"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest". Joshua 1:9
The Lord had called Joshua to take the place of Moses, Moses had led the children of Israel out and now Joshua was to lead them in. In our text the Lord is reminding Joshua of His instructions. "Have not I commanded thee", Joshua was a man under a divine command, all of God's children are under His command, we have battles to be fought and victories to be won. Joshua's command was not an easy task, God's commands are always for our good and His glory.
"Be strong", the battle is the Lord's but we are not robots, we are to use our God given capacities to do that which God has called us to do. We are to be strong in faith. "and of a good courage", courage that comes from confidence in God is a mighty force. "Be not afraid", fear is a denial of God's promises, His ability to help and His faithfulness and His love. "Neither be thou dismayed", don't be discouraged, how prone we are to forget what God has done for us in the past and become discouraged. That's an insult to God. Now here is the reason that we can be strong and courageous and be fearless and not be discouraged, "For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever goest". If God is with us all of these things are possible, we can be more than conquerors.