Be Strong and Courageous!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Joshua 1:9 (NIV84)

This passage of scripture jumps off the pages into my core this morning! You see, when you get to that place of total abandon in your life to do the will of the Father, every day is a walk of faith (sometimes a huge leap of faith) and requires strength and courage. That is where I am, that is where I've been for some time now. Walking with God can sometimes take us to places that are out of our comfort zones, places that go against what our flesh wants to do and many times that call us to go alone. But He promises to be with us every step of the way. It is a time to be strong and courageous.

I woke up this morning feeling as though God was drawing me to this passage. A little history, Moses has just passed away and now God is calling Joshua to take over and lead the Israelites on to the Promised Land. First up, crossing the Jordan River. Now, I have to just ponder here for a minute on what Joshua was probably mulling around in his head. I mean, these were pretty big shoes to fill. I imagine there was some fear he was battling and probably some feelings of unworthiness, but I love what God says to him here in verse 5,

"No one will be able to stand up 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."

Joshua 1:5 (NIV84)

What assurance from our Lord! He called Joshua to this huge task but also promised that He would never leave him and also protect him. That is just like our God! No matter what the task He calls us to, He will be there every step of the way and protect us through it all. The next four verses really grabbed my attention this morning.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV84)

In these four verses, God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. The first time, "be strong and courageous", then he says "be strong and VERY courageous", and finally, "have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous."

Ok, it's just my opinion here, but I have found that if God repeats something in scripture, He REALLY wants us to get it. Here, He repeats himself three times. Joshua, are you getting this? He is commanding you to be strong and courageous!

Now, here is where I come in.

When God is calling me to go, wherever it is He leads, He commands me to do the same thing.

"Be strong and courageous, Allison." Wow!

You know, He doesn't just leave Joshua there. He tells him to follow his guide map that He has given to him. Verses 7 & 8 He tells Joshua to obey the Law and not turn from it. Do not let it depart from his mouth. Meditate on it day and night. If he does that, then he will be prosperous and successful.

He has given me the same guide map. Do I just go blindly? No! He has given me His Book and I am to obey it, meditate on it day and night, and not turn from it. That is the only way I will be prosperous and successful. If I follow the "gospel according to Allison Jordan", I am going to fall flat on my face. But if I go with strength and courage armed with God's Word that I have immersed myself in, then I can be successful for the glory of God!

Oh, what I need today.... strength and courage for the journey!

Am I still willing to go where He calls me to go? I have to stay in the Word and trust my God, even when that journey is alone...me and God. I have to daily remember that if He calls me to it, He will see me through it. And, YES, I will go where He wants me to go!

So, I grab hold of His hand and go...wherever He leads! The journey with my God...

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Joshua 3:5 (NIV)

This journey is yours, Lord. Wherever you lead, I will follow. I will meditate on your Word. I will be strong and courageous and I will find comfort that you will never leave me nor forsake me! I am ready, Lord! It's all about YOU!

Cleaning Our Messy Pots!

One of the things I treasure as a busy mom is my crock-pot. Many of you moms out there probably shouted, “Amen” on that and we high-five each other every time we share a new crock-pot recipe. I mean, does it really need explaining? You put your ingredients in this big pot in the morning and set it for 6-8 hours on low and later that evening when you’re ready to eat dinner, it is done! All in one pot! The recipes are endless. Some are 5 ingredient, some are several more and, one of my favorites is just 2 ingredients…yes you read that correctly…just TWO ingredients and then throw some rice on later and you have a quite satisfying meal. It really is an essential appliance in a kitchen.

Okay, if you’re wondering, No, I am not selling crock-pots or getting commission for advertising for the crock-pot people or anything like that. Lol! I just tend to get very excited when I speak about something I am passionate about.

But here is the draw back (if there is one!)

When you’re finished with your meal there is the one headache that is left…. cleaning the crock-pot. Now in our home, our kids all have their designated chores aside from the usual cleaning their room and bathroom. Ben is on trash and lawn, Callie is on kitchen and Caleb is on all laundry folding and distributing. There are the other chores like dusting, vacuuming, mopping and such but they are equally distributed when the need arises. Mom and dad help out too but these are their designated chores.

After a crock-pot meal, my sweet daughter likes to soak the pot. Good idea, right? Well, sometimes this pot can soak for a few days before it gets tended too. Otherwise known as…”I procrastinated as long as I can but now I have to face it.” She says it is heavy and all that stuff you have to scrape off that stuck to the sides is just nasty. Well, I have to agree with her on that! I’ve had to jump in there and help her at times and when it’s all done, you have a squeaky-clean pot ready for its next use!

(Yes, they make crock-pot liners and we have used them but more than not, we don’t. Old fashioned, I guess.)

I thought about our crock-pot scenario as I was praying over a situation I needed to deal with. I had been in soaking mode for several days not wanting to deal with it. After a few days of praying over it, I knew what I needed to do but still just let it sit there and soak. You know, hoping it would magically clean itself like the crock-pot?

