Stepping Into the Shadow: How to Find Strength When You Feel Unequipped

The Weight of a Legacy (Joshua 1:1)

“This is London. Here is a news flash. This is London. We have just heard that Sir Winston Churchill has died. That is the end of this news flash from the BBC London. There'll be a news broadcast in 15 minutes' time at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time.” ~ BBC Radio

The day was January 24, 1965 when Winston Churchill passed away. Three days after his death, in the freezing winter month, half a million people lined the streets of London just to see him lie in state. The viewing lasted for three days. Then, at his funeral, Sir Robert Menzies stepped up to the microphone and gave a tribute that still cuts deep:

"Winston Churchill was not an institution, but a man—a man of wit and chuckling humour, and penetrating intelligence... it is because he was a great human being that, in our darkest days, he lit the lamps of hope at many firesides and released so many from the chains of despair."

Heart-moving, right? We love a good hero's exit.

But let’s look at someone completely different - Moses. When Moses died, Israel’s war hadn't even started yet. At his funeral, more than a million people wept, mourning and tearing their clothes in the dust for thirty days. Big difference than Winston Churchill. And, unlike Winston Churchill’s tribute, the book of Deuteronomy wraps up with a tribute that feels almost impossible to follow:

"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." (Dt 34:10–12)

Stepping into the Shadow

Who in the world could ever follow in the great footsteps of Moses? Meet Joshua. Where the life of Moses ends, the leading of Joshua begins.

Who was Joshua, really?

Why him? Why was he chosen to step into these massive shoes instead of one of Moses’ own biological sons?

When Joshua was born, his parents named him Hoshea, which meant, "He has delivered." Joshua was born from the tribe of Ephraim. He was no extraordinary person. In fact, if we look closely at the record, unlike a lot of the big wigs in Scripture, he doesn't have a massive moral trainwreck in his background. He was just... steady. Faithful to God from his youth. So again, why him?

Joshua first real test didn't happen with a lion or in a classroom as a child. It happened at the age of 20, in the dirt, where he lead a fighting brutal, divinely commanded war against the Amalekites while Moses held his hands up on the hill. Then it continued when Joshua climbed Sinai with Moses, spending forty days in the shadow of the mountain with him. Moses saw something in him, which soon led Joshua to become his "assistant"—the apprentice. Joshua had a ringside seat to the raw, terrifying holiness of God. He watched the law come down. He sat outside the tent of the meeting, refusing to leave Moses’ side as Moses spoke to the Almighty Holy God one on one.

A New Name for a New War

After seeing his strength and faithfulness, Moses chose Joshua as one of the 12 tribal leaders to spy out Canaan. Before sending him out, Moses did something radical. He changed his name. Hoshea—"He has delivered"—became Joshua—"The LORD has delivered." The weight was shifted from man to God. It was not only Moses’ own confession, but it was also a prophetic promise: You aren't going to win this by your own grit.

And this was proved when, despite the negative report from the other 10, Joshua and Caleb gave a completely different report. Where the other 10 spread fear, claiming the land’s inhabitants were too strong to overcome, Joshua and Caleb declared the land as “exceedingly good.” (Num 14:6–9) They then urged the people to trust that God would lead them into this fertile land and assured them the inhabitants posed no real threat because God was with Israel.

At the Edge of the River (Josh 1:2-4)

But then, the anchor drops. Moses is gone. Joshua is appointed - no longer under the guide of Moses and no longer a young man. He’s now sixty years old, standing at the heavy end of a massive mantle, still camped out on the dusty, dry east side of the Jordan River, staring right across at what God is asking him to do next.

And then comes the voice of the Lord:

"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites." (Jos 1:2)

After saying this, God maps out the real estate that He was giving them. And let me tell you, it was a massive chunk of territory—stretching roughly 300 miles north to south and 100 miles east to west. And for you farmers in this room, that’s roughly 19.2 million acres. That’s a nice hunk of land!

The First Day Terror (Jos 1:5)

God then looks at Joshua and says, “Good luck, and God speed!” and disappears. No, just kidding. But let’s be honest: if you're Joshua, standing at the edge of that river knowing a brutal, bloody war is waiting for you on the other side, your immediate reflex is to throw your hands up and scream: "Lord, I need help! I can’t do this alone!"

Those exact words? That’s what I muttered under my breath the very first day I walked into this building as your pastor. Pure panic.

That’s the thing about our God. It can feel like He's quiet. It can feel like He's missing in action when the walls are closing in. But then He steps right into our terror with a promise that anchors the soul:

"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." (Jos 1:5)

Is that verse true? Or is that just ancient poetry meant for biblical giants?

