Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - How to Live a Life of Courage | Moses, Joshua & God's Command to Be Strong | Jonny Ardavanis

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

What is biblical courage and why does God command it? In this episode, we explore one of the most overlooked commands in Scripture: "Be strong and courageous."When Moses died, Joshua faced an impossible task—leading Israel into the Promised Land without their greatest leader. God's response? A repeated command to be courageous. This isn't just ancient history—it's a blueprint for Christian living today.In this video, you'll discover:The biblical definition of courage (it's not what you think)Why courage is a command, not just a personality traitHow God equipped Joshua to defeat 31 kingsThe two ingredients for living courageously as a ChristianWhy courage requires community, not isolationHow to overcome fear through God's Word and His presenceKEY SCRIPTURE: Joshua 1:6-9, Deuteronomy 31, Matthew 28:20Courage in the Bible isn't the absence of fear—it's obedience to God despite fear. Whether you're facing spiritual battles, living with conviction in a compromised world, or sharing the Gospel, God calls every Christian to spirit-filled courage.

You know, in this episode, I just wanted to have some reflection. You know, you see great figures that have gone home to be with the Lord. And you're kind of wondering, like, what's next? How are we going to survive this? You know, what is God doing when our heroes die? And I want to take you to a theme, just a thought from the life of Moses and Joshua. Courage in the Bible is not a personality trait. It is obedience to a command.

You could be temperamentally fearful, but God calls you, if you're a Christian, to live a life of spirit-filled courage. Hey folks, my name is Johnny Erdoganus, and this is Dillon. I want to thank all of you for your continued support for Dalyland Ministries, so many of you that pray for us, support us even financially. I want to thank you for sharing this content all around the world. I'm so grateful to see what God is doing in and through the resources that our team works on every single week. thankful to be a part of it. You know, in this episode, I just wanted to have some reflection that I've been looking at a theme in scripture that I think is somewhat emblematic and indicative of the environment that we find yourself in and the Christian evangelical landscape. You know, you see great figures that have gone home to be with the Lord and you're kind of wondering like, what's next? How are we going to survive this? You know, what's, what is God doing when our heroes die? And I want to take you to a theme, just a thought from the life of Moses and Joshua. You know, Moses, you know, R.C. Sproll, you

to say he was the most important person in the Old Testament because he was the giver of the law. He was the one that was commissioned by God to go to the most powerful man on planet Earth, that being Pharaoh, and tell Pharaoh, let my people go. He was the one that parted the Red Sea. I want you to think of a guy at 80 years old that is summoning the plagues, you know, through the power of God and leading two million people out of Egypt into the wilderness to worship God. Now, at the end of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy is essentially just a series of sermons that Moses gives before he dies.

He dies, the Bible tells us, at 120 years old, and it says his strength was not abated, nor his eyes dimmed, meaning that when Moses went home to be with the Lord, it wasn't like this old, decrepit-looking man. It was a guy that was 120 years old, but in his mind, he was still ready to take the promised land. He felt young, his eyes weren't dimmed. It wasn't like, oh, you've got to help Moses up.

No, he was 120 years old and strong. Now, he comes to die, and everybody is wondering what is going to happen when Moses leaves us. Moses talks to God face to face. How are we going to move on and go into a conquest of Canaan without this powerful leader from God? Now, we're going to look at one key ingredient in a couple different passages in Scripture, but Moses is going to charge Joshua, his servant, with a list of instructions. And there's one big idea here. It has in Deuteronomy 31.6, this is Moses talking.

He says, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fill or forsake you. Then Moses called the Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel. I want you just to think this is epic. Hundreds of thousands of people. And Moses lifts up a guy and says,

Does everyone see this guy, Joshua? It says, he commissions him again. Be strong and very courageous. For you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. That's 31, 6, and 7. Once again, in 3123, it says,

then he commissioned Joshua the son of nun and said, be strong and courageous. For you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land, which I swore to them, and I will be with you. So you see that. Now, at the end of Deuteronomy, we see that Moses dies, he's buried at Mount Nebo, and the opening pages of Joshua are now, Moses has commissioned Joshua, now who commissions Joshua after Moses dies? God.

Joshua 1-1 begins by saying, now it came about after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua, the son of nun, Moses's servant saying, watch this. Moses, my servant, is dead. Okay, your hero, he's gone. He's no more. We jump to verse five and six. God tells Joshua, be strong and courageous. For you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous to be careful to do all that the law of Moses, my servant commanded. And do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go. Verse nine again, Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous.

Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. I want to look at just that idea of courage in this episode. It's not something I've ever heard a sermon on. People talk about courage. People appreciate courage. We honor courage in our culture. But I want you to know this is an idea given to us from the mouth of God, from the revelation of scripture.