Well, I finally decided to grab my scrub brush and deal with it. What beauty it produced! Not only did the situation get resolved but afterwards my “pot” was clean and grime-free. All that stuff stuck to the sides was removed as I allowed God to clean away all the messiness through obedience to His Word and trusting His plan.

So many times in life we will face situations that leave mess and grime stuck all over the sides of our pot; the mess that only obedience to the Word of God and trusting His plan can scrape off. Sure we can soak it a few days as we spend time in prayer and many times we need to do that. But we eventually have to face the situation and allow God to scrub away the unpleasantries as we submit to His will. What beauty results in that process! A pot cleansed and ready to produce another satisfying product. All for the glory of God!

So, today, on this wintery cold day, as you reach for your crock-pot, remember the beauty that God can bring out of cleansing the messy, sticky places of our lives. We don’t want to soak in the mess; we want to shine for HIM!

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Psalm 51:7 (NIV)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

aPsalms 51:10 (NKJV)

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday! Yes, it's freezing cold outside and we'd all rather stay in our cozies in our nice warm houses BUT today stands before us with opportunities that are endless!

Today, maybe you're just not feeling it. You're tired and don't want to face the day. The bills are piling up, you have an appointment that brings fear or dread, too many things on your to-do list and not enough of you to go around, the never-ending problem that you just can't seem to break through.

I get it! I really do!

But today, let's choose to rise above our "now" and trust the One who can handle even our "no one can handle this" problem. Let's walk in faith, laying down our worries to God, and see our perspective change. When we take the monstrosity of our current situation, release it to Almighty God and render Him in control, we can be at complete peace. After all, the same God who placed each star in the sky... who put the galaxies in their place... who spoke the world into existence... can more than handle our burdens.

It takes trust.

It takes faith.

It takes realizing that HE is God and we are not.

Simple right?

It truly is! Let's do it!

Once we lay it down, we can be ready for the endless opportunities before us today to walk in His fullness and shine His light in this dark world!

I'm ready! All for YOU this day, precious Lord!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1 (NIV)

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NIV)

Fitted by the Master Cobbler

I have this pair of shoes, my favorite pair of fall/winter shoes. These were my “old faithfuls”. You girls know, the ones you grab to wear that will go with pants or jeans and you can throw them on when you want to be comfortable and still look decent. I actually bought these faithful companions over 10 years ago in Florida where our family resided for almost a year. They were a bargain at the Tommy Hilfiger outlet. I won’t buy something unless it is a bargain and I won’t buy Tommy Hilfiger unless it is a REAL bargain! Lol! Yes, I’m cheap like that, well, I prefer “thrifty” instead of cheap but anyway…I digress.

Well, I knew last fall/winter that these faithful companions were nearing their death when they were getting faded and were showing signs of old age. But nonetheless, I put them on this year, spiffing them up a little, hoping to keep them alive. As I walked out of my office the other day in the pouring rain, I noticed my socks became wet.

What??? Not good! I didn’t see any visible holes but when I got home and took them off, the bottom of them had actually split all the way through the thick sole of the shoe. Yes, you guessed it. It was time. It was time after more than 10 faithful years. These shoes had come to their demise. They were beyond repair and in need of replacing. It was a sad day! Lol! My husband, great man that he is, comforted me over the phone,

“Honey, I think you got your money’s worth so please go get a new pair.”

He understands my pain of buying comfortable, reliable, yet still fashionable shoes…that could get pricey.

So, I will go on a quest of finding a new faithful companion that will comfort my feet but still provide fashion and on a meager budget. Yes, my work is cut out for me but I'm ready for the task. Haha!

I thought about the shoe fiasco this morning as I was trying to sleep in (I just can’t sleep in). Not distraught about my shoes, but how life is a lot like those shoes. We find ourselves comfortable going about our life. Everything seems to fit and it is just the way we like it. But then our comfortable starts to show wear and small cracks give way to larger ones and cause discomfort and wet soles. It is in those times where God calls us out of our “comfort zones” and to take giant leaps of faith that He has something else for us. When it goes beyond repair and in to something new. That can be exciting but can also be scary. No one likes to leave their comfort zone. It is familiar and comfortable but with God leading the way, we have to place all faith and trust that He knows what is better. He will never call us away from something without replacing it with what is better for us…in this season…for HIS work.

So, if you’re facing the move from your comfort zone and following God in His leading, rest assured that He has already gone before you paving the way. Yes, there will be growing pains and times of “breaking in the new shoes” but where HE guides, HE provides and where HE calls you, HE will equip you with everything you need to do HIS work.

Let’s never get so comfortable that we miss the leading of HIS will. May we walk uprightly and confidently in these new shoes and on our new path. Sure, rainy days may come but with new shoes fitted and designed by the Master Cobbler, we will stay dry and be ready to face the puddles.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

Psalms 23:3 (NLT)

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV)

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Proverbs 31:25 (NLT)