God has a destiny for you, but fear could be getting in the way of it. See how fighting your fear may be the key to changing your future.

“Be strong and courageous.”

Then he tells him what not to do.

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Something within me rises to Joshua’s defense.

I can’t help it if I feel afraid, and I
can’t help it if I feel discouraged.

How can you tell me not to feel afraid God
when all of these battles I have never fought

before are waiting in front of me?

How can you tell me not to be afraid when
I’m leading people who have only known the

wilderness into warfare?

How can you tell me not to be discouraged
when I have to go in under-resourced and maybe

overwhelmed?

How can you tell me not to feel afraid and
not to feel discouraged?

But God did not say don’t feel afraid, and
he didn’t say don’t feel discouraged.

I think the essence of what God wants to say
to you is just because you feel afraid doesn’t

mean you have to be afraid.

Just because you feel discouraged doesn’t
mean you have to be discouraged.

Just because you have fear doesn’t mean
fear has to have you.

C’mon, talk to me somebody.

And for most of us our default setting is
fear and discouragement.

Our default setting in the situations that
are unfamiliar to us is anxiety and discouragement.

You see, God has given you a destiny.

I want you to believe that even if you can’t
see it right now.

Even if it’s not your destiny to lead millions
of people into the Promised Land God has given

you a destiny.

As a parent God has given you a destiny.

On your job it’s part of your destiny.

God has given you a job to do.

And no, you are not Joshua, but you have a
job to do!

I would like for you to repeat after me the following
declaration: I have a destiny – and I need

you to know the bigger the destiny the bigger
the enemies.

That was helpful for me to realize because
in seasons of my life I was hard on myself

feeling like there was something wrong with
me.

It’s because God’s promises in my life,
while they seemed attractive, sometimes aren’t

as automatic as we think that they should
be.

In the text that I read to you God is telling
Joshua that the real enemies to your destiny

are not the Canaanites.

The real enemy to your destiny is not the
Hittites.

The real enemy to your destiny is not the
[Jebezites].

These are all the people he would face as
he moved forward in faith, but God wants Joshua

to know that your real enemy is not another
person.

Your real enemy is not even a situation.

Because if you don’t know this you will
spend your whole life fighting the wrong things.

God says let me tell you what to fight.

Fight your fear.

Let me tell you what to fight.

Fight your discouragement.

If you can fight discouragement you can fulfill
your destiny!

I am going to say it over my shoulder to the
left side of the room.

If you can fight your fear – if you can
face your fear – you can move forward into

your destiny!