day of our lives.

And uh I walked down the ramp and we just got in a big huddle and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

But in the midst of the sobbing. . .

All of a sudden you heard a voice saying in that huddle, Weeping is for a night Finish if you know it.

But joy comes in the morning, in our darkest moment.

The promise.

The promise Courage from the promise.

So will the promises of God be the North Star you steer by?

Because your North Star will not move whatever the bank account says, whatever the doctor says, whatever your family says, whatever your feelings say, the North Star will not move.

2 Peter 1, verses 3 and 4, His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Now wait a minute.

How do you download divine power that will be enough for what you'll have everything you need for everything you face?

How?

Let's go to the next next verse.

Here's how.

Through these he has given us his very great.

The Greek word is mega.

His mega promises.

Through these he has given us his mega and precious, of great worth, of great value.

Timios is the Greek word.

Through these he has given us Great, very great and very precious, treasured, valued promises.

So that through them, look at what happens when you download a promise and make the promise your realest reality, your truest Truth, your deciding factor.

Look what happens.

You participate in the divine nature.

You have just downloaded some of God think, some of God feel.

You participate in the divine nature and through that you can escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

You get power from the promise And you know, I I got out some journals the other day.

Karen's many of you know the story of Karen's grandfather who was an alcoholic much of his life and ready to kill himself walking down State Street in Chicago and I won't tell you the long version, but He was going to Lake Michigan to die or be hit by an Illinois Central Train when he walked by Pacific Garden Mission, heard a song his mother used to sing coming out of there.

He went in and as he came out he said I was not a reformed alcoholic, I was a transformed alcoholic.

I never touched any drugs and the cocaine he'd been using even many many years ago using cocaine and alcohol.

Became an evangelist with a little church on wheels.

Traveling, even now we found out, even on reservations we have since gone to.

Who could have known?

This was in the depression.

They had no money.

I have Grandma Hadley's journal, handwritten in beautiful script, like they used to do back then Pages upon pages, they're getting a little crackly now.

They're getting close to 100 years old, some of them.

They would get paid an honorarium sometimes, when Bill Hadley would speak in a church.

Maybe a sweet potato.

A big sacrifice on the part of the people who gave it to them.

Maybe two.

I read in the journal as they would claim promises.

So we can't go any farther.

We can't go to our next meetings We need uh, you know, um $9. 25 for a new tire.

Yeah, right.

We have none.

The next day, someone shows up at the trailer with a little more than $9. 25, or sometimes exact amount.

And I'm thinking, Karen's grandfather, who she never met till now, I wouldn't be surprised if old Bill Hadley greeted her.

It's an exciting thing to think about.

But Bill and Esther Hadley were claiming promises we claim.

And I realize, look at this, that there are generations who stand side by side.

Having stood on the same promises, there are people in a generation before you who lived on that promise, and somebody before them who lived on that promise, and somebody before them who lived on that promise.

We have behind us somewhere people who lived on those same promises and we link arms with generations who stand on those promises and have never fallen when they stood on them.

Look at your notes.

The promises of God are the fuel for the rocket of courage.

The promises of God are the fuel that sends the rocket of courage where there is no other reason to have it.

And so these people, Joshua is asked to go into a flooded river and go against those walls and go against those fierce tribes.

And to go in based on only one thing, it makes no sense.

There is no formula.

There is not even a way you could think of that it would happen.

He is going on a promise.

I promised it.

That's all you need to know.

You go because I promised.

I promised.

I promised.

So the courage, the promise, and then obey.

That's the third word.

By the way, how many of you have ever sung a hymn?

I know we don't sing the old ones too much anymore, but any of you ever sung a song that says, 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus?

Yeah, it's a it's an oldly and you say um I don't know about that one.

Um I have a friend who He's not he's not big fan of some of the contemporary stuff, some of it's very rich, but he calls them 7-Eleven choruses, seven words you sing eleven times.

But but But that but but listen to the but you gotta hear this.

This is really cool.

Um this um I I I have the little bit of the story right here.

Um There's always a story with Louisa Steed had a daughter, Lily.

She and her husband went into missions.

Her husband actually saw a drowning boy and uh jumped in the river to rescue him when their daughter was just four years old.

And you know how sometimes a drowning person will flail and take the rescuer with him.

That's what happened.

She watched, she and her four-year-old daughter watched her husband drown that day.

And it wasn't long after that she wrote these words.

Too so sweet to trust in Jesus.

Just to take him at his word.

Just to rest upon his promise.

Just to know.

Thus saith the Lord.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I proved him, or and or Jesus Jesus precious Jesus O for grace to trust him more She went on to become a missionary in South Africa for fifteen years, then Rhodesia, then her daughter did.

She died there in nineteen seventeen, and the natives have continued to sing her hymn in the Shona language.

