All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:16-17
Because all of it comes directly from God and thoroughly equips us for the good works God has called us to! Continuing in the verse from Joshua, we see that we must meditate on it day and night. Unfortunately, we have many Christians who only touch the bible on Sundays when they go to church. They raise their hands and feel the power of God for two hours on Sunday and then wonder why they cannot walk in His power on Wednesdays! Sometimes we simply ignore the word but other times we fill our lives with "Christianese" activities to make us feel as if we are spending time with God. Perhaps we have a favorite preacher and we never miss their show. Perhaps we receive regular devotionals and we count that as our bible reading activity for the day. Now, devotionals or watching a preaching session are also important. They can highlight things in scripture you had not considered. They can illuminate an important point you had not realized. Hopefully, a good devotional or preaching will inspire you to want to learn more by reading the bible yourself and further exploring the context of the verses brought to you. These activities however, were not meant to replace your own reading. Why? Because the devotional and preaching is ultimately God speaking to someone else and that person telling you what God spoke to them. Can God speak to you through them? Sure. But ultimately, He is seeking a more personal relationship with you as well. He wants to speak to you also! Many Christians lament that they do not "hear from God" or that they do not see the confirmations that others speak about. A vital way however, which God speaks and confirms to us is through His word!
Finishing the verse from Joshua we see God imploring him to not let the word depart out of what? His brain? His memory? No, his mouth. We not only need to read the bible so God can talk to us but so that we can speak His word into our lives. Remember, He is the God that calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17)! We can walk in that power too! When the enemy comes whispering into your ear about your sin or your past you need to be equipped to respond in power. You are a child of God, an heir, a friend of God, a saint, chosen, holy, blameless, a new creation, seated with Christ in heavenly realms! Yet we seemingly can be cowered so easily. We look upon our circumstances only within our own power even though we can do nothing without God. You need the word to not depart out of your mouth so you know what He as promised you. When you know what He has promised you, then you can conquer that mountain and rise above the floodwaters of your life. You can speak power into your circumstances.
What does God promise Joshua that is the same promise for you today? Verse nine tells us that God is saying to you today to not be terrified! Do not be discouraged! Fear is one of the greatest weapons the enemy will use against you. When we lean upon our own understanding, our situations can seem daunting. When we only look at our past through our own eyes, it can seem overwhelming. It is easy to see why the human condition is often controlled by fear. The world has generated phobia after phobia to help us understand what we are afraid of but can do very little to actually help resolve fear. The word reminds us however who fear comes from:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
Your spirit of fear did not come from God; it came from the enemy! God has given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Just as he told Joshua so long ago, He is telling you today, "do not be terrified."
Discouragement is another favorite weapon the enemy will use against us. We live in a me-centric microwave society. We want everything as we want it done, and when we want it done. The "when" is usually "now." God does not work like that though. As a Christian we must understand that everything is for HIS glory, not our convenience. We can have a word spoken to us, a promise from God that we hold to but still get discouraged by the timing. God of course sees all time and knows the outcomes, yet we sometimes feel as if we know better. We do not. We should take heart though in knowing how much He cares for us:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
