David Jeremiah (May-11-2025) Daily Devotional: Be Encouraged. Turning Point.
But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see. - Deuteronomy 3:28
Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:6-9 - 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Consider what discourages you: circumstances, relationships, finances, or health concerns. All those are legitimate reasons to seek encouragement. But what if God asked you to lead more than a million people into a strange, new homeland filled with enemies who didn’t want you there. Would you need encouragement?
God knew Joshua, the man chosen to settle the Hebrews in Canaan, would need encouragement. That’s why He told Moses to “encourage [Joshua] and strengthen him” for the task that lay ahead. And when it came time for Joshua to lead the new nation of Israelites into Canaan, God told Joshua how to be encouraged and stay encouraged: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night.... For then you will make your way prosperous.... Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:8-9). Who wouldn’t want to be “prosperous” and have “good success” (verse 8)?
Do you need to be encouraged today? Turn first to God’s Word and all its “great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). And be encouraged!
Only engrossment with God can maintain perpetual spiritual enthusiasm. - A. W. Tozer