God tells Joshua, Moses tells Joshua, be strong and courageous. So just briefly in this episode, I want to look at, courage, its definition, its command, its company, its ingredients, and then it's fruit. But first look with me at the definition of courage. What is courage? Well, I just wrote down that courage is the strength of heart and will to act rightly in the face of fear, danger, or difficulty. It doesn't mean the absence of fear. It actually necessitates fear because it puts you in a position where other than the exercising of courage and bravery through the strength of God, you would have every reason in the world to be anxious, to be fearful, to be cowardly.

It is a resolve courage, that is, to move forward despite the cost. It's not reckless. It's not like blind bravery where, hey, this person doesn't regard his own life. He just does whatever. No, it's an assessment of the difficulty, the danger, and then a resolve to move forward in trust upon the Lord. It's also, it's not just referring to battle. It's a moral courage.

It says in verse 7, to be strong and courageous, watch this, to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded, meaning that it takes a level of courage to live in obedience to God bare minimums, not just fighting battles against, you know, the Moabites, it's fighting battles against sin and Satan in your flesh. That requires a level of courage and resolve. You're not ready for the Christian life unless you are able and willing to live courageously. So that's courage to find, but I want to look at with you at the command to have courage. We've already observed this, but when, hypothetically, my daughter is afraid,

she comes into our room, she's afraid. You know, one of the first things I try to do is console her and say, oh, it's okay, it's okay. When someone is cowardly in the scripture, or when they're afraid in the scripture, the first thing that God does to them is give them a command, typically. The number one negative prohibition in scripture, I've heard R.C. Sproul say this numerous times. meaning what God says, do not do, more than anything else is do not fear. And God comes here and he issues, when Joshua is afraid, he gives him a charge, a command. He says, do not be afraid. Be strong and very courageous.

And I want to just list for you a few of the examples in scripture where there is just a replete theme over and over again for you and I, as followers of God, to live a life of courage. In 1 Chronicles 2213, David says to Solomon, be strong and courageous. In 2820 of First Chronicles, David again says the Solomon, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God will not leave you. In 2 Chronicles 32, 7, Hezekiah tells the people, be strong and courageous. Multiple times throughout Isaiah, God tells the people, be strong and very courageous. Jesus shows up to his fearful disciples in Matthew 1427 and says, courage, it is I. Do not be afraid. And John 16, right when Jesus is about to go get crucified,

and John 1633, he says, in the world you will have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. Paul tells the Corinthian Church, be watchful, stand firm, act like men, be strong. Paul tells Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of courage and love and power. So this is an ongoing theme, and maybe you're wondering, what am I trying to show you? What I'm trying to show you, regardless of your temperamental or personality makeup, is that courage in the Bible is not a personality trait. It is obedience to a command. You could be temperamentally fearful, but God calls you, if you're a Christian,

to live a life of spirit-filled courage. Now, that's courage as a command. But I want to look at this element of courage and its community, the communal aspect of courage. One of the things that I think is really cool in Joshua 1. And this is part of what got me thinking about this whole idea in general is at the end of Deuteronomy, Moses charges Joshua and says, be strong and very courageous in 31.6, 317, 33. In Joshua chapter 1, God comes to Joshua and says in verse 6, in verse 7 and verse 9, be strong and courageous. be strong and very courageous.

At the end of Joshua chapter 1, the people respond to Joshua. And they say in verse 17, just as we have obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words

and all that you command him shall be put to death. And then chapter 1 ends this way with the people looking at Joshua and saying, only be strong and courageous. What is that showing me and what does that show you? Well, it shows me this, that people need courageous leaders

and courageous leaders need courageous people. And courage in the scripture functions like a vicious recycling of leaders living with courage and the people going back to those leaders, they living with courage themselves and saying, no, as our leader, you live with the level of strength and courage. I mean, this is them. They've just listened to Moses charged Joshua, God charged Joshua, and now they're going,

Joshua, which gives me the idea that Joshua probably temperamentally was not, you know, I know he was one of the guys to go and explore out the land with Caleb, but this is a guy that needed to be told to be strong and courageous. And in Acts 4, you know, just jumping to the New Testament, even when you look at this element of bravery and courage in the Christian culture being communal. And Acts 4, the apostles are released from prison. And it says they're released from prison and they gather together and it says they prayed for more boldness together. And then it says the entire place was shaken.

And then they went back into the same city and they began to faithfully once again proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just, you know, people, people love bravery, people desire courageous leaders, but courage is synergistic in the scripture. It's not always just one guy, one off. It's, no, a people going back to the leader saying, be courageous. And then the leader going to the people, we have to be strong and courageous. It's, yes, a personal virtue, but it's a communal one. Fear is not commonly overcome in isolation, but in shared community amongst the body of Christ, and it's when those who would otherwise be feeble in their faith encourage one another and pray with one another

and say, let's be strong and courageous. Now, I want to look at courageous fruit because obviously the Bible's epic and so many cool stories, but in Joshua, the whole theme is about being strong and courageous. Why? Well, because Israel is the size of New Jersey and it's been hated by every neighboring nation