Let’s talk about that. Because I know people sitting in this room whose own families have stood against them. I know a woman whose husband—and her own mother and father—turned against her. Sitting in her bedroom crying, it felt like God had packed His bags and walked out.

So does the promise that “"No one will be able to stand against you...” and “ I will never leave you nor forsake you" still hold true today?

Look at Hebrews 13:5, written 1,470 years later:

"...never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Same God. Same anchor. Same promise.

A Promise That Outlives History

Let me take you back to Carthage, North Africa, in the year 203 AD.

Vibia Perpetua was a young mother. The Roman governor demanded she denounce Christ and burn a pinch of incense to the emperor. She refused, so they threw her into a dark, suffocating cell.

While she was in there, her elderly pagan father limped into the prison holding her tiny infant baby. He wept, begging her to just yield, to save her life, to save her family.

When she stood before the magistrate, he asked the ultimate question: "Are you a Christian?"

Perpetua looked him dead in the eye and answered quietly: "I am."

They condemned her to the arena alongside her slave. Did the Lord abandon her? No. Eyewitness prison diaries record that she walked into that death trap singing hymns of joy. When the initial sword blow from a hesitant gladiator missed its mark, she reached out, took the blade, and guided it to her own throat.

Her courage became one of the defining texts of early church history and evidence that God will never leave us nor forsake, even at the moment of our death.

Sustained in the Fire

Listen to me very closely: The promise of God is not that the war won't come.

The promise isn't that people won't stand against you.

Every single one of us carries scars. Whether that be mockery of our Christian values, losing friends or facing actual hostility and cancellation, due to our beliefs. But let’s get real about the internal war. The private battles with your own sin nature. Fear. Worry. The kind of deep, crushing depression that doesn't magically lift just because you said a prayer. Doubt clawing at your throat at 3:00 AM.

God doesn't promise you an easy life. He promises you something infinitely better: His presence.

"I will be with you."

"I will not forsake you."

That presence doesn't shield you from the fire—it sustains you right in the middle of it.

The Anatomy of Fear (Jos 1:6)

Naturally, Joshua was afraid. Come on—who wouldn’t be?

He was about to face the literal giants he’d seen years earlier when scouting the land. And I don’t mean someone tall like Andrea the Giant. I’m talking about 11-foot-tall, 1,200-pound behemoths.

How do we know that’s who they were going to face? Because history left us the receipts. The biblical record of King Og of Bashan, the Amorite king the Israelites under Moses faced, drops a hilarious, terrifying detail: his iron bed measured 13.5 feet long and 6 feet wide (Dt. 3:11)

Yeah. I’d be terrified.

And who was Joshua leading? Not a detachment of seasoned Navy SEALs. He was leading the children of the very people who had spent forty years whining and complaining in the wilderness. None of them were professional soldiers. They didn’t have a stockpile of advanced weapons. To be honest, no sane general would willingly walk into a war zone with that crowd.

Strong and Very Courageous (Jos 1:6)

So when God looks at Joshua’s face, He sees the panic.

Yes, Joshua had been a commander under Moses. But managing a rebellious crowd for decades and then stepping into the commander-in-chief slot? The relentless toll of war—the blood, the exhaustion—breaks men.

That’s why God steps in and says:

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors..."

And then God doubles down, adding an adverb. He tells him a second time: "Be strong and very courageous."

It was sort of a “pep” talk to develop nerve for battle, like generals and football coaches. But in reality, it was more than a motivational speech. It was a talk calibrated to the weight of the assignment. God assured Joshua that he could be strong and courageous because He would support him. The encouragement was grounded in divine presence and promise, not mere morale-boosting.

This my friends is exactly the kind of encouragement a leader facing genuine fear needs: not denial of the difficulty, but anchoring in divine presence and promise.

The Weapon of Meditation (Jos 1:7-8)

So how do we actually do this? How do we become "strong and very courageous" when life is falling apart?

God gives Joshua the playbook in verses 7 and 8:

"...Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you... 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."

Strength doesn't come from white-knuckling your circumstances. It comes from anchoring your mind. Here are three concrete, practical steps to put this into practice:

Memorize Scripture. Pick passages that speak to your specific battlefield—fear, discouragement, doubt.

Personalize God’s promises. Don’t just read "the LORD your God will be with you" as a historical postcard for Joshua. Drag it into your kitchen. Claim it: "My God will be with me wherever I go."

Visualize the truth before the crisis hits. You can’t cram for a spiritual crisis the night before the exam. If you try to learn how to trust God during the panic, the crisis will be over before you've even laced up your boots.

