Have you ever felt like you are standing in between seasons. Not who you were. Not fully who you are becoming. Just somewhere in the middle.
That is where I found myself after walking through seasons of grief, healing, and rebuilding parts of my life I never expected to have to restore.
That feeling found me one morning while I was sitting at my table with my Bible open and my coffee still warm. Nothing unusual. Nothing dramatic. Just a quiet moment where I realized something was shifting and I wanted God to lead me into whatever was next.
And that is why I found myself in the book of Joshua.
Joshua chapter one is about transition. It is about stepping forward without being chained to what is behind you. It is about learning to trust God when the future is unknown and the past is still close.
That is not accidental. That is intentional.
Here are the three times God promises His presence:
- Joshua 1:5 “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
- Joshua 1:17 “Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.”
Then there are the four times God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous:
- Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”
- Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”
- Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged…”
- Joshua 1:18 “Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
What makes this even more meaningful when you look at Joshua’s life is who he was before this moment.
Joshua was a slave in Egypt. He lived under oppression. He knew what it felt like to have no control over his circumstances, no voice, no freedom. Then he became one of the twelve spies sent into the land. He saw both the promise and the fear. He stood in faith when others stood in doubt. Then he became a soldier, fighting real battles. And then he became Moses’ assistant, walking closely with a man who heard from God face to face.
Joshua had walked through bondage, fear, faith, battle, waiting, and leadership long before he ever stood on the edge of the Promised Land.
He was shaped by those seasons, but he was not defined by them.
And that is where Joshua quietly takes away our excuses.
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He takes away the excuse of saying my past was too hard, so I cannot move forward. He takes away the excuse of saying I have been hurt too deeply to trust again. He takes away the excuse of saying I have been through too much to believe God can still use me.
Joshua’s story says your past can shape you, but it does not get to define you. God defines you.
Even a warrior has to be reminded to be strong and courageous. Even a man who has fought battles and walked with God still needs to hear it four times in one chapter.
That tells me that courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing faith over fear again and again.
God does not tell Joshua to be strong by looking at himself. He tells him to be strong by staying anchored in the Word.
This is what God says in Joshua 1:8
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Everything, not some of it. Day and night, not occasionally. On your lips, not just in your head.
And this is where my word for 2026, Restore, comes in so clearly for me.
God was not just leading Joshua forward. He was restoring what had been lost in bondage. He was restoring identity, restoring purpose, restoring trust, and restoring the people back to the life they were always meant to live.
Restore does not mean pretending the past did not happen. It means God redeems it. It means He heals what was broken, rebuilds what was damaged, and renews what was worn down.
Joshua was not restored by forgetting Egypt. He was restored by trusting God beyond it.
That is the invitation for us too.
If we want fearless voices, we have to be biblical thinkers.
We are walking through a fallen world. A loud world. A broken world. A confusing world. If we are going to walk through it strong and courageous, it will not be because life is easy. It will be because God is with us and His Word is in us.
Not by trusting ourselves, but by trusting the God who promises again and again, I am with you.
That is how we live faith over fear.
That is how we walk forward without being chained to what is behind us.
That is how God restores us.
Letters to God Journaling Opportunity
Find a quiet space. Take a deep breath. And write a letter to God using the prompts below as a guide. Let this be honest, not polished. God is not looking for perfect words. He is inviting your real heart.
Dear God,
Where have I allowed my past to define me instead of allowing You to shape me?
What part of my story still feels wounded, heavy, or unfinished and needs Your restoring touch?
Where in my life are You inviting me to choose faith over fear right now?
What does it look like for me to stay anchored in Your Word in this season instead of being shaped by the world around me?
What would it mean for me to truly trust You with what is ahead of me?
Finish your letter in your own words. Sit with God in that space. Let Him meet you there.
Thank You for being a God who restores. Thank You for walking with me through every season, the bondage, the wilderness, the battles, and the promises. Thank You that You never waste my story, even the parts that were painful or confusing or hard.
I ask You to restore what has been broken in me. Restore my trust where it has been shaken. Restore my hope where it has grown tired. Restore my courage where fear has tried to take root. Help me to be strong and courageous, not because I feel brave, but because You are with me.
Teach me to be a biblical thinker with a fearless voice. Shape my thoughts with Your truth. Anchor my heart in Your Word. Let my life reflect faith over fear, obedience over comfort, and trust over control.
I give You my past, my present, and what is ahead. I lay down what has defined me and receive what You say is true about me. Lead me forward, Lord, into the life You have for me, restored, renewed, and made whole in You.Amen.
I would love to connect with you. Please comment below and let me know if you are in a transitional season and how I can pray for you. You can find me on facebook by clicking the link.
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