A CALL TO COURAGE

Book of Joshua, background,

Joshua means “Yahweh saves,”1 an appropriate name for the
man who led Israel, under God’s command, to victorious conquest
of the Promised Land. Jesus.
The events of the book of Joshua span about twenty-five years,
starting soon after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1).
Preparation:
Invasion:
Occupation

PREPARATION:
Bakit mo nga ba kailangang maghanda? Simple lang, kasi may
pinaghahandaan ka. Anong tawag sa pinaghahandaan mo?
VISION. Kaya tayo nagttrain, kaya tayo nagsisikap, kasi may
pangitain ka na may mararating ka.
Vision is basically what you see. Nakikita ko kayo in the physical
level. But the vision we are referring to is your ability to see beyond
your seeing.

WHY VISION IS IMPORTANT?

Proverbs 29:18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that
keepeth the law, happy is he.
1. Yung bagay na madali, kung wala kang vision, Humihirap.
Yung mahirap mas lalong humihirap. Math mas lalong mahirap kasi
nga hindi moa alam kung bakit ka nag aaral.
Pasanin sa’yo ang magpunta sa church linggo linggo kung hindi
mo alam kung bakit ka nagsasamba. Pasanin sa’yo ang dumaan
sa proseso kung hindi mo alam bakit kailangan mong dumaan sa
proseso. Bakit may mga taong, kahit mahirap, nagtatagumpay?
dahil may vision.

2. Madaling hatakin. Ang taong walang vision, madaling

hatakin.
Dahil walang malinaw na vision, kung saan siya hatakin,
mahahatak, kasi walang pangarap, walang vision.
nahatak ng maling relationship, nahatak ng bisyo, nahatak ng
kahalayan etc. pare bulakbol muna tayo,etc.
He has no choice, because you don’t have a vision. No
freedom, no choice.

Hindi mo naman gusto, hating gabi nagsusuka ka… dahil sa

kakainom mo.masaya mo ba yun, natagpuan mo sarili mo hubo’t
hubad sa taong hindi mo mahal, dahil sa one night stand?
You don’t want to be there, but you allowed to be taken because
simply you don’t have a vision. Where there is no vision people will
perish.
Person with vision Hindi na siya madalik mahahatak! Alam niya
ang destiny NIYA, alam niya na kay Lord may mararating Siya.
Ang ganda ganda ang panget ng boyfriend, yung babae, bulag,
walang vision eh. We need a vision from God!
Now, Ang hirap maghanda kung wala kang pinaghahandaan.
That’s why God gave you promises, so that you will learn to
prepare your self to receive it in the future.
Habakkuk 2:3
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will
be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will
surely take place. It will not be delayed.
Kung wala kang vision, kung wala kang pangitain, walang sense
para maghanda ka. Kasi wala ka namang inaasahan. You are
preparing for something, something good.

Have you ever met anyone who prepared to fail? Kaya ka ba

naghahanda para mabigo? May mga taong wala nang
pinaghahandaan, bakit? tinanggap nilang hanggang doon na lang
sila.

Vision is the ultimate consideration of preparation. Ang dahilan

kung bakit ka naghahanda ay para magtagumpay ka. I haven’t met
anyone who prepared to fail. But I’ve met many who failed to
prepare. Sa story ni Joshua, they constantly prepared for the battle.
Do you want to win in life? Then you have to prepare to win. Dahil
may vision ka maghahanda ka.
Preparation is a future thing. Wala namang pwedeng maghanda sa
mga bagay na nakalipas na.
Why preparation is important?
“I don’t prepare. I just trust God. I just accept whatever happens as
God’s will.” I told her, “I think God wants us to prepare.” “How
come?” she asked me. “If God didn’t want us to prepare, then He
shouldn’t have given us a powerful brain that can imagine the
future. The Bible also says, Good planning and hard work lead to
prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

Proverbs 21:5
5Ang mabuting pagbabalak ay pinapakinabangan, ngunit ang
dalus-dalos na paggawa'y walang kahihinatnan.

Do you want to prosper in every area of your life? Then you need
to learn how prepare to prosper… Do you want to conquer every
area of your life? You need to learn how to prepare.

And if we talk about conquest, hindi pwede nangangatog ka,

hindi pwede marami kang pasakali, you need to be
courageous, because preparation entails courage, that’s why
vision, a call to courage.

Kung may isang pangarap kang gusto mong maconquer,

kasabay ng paghahanda, kailangang maging matatag ka.

