The word dismay means “to fill with dread or apprehension daunt” ( American Heritage Dictionary ). So, you’ve got to do two things and resist two things. If you are afraid and dismayed, then you are not strong and of good courage. He told Joshua to be strong and of good courage and not to be afraid or dismayed. Here, the Lord was speaking to Joshua, who was taking over for Moses-a hard act to follow. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. So, how do we stay positive in a negative world? Let me start by using this verse from Joshua 1:9. If we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the evil of this world and our circumstances, then, little by little, the layers of negativity harden around our hearts, and the love for God and others waxes cold. The process is repeated hundreds of times until the wick is buried deep within the wax. A wick is dipped into hot wax and then taken out and allowed to cool for a few seconds, leaving a thin layer of wax. It goes back to the way candles are made. The word “waxed” used in that scripture is really significant. Jesus was saying that the negative things going on around us-not necessarily in us-would cause the love of many to grow cold. In Matthew 24:12, Jesus said this: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” He said this would be a characteristic of the end times. From natural disasters to presidential elections to a global pandemic, it’s no wonder so many people struggle with expressing hope.Īdd in things like sickness, the loss of a job, or marriage problems, and you can see where, over time, the pressures of the world, if allowed, can steal the love and joy from your life. These negative influences have been evident since sin entered the world. If you haven’t noticed that we live in a negative world, you just haven’t been paying attention.
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