How to Win: Strength and Courage

God tells Joshua to be “strong and very courageous” as he leads God’s people to conquer the Promised Land.  He then instructs him to not stray from the commands he had given Moses.  God says, “Do not even turn to the right or to the left.”  Be faithful.

Winning is found in the strength to stand the courage to obey.

Let me be clear.  Salvation is not something one wins.  Salvation has already been won.  Salvation comes by grace alone through faith.  Yet, faith without works is dead.

This topic is about the works that come in and by faith.  If we want to experience the victories that Christ has for us we must live in obedience to Him. 

That is the greatest battle.  The battle of settling for own standard of excellence instead of God’s standard of obedience.  We lose the battle because we never even fight for what is right.  Often what is excellent to us is good enough and we simply never know God has so much more to bless us with. 

Your marriage is okay, but not all it could be, but you do not know better because you have never accepted the call of obedience in it.  You never really experience full victory over that addiction, but you never really accept God’s standard of holiness either, but your own version of better than life was.

So here are few keys to winning in the battles that matter in life.

1.    The strength to stand is found in the Word of God.
Eat the Word.  Know the Word.  Do the Word.
You will never know the success God desires you to experience if you will not accept the standards of that success. 

2.    The courage to obey is found on the road.
Get out and go.
You will never know what you can do by the power of Christ until you are out doing by the power of Christ.

So, get in the Word and get on the road.  God has great things for you.