Strength & CourageSample

The Two Spies 

While God was continually telling Joshua and the Israelites to be strong and courageous, the hearts of their enemies were rapidly melting in fear. For years, they’d been hearing about Israel’s God. His power. His protection. His promise to deliver their land into the hands of Israel. But Rahab didn’t just hear those stories and shake in fear. Somewhere in the course of hearing, she began to believe. 

It wasn’t an accident that Joshua’s spies ended up in Rahab’s house. God had chosen her. He didn’t care about her station or her qualifications; He knew her heart. Though she was certainly an unlikely hero, God picked her to rescue His servants. And in turn, He rescued her.  

As the brave warriors around her trembled in terror, she took a courageous step forward. Though it meant losing everything she knew and understood, Rahab chose to be on God’s side. And because she trusted her life to the protection of a scarlet thread, God used her in the lineage of Jesus, whose scarlet blood would lead to eternal life for all who believe! 

Live it Out 

1. What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done to follow God? Did it come with a cost? 
2. Do you feel unqualified to serve in God’s Kingdom? Pray today that God would fill you with His strength and courage as you seek to follow Him. 
3. God often used the people others had dismissed. When you look at the people around you, do you hold their sins against them or recognize their potential for the Kingdom? Repent of your bias and encourage someone you’ve seen God use in a surprising way.