The Ultimate Anchor (Jos 1:7-8)

God's Word is living and active. It rewires our brains, reshapes our emotions, and realigns our will with His purposes.

And then, just in case Joshua missed it, God locks it in for a third time:

"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." (Jos 1:9)

That same command echoes right into this room today. Will we obey it, or will we shrink back? The choice is ours—and the result is life, peace, and an unshakeable anchor.

One Body, One Mission (Jos. 1:10-18)

How does Joshua respond to all this?

Does he sit around the camp-fire biting his nails, debating the risks? No, without hesitation, Joshua mobilizes the camp. He tells his officers: Get ready. In three days, we cross the Jordan.

Joshua then zeroes in on the eastern tribes—the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Remember, they’ve already found their cozy piece of real estate on the east side of the river. Their families and livestock are safe.

But Joshua reminds them of the agreement they made with Moses: Your fighting men are leading the charge across the river. You don't get to sit this one out just because you got yours.

Think about the tension here. The Jordan River was a violent, rushing boundary. Left unchecked, it could easily become a psychological and physical wall that fractured the emerging nation into an "us versus them" mentality.

And how do the eastern tribes respond? Do they grumble about their inexperience? Do they clutch their private property and tell Joshua to look elsewhere?

Listen to their answer:

“Whatever you have commanded us we will do... Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you.”

They willingly left their families unprotected to fight for their brothers. That is what it looks like when national identity—and spiritual family—transcends personal comfort.

So how does that translate to our lives today?

Let’s be honest. One of the greatest cancers in the modern church is division.

We fracture over everything. We divide over theological nuances, worship styles, ministry preferences, and personal comfort. We have groups willing to give sacrificially, and groups who want all the benefits of the church without investing a single ounce of sweat.

In fact, if you look back through church history, historical and sociological analysis reveals the exact same roots of division cropping up over and over again:

The spread of ungodliness and sin creeping unchecked into the church.

A lack of spiritual or intellectual leadership.

Pastoral ungodliness that shatters trust.

Harsh, heavy-handed pastoral behavior.

Tolerating unrepentant sin just to keep the peace.

Petty discord among church leaders.

An unruly, hyper-critical spirit—especially among the up-and-coming generation.

Heavy list, isn't it?

But look at the eastern tribes again. They didn't demand proof of Joshua’s credentials. They didn't argue about their rights. They yielded their personal preferences for the collective mission because they knew they weren't following a man—they were advancing the kingdom of God together.

Church unity isn't passive. It’s not just a nice slogan we print on a banner. It is an active, covenantal commitment grounded in the Word of God, soaked in mutual accountability, and fueled by a shared mission.

Listen to me, Tri-County Christian Church:

We are gospel-centered disciples. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We share one Spirit, one Lord, one baptism, one faith!

But let’s be honest, we all can see that we’re in trouble. If we want really want to heal and grow, then we MUST be unified as one body in Christ. 

Ephesians 4:3–6 lays it bare:

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Division doesn't happen overnight. It starts with microscopic fractures that we ignore until they turn into gaping splits.

So today, I am calling us to be proactive unifiers. How do we do that practically?

First: Say no to gossip. Nothing eats away at the structural integrity of a church faster than whispers in the dark.

Second: Support your church leaders. Pull the rope in the same direction.

Third: Let go of your pride. Choose to make every single effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.

Let’s bow our heads and pray that God welds our hearts together—in one mind and one body—so we can push back the darkness and bring the living hope of the Gospel to this community. And let’s pray that we can be strong and very courageous, trusting in God as we march forth with His Word.

Resources

Joshua: No Falling Words (Focus on the Bible | FB)Davis, Dale Ralph • Christian Focus • 2000

Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 (2014-2021)Got Questions Ministries • Faithlife • 2014–2021

God’s Design: A Focus on Old Testament Theology, Fourth EditionMartens, Elmer A. • Wipf and Stock • 2015

30 Meditations on JesusHickey, Marilyn; Bowling, Sarah • Whitaker House • 2014

Peace in Every Storm: 52 Declarations and Meditations for Difficult TimesBroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC • 2021

Expositions of Holy Scripture: Deuteronomy–1 SamuelMaclaren, Alexander • Faithlife • 2009

Brave Moms, Brave Kids: A Battle Plan for Raising HeroesNienhuis, Lee • Harvest House Publishers • 2018

Before the Face of God, Book 3: A Daily Guide for Living from the Old TestamentSproul, R. C. • Baker • 1994