Juan 16:33
33 Ang mga bagay na ito ay sinabi ko sa inyo upang sa akin
ay magkaroon kayo ng kapayapaan. Sa sanlibutan ay mayroon
kayong paghihirap. Lakasan ninyo ang inyong loob,
napagtagumpayan ko na ang sanlibutan.

Your life is a manifestation of your most dominant thinking.

Ang buhay mo ay resulta ng pag iisip mo. In other words, your
mind is the computer—and your life is the printout.

That’s why it’s important to have vision.

two kinds of thoughts: Your memory and your
vision.

If you don’t prepare, your life will be based on your

memories—and that’s tragic. Because your future will simply
duplicate your past. And that’s why an addict remains an addict.
That’s why a depressed person remains depressed. That’s why a
fearful person remains fearful. That’s why an unsuccessful person
remains unsuccessful.

But if you prepare, your life will be based on your vision.

Let me go back to my computer analogy.

Some people print out the old files and old data stored in their
computer memory. If you do that, you’ll have the exact same
printouts again and again. Nothing will change in your life.
It doesn’t have to be that way. You can write new files. You can
create new documents. And you can have new printouts! That is
why kailangan talaga nating manghanda

Marami sa atin discouraged na sa buhay, in our ministries because

we have refused to do what God has told us to do. Why? kasi
natatakot tayo.
Nothing in life or in ministry ever happens apart from courage.
Somebody has to pull the trigger. Walang mangyayari sa buhay
mo o sa ministry mo kung kikilos ka sa labas ng tapang.nothing will
happen if you will operate outside courage.

When you read Joshua 1 you must read it in its emotional

context. He commissioned Joshua to carry on.
1After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD
spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said,
2“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for
you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan
River into the land I am giving them.

Matanda na si Moses, and for that kailangan niyang magretire.

Kinuha na siya ni Lord. In short, pinaghiwalay sila.

Separation- Hiwalay. Ayaw mong bitawan. May mga bagay

sa buhay na dapat hiwalayan, bitawan mo. Hindi ka aasenso
kung wala kang bibitawan.
Who was Moses?

Joshua thinks he can’t do it without Moses. Maraming

success story si Moses. Kaya lang si Moses patay na.

Possible ba na ang reason kaya hindi ka makatawid, ang

mga bagay na patay na binubuhay mo pa. Bakit past is past?
Kasi past.

Ang problema: TAPOS NA pero hinahayaan mo pa na

maimpluwensyahan ang kinabukasan mo.

Tapos na kayo. Tumawid ka na.

Pag hinayahaan mo na minultoka ng past, ayan tingin ka ng

tingin sa Fb niya. Kaya hindi ka makaget over. Patay na
binubuhay mo pa. Ang totoong multo, yung multo ng
kahapon. Sana maaulit muli. Ibalik ang kahapon. Dapat il let
you go.

Let go mo na yan!

Pakawalan mo na, patay na eh. Hindi lang sa tao yun. Minsan

hindi naman tao problema mo. Minsan problema mo sarili
mo.
Subukan mo kayang iwanan katamaran mo nang lapitan
naman ng todo todong pagpapala ang buhay mo.

Barkada mo, hindi mo maiwan, ayan pati ikaw sira ang buhay
mo.

Nakatuon ka dapat sa pangarap mo. Huwag ka tatawid

na nakatingin sa pinanggalingan mo. Lagi kang
tumitingin sa nakaraan eh. Iba ang salawikain natin. Hindi
marunong lumingon hindi mararting ang paroroonan. Mali
yun eh. Kaya hanggang ngayon ganyan pa rin tayo,

Kaya hindi na nakatawid kasi natali ka na.

Separation is your first step to possession. Kung wala kang

vision, akala mo Ok na ang kinalalagyan mo ngayon.

Now God comes to Joshua personally to give him an exposition on

courage. This is the best leadership text in the Bible. It is not for the
faint-hearted. You are a leader, sa church etc.

Six-fold description of courage.

1) Courage rests upon a clear assignment from God (v 1-4).

There is no such thing as courage apart from mission, just as
there is no such thing as faith apart from challenge. You're not
just courageous to be courageous, but you are courageous for
something. Meaning ang verses na ito applicable sa mga tao na
tumutupad sa misyon ng Diyos.

Clear Assignment entails VISION of God for you.

For Joshua, this is his clear assignment from God, this is the
Vision.
Look at the description, its very precise. Kung ang vision galling
kay Lord, malinaw, hindi ka maliligaw. Yung leader mo, iyan ang
Joshua ng buhay mo.

Sa atin ngayon, what is God’s clear

assignment for us?

