Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.Well, here we are. Last year is now in the history books—it’s over, finished, another year gone, and a new one is here. The slate is clean and it’s time for a fresh start.
(Josh. 1:9, NKJV)
Did you know that the course of this new year is more dependent upon what you do today than what you did all of last year, combined? Today is important because the decisions that you and I make will set the stage for what 2016 will look like.
That’s why I love today’s text from Joshua. It’s a charge from God himself to be strong and of good courage as we look ahead. But in the same breath He also reminds us to not be afraid, nor dismayed at our future, because He promises that He’s never going to leave us alone.
What would be possible in 2016 if God was helping you, every day, to fulfill His vision and His purpose in your life? Just imagine what you could accomplish if everything you put your hand to prospered this year. What’s stopping you from thinking BIG, from thinking POSSIBLE, from thinking YES rather than NO, from thinking JUMP rather than STAY? Who said you can’t change? Who said you can’t accomplish great things?
Don’t even think about playing it safe this year. In Joshua’s case, it would have been much easier to stay in the desert, to maintain the status quo, but there was so much more that God had for him and the children of Israel. God had a land filled with milk and honey waiting for them if they didn’t quit, if they pushed ahead, if they really trusted God and didn’t quit before they even got started.
Listen, you can do it. Your life can be different, you can reach those goals of yours. Stop putting it off another day, another month, another year. It’s time to think bigger than you’ve ever thought before, it’s time to dream beyond where you’ve ever dreamed before. You’ve got all it takes when you’ve got God on your side. He is more than able to help, more than able to supply what you need, if you’ll believe it and receive it.
So, be strong and of good courage, don’t quit on yourself or on God. Push forward beyond the restraints of fear. You can make it, if you don’t quit—you win!
Say It: Father, I believe that You created me to win, and so I promise to look at my life from now on with that perspective. I’m a winner because You made me more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ, Your Son. I’m believing You for big things this year and I will never quit, I will never give up because I know that You are with me everyday. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Beth and Jeff Jones Ministries
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All rights reserved.
As a young couple, fresh out of Bible School with Two daughters and a third child on the way, Jeff and Beth Jones felt God's call to pioneer Valley Family Church in 1991 with a vision to make an eternal difference in Southwest Michigan. As a husband and wife team, they have always led together as visionary pastors and have shared the pulpit as Bible teachers. They are passionate about building the local church in greater Kalamazoo and the global church around the world. 