And by the way, the name of Jesus is in that song twenty-five times.

That's why tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.

Awesome stuff.

Now obey.

Joshua 1.

7.

Let's look at this and bring it home.

Be strong and courageous.

Be careful to observe obey all the law, my servant.

Obey.

Obey.

Now he said, courage. which is fueled by the promise, but the promise is activated when you obey.

When you act upon the promise, obediently.

Obey.

Oh, I'm good.

Thank you.

Yeah, I seem like I'm dehydrating.

I look like I'm dehydrating.

Notice that, you know what it says about obeying?

Notice two words.

Be careful.

Many of you know this.

I I don't take pride in telling this story, but let me give you a geography lesson, and it's the best I know because I've lived this.

We can tell you about Arizona.

Up here is the Hopi Indian Reservation in northern Arizona.

Here's Flagstaff.

My family is down here in Phoenix.

I'm up on the Hopi Reservation where Doug and Anna and Brad and Sarah are working, and I'm speaking to the Hopi young people there uh and I'm anxious to get back to Phoenix and so I get I get to uh I get to Flagstaff.

I'm on the phone I'm I'm writing down notes for I uh you say I don't want to ride with you.

I'm writing down notes for the messages and radio programs that come to me and so on and uh just have a little card next to me and um so uh you you you uh you just continue on to Phoenix another couple hours.

I was driving for about an hour, an hour and a half and suddenly I'm seeing signs for Kingman, Arizona Now let me give you a little geography lesson again here, okay?

Up here is the Hopi Reservation.

Here's Flagstaff, here's Phoenix, here's Kingman.

I'm seeing signs for California.

I like California.

I have no desire to go there.

It is nowhere near where I want to end up.

All I did was make one little careless mistake.

Because there there's two interstate choices.

Okay?

You can get on the one that goes down to Phoenix, you can get on the one that goes west all the way out to see the lovely Pacific Ocean Boy was our embarrassed to call Karen and say, honey, I'm gonna be a little late.

Oh, really?

Good things happening up there on the reservation?

No, not so much.

Um it only takes one careless detour, one careless moment. to take you where you never wanted to go and take you farther than you ever dreamed.

So you have to be careful to obey because it's so easy to drift.

So, let's summarize this.

You see your three sentences here.

His presence is my confidence.

It may look like I am going into this new season and it's just me, but I want you to know I have The God, oh by the way, they have they found out they made a mistake about the number of galaxies.

Yes, yes, we thought there were only a hundred billion.

Yes, we thought there were only 100 only 100 billion galaxies.

Yeah.

But recently, evidence has come back from the Hubble telescope that indicates there are probably two trillion.

Yeah, two trillion galaxies.

So just a small mathematical error there.

We just just missed.

Two trillion galaxies?

The God of two trillion galaxies is my God.

He's with me.

His presence is my confidence.

Number two, his perspective, because I've been marinating in his word, is my compass.

I'm looking at this through God's eyes.

I'm not looking at this through human eyes.

And his promise is my constant.

That's my lighthouse.

That's my rock.

That's my anchor.

Get ready, Joshua 22, after they have conquered the promised land, listen to what he says, reflecting.

Remember, they only had a promise to go on.

They only had a promise to go on.

Look.

So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors.

Not one of their enemies withstood them.

The Lord gave all their enemies into their hands.

You're gonna read this one out loud with me, please.

Not one of all the Lord's good promises to Israel failed.

Every one was fulfilled.

Let's put your name in the verse.

So not one of all the Lord's.

In fact, read it out loud with me, but you're going to say your name when you get to Israel, unless that's your name.

I don't believe it is.

Here we go.

Not one of all the Lord's good promises to failed.

Every one was fulfilled.

What a track record he's got.

Whew!

Man, the testimony of every generation.

That's the testimony of every generation who staked everything on his promises.

I read this story which which really hit me.

This little boy was a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother promised him for Christmas he was going to get a stamp collecting album.

He always wanted this.

She lived quite a ways away Well, um the problem was that Christmas came and there was no word, uh no word from grandma and there was no stamp collection album.

So He started to show his friends his Christmas presents and and uh his mom said she was astonished that when he listed all the gifts he'd received, he said, oh, and a stamp album from my grandmother Well, she heard him say this several times over and and she said, but George you didn't get a stamp album from grandma.

Why did you say you did?

And he kind of looked puzzled and he said, well, Mom, Grandma said it That's the same as.

A month went by.

No stop album.

Finally, one day at the test of his faith, his mother Said, do you know why the album hasn't been sent?

And he's and and uh uh and she finally said George I you know grandma 's getting older and I I think grandma's forgotten her promise.

Oh no mom She hasn't.

Well, she said I watched his sweet, trusting face.

