Today, I will talk about being courageous and cutting off what must be cut off. So you should listen well and live according to the Word.

God told Joshua, “Be courageous,” before he went on to conquer the land of Canaan. When you consider the situation at that time, Joshua’s enemies were much more powerful than his army was. One group of enemies that opposed Joshua were the people of Jericho.

Since Joshua needed to fight against them and win, God told him,

“Be courageous!”

But that alone was not enough. Just because God tells someone to be courageous doesn’t guarantee they will win.

So why did God tell Joshua to be courageous?

God told him to be courageous because God was with him. He was not alone and the Israelites were not fighting by themselves.

In the end, God was with them, so they were able to destroy the city of Jericho without breaking a sweat.

In this way, there are good things at the destination ahead. But along the way, there are difficulties as well.

Regardless, you still need to have courage. Why?

Since God and the Lord are fighting with us, we should be strong and courageous.

 

Wherever God is, there are no worries or concerns

We are all traveling on the path of faith to achieve a particular purpose. So even if there are obstacles like the city of Jericho before Joshua, the Trinity are with us. Since God, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord are with us, we have to be strong and courageous!

If we are, then just as the city of Jericho crumbled and Joshua won, we will also win!

When Joshua and the Israelites were taking on Jericho, they took action boldly according to God’s words. They circled around the city of Jericho once a day for six consecutive days. Then on the seventh day, they circled around it seven times.

Then the priests blew their trumpets in the front, and everyone shouted aloud. So they really took action boldly while praising God.

In this way, being courageous is taking action while praising God and giving glory to Him.

In most cases, the destination we are striving for is good. However, since there are difficulties along the way, many people cannot overcome them, so they get discouraged.

This happened within God’s history as well.

You have to walk with the Lord.

Since the Lord exists, you should believe in him and walk with him with courage. Then just as Jericho crumbled, all the things you were worried and concerned about will also crumble. And the things you are fighting against currently will crumble.

God has predestined the outcome. Therefore, you must take action with the Lord.

The people of mission in the Bible were all bold.

The reason Joshua was bold was that he took action with absolute faith that God was with him. Of course, the Holy Spirit also helped at that time by working through his body. So that is why he was able to make all the cities like Jericho collapse.

 

What does the city of Jericho symbolize?

The city of Jericho refers to wicked and ignorant people who are like Cain. It is a symbol of those who say they are doing things for the Lord but actually make him worry. It also symbolizes those who failed to prepare the way for the Lord and made his path treacherous.

There are times when people do that to you as well, right? I am sure you have experienced these kinds of things before.

For example, someone was trying to help you, but what actually happened was that the person made you worry more.

Realize from what you have experienced in the past and from history. Then take action boldly because God, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord are with you.

If you do, then as surely as the sun rises from the east, the city of Jericho in your life will also crumble.

 

Cutting things off

When trees grow, their branches stretch out. Some stretch out too much. So when the wind blows or snow falls, the branches break. And when they don’t, they block your view, so you can’t see what they are covering.

So that is why branches that stretch out too far must be cut off.

In this way, when living your life of faith, you must ruthlessly cut off whatever is wrong! These include your faults, your ignorance, and personality traits that make other people fear you. You have to cut off all of your weaknesses and flaws!

If you don’t, then you won’t be able to see God, just like when tree branches block your view.

People need to be good at the work of cutting things off and connecting things. These two skills are very important in life.

If you fail to cut things off when it is time to do so, they will harm and torment you and the people around you.

You may be wondering, “Is it really necessary to cut things off?”

But it is necessary. Think about these two examples. When you are making clothes, you have to cut off the appropriate parts before you can create clothes. And when developing an area in the mountains, you have to cut down a part of the mountain first before building.

In this way, you have to cut off outdated things without remorse and connect yourself to new things.

In terms of faith, it is to cut off your own thoughts and connect to the Lord’s thoughts. This is God’s Word of life. It is a necessity to make our lives great.

 

Connect to the Lord’s thoughts

People often feel overly concerned or worried while they are doing things they claim are for the Lord. This is because they are doing those things with their own ways of thinking. If you have the Lord’s thoughts, you will feel differently.

If you have God’s thoughts in your head, you will have nothing to be worried, concerned, or nervous about.

There are people who have excessive worries and concerns. So when they are doing the Lord’s work, they create an anxious atmosphere. They say they are doing it for the Lord and claim their way is better.

You should check with God and the Holy Spirit each time things like this happen. The Trinity will tell you the truth.

Once you know, you should cut off your own thoughts boldly and take action. God is with you.

Whether you are working on something or simply hanging around, you have to make sure to cut off the things that require it. These things can be things that you find fun or make you happy. But they will end up harming you instead.

Even if people say they love you, look up to you, or want to serve you, be careful.

You have to do this well. It will have a great impact on your life. If you fail to cut the appropriate things off, you will be tied to them. So those things will drag you around, and thus, you won’t be able to walk the path you should walk.

You should cut off physical love that’s not within God’s Will, your own perspectives and thoughts, and unrighteous thoughts and deeds. You need to cut these things off boldly as if you were pruning a tree, so that your view is clear and unhindered.  

 

Don’t live in a suffocating way

If you are a believer, you should not live with worries or fears. You should live in a way that refreshes the hearts of God and the Holy Spirit.

You have to be quick and swift while being witty and wise. Your eyes should sparkle and your brain should be overflowing with wisdom.

Especially those who manage lives, you need to understand things before others. You can do so by running ahead of others and gaining experience. If you do, then you can lead others as well.

If you find someone frustrating, teach that person. If that person cannot do something even after you teach them, then you should do it. The one who knows should take action.

If you are not bold, you cannot receive the blessings God gives. Since this is also a year of blessings, you should be bold to receive all these blessings!

There is a saying that goes, “Fortune favors the bold.” Like this saying, you have to be bold! Then you will gain the blessings that God is giving you.

Those who are thankful can enter God’s palace, and those who are bold can be close to the Lord.

Bold people get things done without hesitating or feeling conscious. If you don’t cut off unrighteousness, demons will infiltrate you. If you cut unrighteousness off, demons will all leave you.

Just like cutting your hair when it gets too long, I bless you in the name of the Lord to live your life cutting off unrighteousness, worries, concerns, fears, and various contradictions relentlessly while carrying out God’s wonderful history!