Matthew 28:19
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit.
As for Moses, a man of God had died; but nothing of God died. He
gave Joshua the assignment. He reiterated to Joshua what he had
God isn't needy of worthy men.
told Moses to do.
He makes men worthy. Therefore we shouldn't fear the
loss of any of his human instruments.
What are the things God has prepared for you to do?
When did you last reassess God's call on your life?
What are those things that God has given you a
passion for?

Your courage will rise when you have confidence in the call.
Most people leave the ministry because of confusion and a lack of
courage. Kung malinaw ang ang calling mo, magiging confident ka.

2) Courage rests upon the assurance of God's presence (v 5,

9).
5 No one will be able to stand 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.

Matthew 28:20
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have
given you. And be sure of this: “I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.”
Hindi ka papabayaan ni Lord.

Being committed to God’s vision gives you assurance that He

is likewise committed to secure you by His provision.

God never calls us to do anything apart from him.

Every assignment that God gives is also his primary means of
blessing the leader.
Some of us are getting burnt out because we are separating the
blessing process from our ministry. The very thing that God is using
to draw us to himself is his calling upon us. His calling is a
statement of his presence.
God's assignments come with a special sense of God's presence,
also known as unction or annointing; and his presence is real.

Do you think God would leave Joshua high and dry? If God has
called you, he is with you. Courage doesn't mean that I am not
afraid. It means that I fear God more than I fear my
environment. It means that I trust in divine resources
more than the resources of man.

Philips Brooks: "Don't ask for tasks equal to your powers. Ask
for powers equal to your tasks."

3. Courage rests upon FOCUSED

DETERMINATION
6“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead
these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors
I would give them. 7Be strong and very courageous. Be careful
to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate
from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you
will be successful in everything you do.
Three times he repeats "be strong and courageous." God does not
have a speech impediment. When he repeats himself, he intends
to.
Be very careful of making decisions based upon your
personality profile, etc. Leadership is strengthened by acts of
obedience. It's a verb, not a position. You know you're flying over
the right target when you're being shot at. If you're running
because of opposition, you'll be running for the rest of your
life.

The ability to endure deepens your resolve. If you act

courageously, you'll get more courage. God is with you, but he'll
only strengthen you when you raise your leg and put it forward. He
can't steer a parked car. The wind will only blow when you put up
the sail.

4) Courage is anchored by the word of God (v 7-8).

8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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 afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God
will be with you wherever you go.”

Success or failure in a mission is tied to your relationship to truth.

There are three primary relationships in the verse:
a) Proclaim the Word ("let it not depart from your mouth").

The amount of biblical illiteracy in evangelicalism is appalling. How

dare you think that you have the right to presume that ministry can
succeed without being built upon the word. Pragmatism is taking
the supernatural right out of our ministry. You can have C-
leadership ability, but if you honor his Word you will succeed.

Pastors, make your time alone in God's Word inviolable. Your

people deserve to hear from God every Sunday morning. They
can't make it on illustrations, stories, or insights. They need a word.

b) Meditate upon the Word ("you shall meditate on it day and

night").

The reason you can proclaim the word is because you have it
stored up within you. It is the background noise of your life. When
the trials come you can just turn up the volume.

Devotionally master the word of God for your souls. Immerse

yourself in the book. Love it, live it.

c) Do all that is written in it.

Hypocrisy is an occupational hazard in ministry. It is the primary

fault in our work. The problem with evangelicalism today is that if
you can pull ministry off, nobody will ask you any questions. There
isn't a dynamic relationship between giftedness and holiness, but
true fruitfulness will prove itself over time. The integrity of your
ministry is everything, so you have to practice the truth you're
proclaiming.

You have to be the destination where you want other people to

arrive.

5. Courage is reflected on being decisive

10 Kaya't ipinag-utos ni Josue sa mga pinuno ng bayan, 11

"Libutin ninyo ang buong kampo at paghandain ng
pagkain ang mga tao. Sa ikatlong araw, tatawid tayo ng Ilog
Jordan upang sakupin ang lupaing ibinibigay sa atin ni
Yahweh na ating Diyos."

16 Sumagot sila kay Josue, "Gagawin namin ang lahat ng

sinabi mo, at pupunta kami saan mo man kami gustong
papuntahin. 17 Kung paanong sinunod namin si Moises,
susundin ka rin namin nang gayon. Samahan ka nawa ni
Yahweh, tulad ng ginawa niya kay Moises. 18 Ang
sinumang tututol o susuway sa utos mo ay dapat patayin.
Kaya't magpakatatag ka at lakasan mo ang iyong loob."