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Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt when he was about 80. However, upon reaching the Promised Land, the people discovered there were giants living there, which made them feel like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). Consequently, they decided to stone Moses, appoint a new leader, and return to Egypt instead of crossing the river that day.

God intervened, and they wandered for another 40 years in the wilderness until that entire fearful generation died off. However, their children were allowed in (Numbers 14:29–31). Moses was also not permitted to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). So, when they returned the second time, Moses was 120 years old, and he stepped back from leadership. He called his trusted servant Joshua forward, promoted him, and said this:

(Deuteronomy 31:7–8 NKJV) Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

Moses was a prophet, and he told Joshua: "You must go" and "You shall cause them to inherit it."

For some reason, I've always pictured Joshua here as a young man. However, by Deuteronomy 31:7, Joshua must have been around 80 years old, especially since Moses was 120 at that time. Remember, Joshua was a young man when he left Egypt, and he even led the Israelites in the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17:9). Joshua and Caleb were two of the spies Moses sent to scout the promised land after they left Egypt (Numbers 14:6–9). Yet, by the time of this transition, the people had spent another 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

This story isn’t about a young man in his twenties confronting unknown fears; it’s about a man in his eighties preparing to face giants. When his greatest mentor and friend, Moses, tells him, "Go get those giants! By the way, I'm not coming..."

Joshua had every right to feel concerned, shocked, and dismayed. To be dismayed is to feel downcast, disappointed, disheartened, and even filled with terror. This dark state replaces hope, sending us into a downward spiral where we become ineffective. We retreat. We find strength in the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10), but it's challenging to be joyful when dismay holds us prisoner.

That same message, "Do not fear or be dismayed," is repeated several times throughout Deuteronomy and Joshua (Deuteronomy 1:21; 3:2; 3:22; 20:3, 31:8; Joshua 1:9; 8:1; 10:8).

They were about to face trying times with difficult enemies. There would be giants they would have to fight as soon as they crossed that river.

The Lord told the people, and then Joshua, "Do not fear nor be dismayed." He told them this because there would be a real danger of that happening again. The previous generation had all died in the desert because they had become dismayed, lost hope, and were terrified to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.

Joshua stood strong, resisted the fear, crossed the river, and faced the giants. The Lord was with him every step of the way. They lost one battle at Ai because Achan stole some of the Lord's loot at Jericho, but they regrouped and took that city as well, and they learned that you can't steal from the Lord and then expect Him to help you (Joshua 7:20–21). Well, technically, you can, but prepare for disappointment.

Fear can paralyze you and stop you from taking action. Think of Saul and the Israelite army when they faced the giant Philistine champion, Goliath, in 1 Samuel:

(1 Samuel 17:4–7 NKJV) And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

(1 Samuel 17:8–11 NKJV) Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

The Israelite army was paralyzed with fear. King Saul was one of God's anointed, the chosen king of Israel in the prime of his life, who was head and shoulders taller than everyone else (1 Samuel 10:23). Saul should have been the one to face Goliath. And if he had stepped out, God would have surely backed him up, and King Saul would have defeated Goliath that day.

Instead, a teenager named David, who was not dismayed, stepped out and killed the giant. It was David who slung the rock, but it was the Holy Spirit that guided that rock straight into Goliath's big ol' head. David could not have killed Goliath without God, but God needed a man like David who would step out there and start slinging some rocks. In the same way, today, we work together with the Holy Spirit to accomplish the will of God on the Earth. God doesn't do it alone. He chooses to use people.

Fear can make us do things we normally wouldn't—but it can also freeze us in place, like a deer caught in the headlights. Think about the Apostle Peter, who denied knowing Jesus three times simply because he was so scared of what might happen (Mark 14:66–72). Likewise, Saul and the Israelite army cowered in fear while facing the taunts of Goliath for a whole forty days (1 Samuel 17:16).

We are in a spiritual war on the Earth, and in war, you don't get to win every battle. You may win some, and you may lose some. In a boxing ring, you may get knocked down, but you get back up. We fail, we fall, we get disappointed, but we get back up and take another swing. One thing is certain: your fight is over when you stop getting up from the mat.

Don't let your past hurts, disappointments, and failures cause you to become dismayed and paralyzed so that God can no longer use you. Our God is able, and if He brings you to it, then He will see you through it. Nothing catches Him by surprise, for He can see the end from the beginning. Pray. Listen. Trust Him. Do not be dismayed.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and let me see the world through Your eyes. Give me boldness, wisdom, discernment, and the strength to stand for You. I need You today, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.