for the last 6,000 years. And so in Joshua chapter 12, you just kind of see like, okay, how's it going with Joshua? Is he hanging in there? It says in Joshua chapter 12, the heading on my Bible is kings defeated by Joshua. Now, that'd be a pretty cool way to describe your life,

you know, Wikipedia page, Joshua, king slayer. In Joshua chapter 12, verse 9, it says the king of Jericho won. What's that mean? Just he destroyed that guy. The king of AI, which is beside Bethel one, the king of Jerusalem one, the king of Hebron one, the king of Jarman with one. He just goes on and on into a long list

where it says the king of Shimron won, the king of over and over again. At the end of Joshua chapter 12 in verse 24, it says, all in all 31 kings. All in all 31 kings, what? That Joshua defeated through the power of the Lord as he exercised strength and courage. It wasn't passivity in the sense where you're going, well, if God wants this to happen, no, God charges Joshua, be strong and courageous. And he says, if you do that, it'll be fruitful. And Joshua, it just says he's a Kingslayer. He's a Kingslayer. He dominates. He makes a place and a name for the people of God in the land that God had promised to them. Now, as New Testament believers, we're not going around slaying our enemies. We're not known as Kingslayers. We are called to live a life of courage to what, turn the world upside down with the truth of the gospel. That's the whole element of Acts 4 where it says they get out of prison and they pray for more boldness. Why? Not to go slaughter their enemies, but to go love their enemies and to preach the truth to them.

It takes a level of courage to live with conviction in a world of compromise, but also in a world where there is no such thing as truth to stand up there and say, hey, there's only one truth in his name is Jesus Christ. And there's only one way in his name is Jesus. That takes a level of courage. You're not ready to obey the Great Commission unless you hear not only, you not only feel the need to be courageous and go, yeah, there's something right about it. Well, there's something right about it because it's actually command by God to be courageous.

now maybe you're thinking okay i want to live courageously this is this is obviously a theme in the scripture how do we live courageously well i think there's there's two main ingredients one of them is a personal commitment and one of them is a is a personal understanding in the middle of joshua one when god is charging you know joshua to be strong and courageous be strong and courageous in verse six he says be strong and courageous in verse seven he says be strong and courageous in verse nine he says be strong and courageous but right in the middle. God is going to give him the very method, the very means, better word, by which Joshua can live a life of strength. Joshua 1-8, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it day and night. How do I live courageously? Well, that's the chief ingredient right there. To meditate on the words of God day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous and you will have success. One of the chief ingredients to living a life of strength and courage is feasting and feeding your mind upon the truth of God as revealed in His Word. Meditation is not emptying your mind. It is a filling up of your mind with truth and it is to pull your helmet down, so to speak, in a battle against Satan and his demons. It is to go into battle with your sore drawn knowing that you are unsafe and unsound and unprepared to fight and live courageous.

in this world without the truth of God's Word. So as a believer, do you want to live a life of courage? Well, then you need to ruminate, meditate, and marinate your life in the truth of God's word. But there's one other ingredient. That's a personal commitment. And I would just ask you, are you doing that? Are you meditating on the Word of God?

There's another ingredient, and it is an understanding of the presence of God in our life, meaning you cannot live courageously if you think that you are an island, because you would have every reason to fear unless you understand certain truth that. But Moses articulates, then God articulates. Moses tells Joshua, be strong and courageous. Do you not be afraid or tremble at them. For what? Why?

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you. Why can we be strong and courageous? Well, because the power of God, the power in this context of the God that brought the people out of the land of Egypt and displayed his power and his might through the plagues. He goes with you in 3123. Again, Moses tells Joshua, be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you. You turn over to Joshua 1. This is God speaking. He says, only be strong and courageous.

And then he says this in verse 9, do not tremble or be dismayed. Why? Why, God? What reason do I have to be courageous in a world where fear seems only natural? He says, for the Lord your God, God is with you wherever you go. Now that's in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, we are given orders by the king, by the commander. The disciples ask the same question. Like the Israelites when Moses died, what are we going to do now? The disciples asked that when Jesus died, our king, our commander, our friend, our Lord is leaving.

And Jesus says this, and you know the passage. He says, go therefore make disciples of all the nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. I mean, that takes a life of courage. The Great Commission doesn't just happen. It can only happen as a result of people living courageously for Christ. Now, how do I, how do you do that?

Well, we remember this. Jesus says, go make disciples, and then he concludes Matthew 28 by saying, and lo, I am with you always, always, even to the end of the age. If you want to live a courageous life, you have to understand that it is a biblical command. It's not a suggestion, be strong and courageous. And then you have to understand that there are ingredients to living a courageous life. It's a meditation on God's word, and it is an understanding of God's presence. And ultimately, those two things and prayer, they betray a heart of dependence, because courage isn't a solo project.

Courage is the extension and expression of a man or a woman who lives dependently upon the power, of God and then as you live with dependence upon the power of God as you see with Joshua as you see with the apostles who turn the world upside down God's gonna use your life don't underestimate what the Lord can do through one courageous man or one courageous woman sold out for his glory thanks so much