Because of Moses’ failure at the rock, God did not allow him to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. However, God allowed him to prepare Joshua as his successor. He prepared Joshua by encouraging him with six assurances.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)

The first assurance Moses gave Joshua was “do not be afraid”. Never allow fear to stop you from completing your tasks. The second assurance was don’t be “discouraged”. To be discouraged is to lose confidence or enthusiasm.

. The third assurance: God will lead! “The Lord will personally go ahead of you.” In the military, taking the point means going before the rest of the platoon. The point person encounters the enemy first and warns the entire platoon or company of the enemy’s position or possible ambush. The men who walked point had a low mortally rate since they were the first to encounter the enemy.

God promised Joshua that He would personally go ahead of him to deal with any enemy before Joshua confronted them. God goes before us and deals with all of our enemies before we get there, and when God deals with our enemies, victory is guaranteed.

Be Blessed,

Bishop Jemmott