He, you know, and finally, he said, do you think it would be good for me to write grandma and thank her for the album?

Well he said, well I I think I'll try to do that.

So he he wrote to grandma and thanked her for the album that he didn't have.

And uh Just got the best parts.

Here we go.

And uh so oh here we go, the other side.

Got a letter from grandma.

My dear George, I have not forgotten my promised you for a stamp album.

I could not find the one you wanted here, so I ordered one from New York.

It did not arrive till after Christmas, and it was not the right one I then ordered another, but it still has not arrived.

I've decided to send you $30 instead, so you can buy the one you want in Chicago.

Your loving grandma.

As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor.

From the depths of a heart that never doubted came the words, now Mom, didn't I tell you?

Grandma said it.

It's the same as.

God said it.

It's the same as.

2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ.

He's promised you protection.

He said yes to protecting you.

He has said yes to providing for you.

He has said yes to healing you within his will.

He has said yes To binding your enemies.

They are yes in Christ.

So through him, the amen is spoken by us to the glory of God.

You get it?

God says yes to his promise, and we say amen.

So be it.

That's it.

Case closed.

Haven't seen it happen yet.

So be it.

Case closed.

It's gonna be.

Same as.

Now I just ask you this.

Joshua was told to be very strong and courageous to go in and take some new ground.

What new ground does God want you to take?

There is new ground.

By the way, Joshua and Caleb were old guys.

They were old enough to think that they had seen all they were going to see.

But like the commercials, the late night commercials, God says, but wait!

There's more.

But wait, there's more.

It's not mostly behind you.

It's mostly ahead of you.

The greatest stuff's ahead of you.

So what's the new ground?

Is it to renew that marriage?

Or some of the love and fire have gone out?

Go in and take possession based on the promises of God.

Is it to say to Jesus, I've had a good thing with you, but I think there's more.

And Jesus, I am willing to do whatever I have to do to go deeper in you than I've ever gone before, because I want to know you a whole lot better before I see you.

I want to go into the ultimate Jesus time of my life right now.

I'm starting the ultimate Jesus season now is it um to take the pain that you've been through and instead of continuing to rehearse that pain to reverse that pain and turn it into ministry to other people.

Two years ago, Sheila was here at the president's retreat.

And she had gone through the same Valley of the Shadow I've gone through, except losing a wonderful husband.

Some of you were here on Sunday morning when she who never speaks in public ever stood to say, God has told me That he wants me to have a ministry to hurting women like me.

She's not here this weekend.

She'd like to be, but she can't She's got a new ministry now called Broken Restoration.

Ministering to ladies broken in the places she has been.

God gave her a new ground to take she never would have dreamed.

It comes right out of her pain, right out of the deepest darkness of her life.

God says I've got ground for you to take.

This isn't all there is.

You're not done.

In fact, the best is yet to come.

He may want you to take land that literally is to go into a ministry this late in your life, this point in your life, and to say yes to a call that will help more people be in heaven someday. instead of just sitting on the ball and waiting out the clock of the rest of your life.

There's ground to take.

There's lives to touch There's land he wants you to go in and possess.

So with uncommon courage, I dare you to obey God's bold.

Counterintuitive command.

Go in and you take possession.

You go in.

Move out of comfort.

Move out of safety on this side of the Jordan River.

Move out.

Hearing in his ears, be very strong and courageous.

Trust my promises.

Knowing that uncommon courage will get you through if it is fueled by the promises of God that are activated by you obeying what they say.

You know why you're gonna go?

Not because you have to conquer the land.

You just gotta go in.

Because the Lord your God is giving it To you.

Let's roll.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you that out of your promises, out of this incredible book you asked me to study, knowing that Within a couple of months, I would be beginning an unthinkable new chapter in my life.

As I now believe you are doing for somebody else here, though the their chapter will be different.

And then out of loss and grief has come boldness And tenderness.

I thank you for that.

Though the price has been high to pay.

I thank you for the gold.

And now, Lord, I pray for a brother or sister here.

That you will take the personal meaning of this for them.

And may they hear loud and clear from you.

Be strong and courageous.

Go on my promise.

Obey what I've told you And take possession of the new land.

For it is your promised, promised land.

Lord, as we look our next couple of days at the other bold choices that will equip us to live the rest of our lives with uncommon courage that will inspire everyone around us.

May we step up and bravely make those choices.

Tonight, I will embrace this new season May not like it , may not have welcomed it, would never have asked for it, perhaps.

But all seasons are your seasons, and so Lord, I embrace the new season I believe walls will come down and rivers will part, Lord.

Happen before and it'll happen again.

Because I pray for this in Jesus' name, where all authority in heaven and earth resides.

Amen.

God's people said, Amen to the promises.

Five more bold choices coming up.

Fasten your seat belt.