"Then the Lord spoke again. 'Do not be afraid. Do not think that you are weak', he said to Joshua. 'Take the whole army with you and go to attack Ai. I will give the king and all his people and the city and its land to you" (Joshua 8:1, Easy English Version).
Life is full of battles. Indeed, the entire process we call life and living is one long stretch of war. While it is true that you will win some battles and lose some, it is important that you don't lose the war called life. It is also important that you progressively minimize the proportion of battles in which you are vanquished by the enemy, ultimately getting to a point that you don't lose battles anymore. From the words that God spoke to Joshua in our Bible verse for today, we can learn a number of lessons on how to be consistently triumphant in life.
In winning any war, the first thing to do is to deal with fear. The battle cannot be won until you conquer fear. Thank God that for us as believers in Christ Jesus, God has not given us the spirit of fear. Rather, He has given to us the spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). One thing Jesus constantly told His disciples was "fear not" and "be ye not afraid". Fear has torment and could rob you of the victory that is already yours. You can always conquer fear by the word of God and by living free from sin.
Next, you must nurture a healthy self image in order to win life's battles. Self confidence is key to success in all spheres of life. If you think you are small, it will be difficult for you to achieve big things in life. If you think of yourself as a weakling, strength will definitely fail you when you need it most. You won't make it for as long as you keep thinking that you can't make it. If you are already defeated inside, you will surely meet defeat outside. The Scriptures say that if you will succeed in life and get the best that God has for you, you must learn not to cast away your confidence because it shall be rewarded (Hebrews 10:35).
Then you must learn to engage the whole of your being in whatever you are doing. The Lord told Joshua to take the whole army into the battle against Ai. The lesson here is that you will always stand a better chance of winning if you put your whole being into a cause. Halfhearted approach to any issue will weaken your focus, divide your effort, drive away potential helpers, and make total victory elusive. But when you are in a cause spirit, soul and body, you greatly brighten your chances of success in that cause. If you are in a marriage, be there fully. If you work for a company, be fully committed to the organisation. Give yourself fully to the relationships you have signed into, otherwise get out.
Finally, develop a dynamic partnership with the Almighty God. Partnership with God always win. A right relationship with the Lord puts you in a good stead to gain access into divine strategies for winning the battles of life. God told Joshua what he should do step by step. We must also understand that beyond all our efforts, God is the ultimate power that gives assent to our life endeavours and makes us successful. God told Joshua, "I will give the king and all his people and the city and its land to you". In other words, God assured that He would give the battle to Joshua and cause him to be victorious. He will do same for you if you allow Him full space in your life.
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