Strong and Courageous

"Only be strong and very courageous..."
Joshua 1:7

In His words to the new leader of the Israelite people God gives Joshua the lasting words of encouragement to be strong and courageous. Not meant to just be words of comfort for the man set to take the place of Moses, they were instructions on how he was to lead the people to the promise land and through the many tests and trails that were yet to come.

The word strong used here is translated from the Hebrew text as "chazaq" and what is interesting to note is that this word is a verb, meaning it is a word of action. As God is setting his bond with his new leader, the first thing that he tells him is to be strong. It is clear that God knows that this task will not be easy and no doubt Joshua saw many examples of the challenges of leadership while following Moses. Yet God is encouraging him to be a proactive leader by commanding him to strengthen, be firm and be resolute.

The word courageous in this part of the text comes from the Hebrew word, " 'amats" which has similar meaning to chazaq but point more inward to the inner man. it can also mean to make oneself alert or confirm oneself. It points to the notion that a leader must have confidence in themselves. Good knowledge for leaders both then and now.

I walk with this word in my heart, that I need to be strong and courageous in my thoughts and actions.

Taking on God's Challenge Day 4,5,6

Working on a solved Problem?

So it has been 3 days since my last blog. God has kept me and I have come into marvelous revelations about my self and God's interactions with me. 

1. Like to push myself. For example I like to cook when i fast. And the more I fast, the more extravagant I like to cook. I made bread and three kinds of enchiladas the past week and I am working on grocery list for some creole food, wow!

2. This fast is not like the last one I did like this over 15 years ago. I have been fast the whole time since then, but one day absolute fasts, or multiple day fasts like the Daniels fast. It is likely that age is a factor but it is also true than I have gained some weight and so have a lot more to "give" than that first one. The truest thing is that I am stronger int he Lord and that my trust in him to keep me has never failed. I have not had any diminished energy for activities or the think that I have been asked to do. I feel focused and alert. I am losing weight and even with the feeling of hunger, i am not in a rush to get back to eating anything heavy ( well maybe a pecan pie ).

3. I need to do more if I want to grab hold of the the spiritual promotion that I am looking for. I have learned that it is my time that needs the fast, not my body. WOW, did I say that? This is what is meant by working on a problem that is already solved. I already know that my time is one of my biggest problems. I have to find a way to purge it of it impurities.


I have realized that there were a lot of things that I have done through my life that I have not had time to enjoy in the past few years. Baking and Cooking, Meditating and Reading, Praying and Praying some more. I have gotten away from some of the most precious things in my life as an individual. I hope that as I finish this fast I keep that in mind.

I am going to do some checking on that and get back to you. Time Fasting.

God's Challenge Day 3

I lost my vehicle today.

How is that for a challenge? Not permanently, but for a while. In the meantime, I will have to search out other moods of transportation for me and the family. Now how does that jive with the whole fasting thing? For me it fits right in. Challenge is a part of the christian life and the timing of the challenge is often the thing that makes it the hardest. 

Can I confess something to you, I have known this was coming for a while. I have been driving around knowing that at some point i was going to need to park and ride/walk//fly. The fact that it happened while I was fasting to the Lord for a new direction is all the more a reason to believe that God is watching me and is with me through this thing. 

SO, I had meetings today that I still needed to keep and appointments and all the normal things I am supposed to deal with. So today, I walked. It was nice out and I could do that. In few days though, it will be cold. Then What?!

DON'T WORRY!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 - Matthew 6:25-27

Jesus says to us, "don't worry about your life... is not life more than food...?" Yes, Lord! The same can be applied to the cars we drive or the homes we live in. This is a strength test. But, it is not a muscle strength that the Lord is looking for. It is a faith strength that is needed here. 

How strong is your faith? Can you withstand the challenges of this world without all of your gadgets and what nots? So I will have to walk for a while, Amen, God must want my full attention because that it who I will be talking to as I go from point A to point B. 

Taking on God's Challenge Day 2

Day 2: I feel strong and alert.  I am aware of the fact that I have not eaten but it does not dominate my thoughts.

A common occurrence when for me when I fast is that like to bake bread. It was something that I started many years ago as a way to meditate while keeping my body busy. I have and would bake at other times as well, but certainly when I am fasting it is one of my favorite things to do. Last night I decided on a Herb and Cheese pull apart bread because it is something that I have promised a couple of parishioners (from sometime ago I might add) and I had what I needed to get it done.  While I was in the process of preparing the bread, I also decided to pre-make dinner for children tonight and wash up the dishes. This whole process kept me up kinda late but I was compelled to complete my tasks.

This is the basis for my writing today on fasting. I have often felt more determination to complete my works while I was under a fast and I wonder how coincidental that is. Jesus tells his disciples after a failed attempt to heal a little boy that "This kind does not go out except by fasting and prayer" (Matthew 17:21 NASB). We know that He was talking specifically about the boy and his illness but there is a much greater application; "this KIND". Is this a reference to person to person healing or something even greater than that. I do not compare my baking to healing an ailing child, but i can see the ties that make them related.

In the days ahead, I will be interested to see of this 'unction to function' will continue or the physical demands become more dominating. Although this is not my first time fasting in this way or for this duration, I am approaching this with new eyes for I know that God is doing in me. Not FOR me, but through me in preparation for a greater thing that I can not at this moment comprehend. The joy in my heart at that thought excites me.

My prayer,

Lord strengthen me past the limitations of my own mind and body. Help me to see Your Spirit all around me show me Your ways that I may grow my understanding of You and my purpose in You in this kingdom of Yours. Amen.

Taking on God's challenge Day 1

There is a saying in my house, if you really want to change something about yourself tell the spouse. Until you do that, you are not really being serious about the change you are trying to make. 

I will take mine a step further and make blog about it here. So... what is this challenge? An extended fast.  God needs my attention in a new way and the way He has asked me to prepare for this new level is through fasting. 

Now, fasting is not new for me. As a matter of fact, I have been fasting weekly for decades but those are one day, 24 hour fasts. There are also the corporate fasts that we as a church do at the beginning of the year, but those are Daniel (partial) fasts which allow eating of a restricted menu. This current fast is to be a water only fast for 8 days and although it wont be the first time I have done this, but its been a while. This type of fast is very taxing not on the individual on the fast, but all those that are around as well. For this reason, you should be sure that the instructions to do such a fast are from God and you should let those whom you love know what you are about to do. I have heard the Lords voice on this for a while now and it is very clear that this is the step I need to take.

The bible teaches us that, "some things only come through fasting and prayer." I believe that there are place in life that you need special preparation for. It could be a new direction in life, a new understanding, or just a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Specifically for myself, I feel that this is necessary for my growth and development for a new level in my life. 

So I will track this for the next week here for you to see, for the future and for me as well. Keep me in your prayers. 

Pastor Alberts