Be Courageous.(Cut off what you need to cut off and be courageous.)

• Joshua 1:9 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.”

Hallelujah! May the blessings of the eternal love of God, the peace of the Holy Son, the fiery love of the Holy Spirit, and the inspiration, movement, and working of the Word fill you abundantly. 

Today, I will talk about ‘being courageous’ and ‘cutting things off.’ ‘Be courageous’ is something that God said to Joshua, who conquered the land of Canaan. When you consider the situation at the time, Joshua’s enemies, the people of Jericho who opposed him, were so much more powerful and so much stronger than Joshua’s army. But since Joshua needed to fight against them and win, God told him, “Be courageous!” Still, just because God told him to be courageous didn’t guarantee that he could fight and defeat those who were stronger than him.

So why did God tell Joshua to be courageous? God told him to be courageous because God was with him, so he was not alone and the Israelites were not fighting by themselves. In the end, God was with them, and [the Israelites] were able to destroy the city of Jericho in an easy way that wasn’t too difficult for them. In this way, there are ‘good things’ ahead at the destination where we are headed, but in the process, there are ‘difficulties,’ too. However, you still need to be courageous! Why? Since God and the Lord are with us and are fighting for us, we should be strong and courageous!

Where there is God, there are no ‘worries or concerns.’ Even if there are ‘difficulties’ just like the city of Jericho before Joshua, God, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord are with us, so we must be strong and courageous! Then, just as the city of Jericho crumbled and [Joshua’s army] won, we will also win!

When Joshua and his people were taking on Jericho, they took action boldly according to God’s words. According to His words, they circled around the city of Jericho once a day for six consecutive days, and the on the 7th day, they circled around it seven times. Then the priests blew the trumpets in the front, and all the people gave a loud shout. They took action boldly while praising God. In this way, being courageous’ is taking action while praising God and giving glory to Him. In most cases, there is a good destination [to be reached]. However, since there are difficulties on the way there, many people cannot overcome and get discouraged in the process. This was also the case for God’s history. 

You must absolutely go with the Lord! There is the Lord.  So, you should believe in the Lord and go with him courageously! Then, just as the city of Jericho collapsed, all of the things that you were worried and concerned about will collapse, and the things that you were fighting against will also collapse. This is predestined. Therefore, you must take action with the Lord. 

Next, I will speak about ‘cutting [things] off.’ If you don’t cut off the tree branches that are stretched out, then when the wind blows and snow comes, the branches will break. 

Or they will block your view, so you won’t be able to see. Therefore, ‘branches that are stretched too far out’ must be cut off. You must also ruthlessly cut off your faults! You must cut off your ignorance! You must cut off your personality traits that make your afraid and terrified! You must cut off your weaknesses and flaws! 

People need to be good at ‘the work of cutting things off and connecting things.’ These two skills are very important in life. If you fail to cut things off when it is time to cut them off, they will become ‘harmful’ and torment you and the people around you. How necessary is ‘cutting things off?’ When making clothes, you have to cut off the ‘appropriate parts’ before they can become clothes. When developing [an area] too, you have to cut the ‘appropriate part of the mountain’ before [you can say] it is developed. 

It is to cut off your own thoughts and connect to the Lord’s thoughts. This is God’s Word of life that is so important for making our great lives.

Whether you are working on something or [just] hanging out, you have to make sure to cut off the ‘things that need to be cut off.’ ‘Cut off what must be cut off in your life!’→ You have to do this well – that will have a great impact on your life! If you fail to cut things off, you will be tied to them, they will drag you around, and thus you will not be able to walk the path you should walk. You should  cut of your own perspectives and thoughts, and cut off unrighteous thoughts and deeds. You should cut them off boldly just like cutting off the branches that block the view in front! You should not live with worries and fears.

By living boldly, you should live in a way that refreshes the hearts of God and the Holy Spirit. You have to be quick and swift. You have to be witty. You have to be wise. You have to be overflowing with wisdom. You should have eyes that sparkle.

This is the ‘year of blessings.’ You have to be bold!! Then you will gain the ‘blessings that God gives.’ Those who are thankful can enter ‘God’s palace,’ and those who are bold can be close to the ‘Lord.’ Bold people get things done without hesitating or feeling conscious. If you don’t cut off unrighteousness, satans will infiltrate. If you cut it off, satans will all leave. Just like cutting [your] long hair or branches that stretch out [too] far, I bless you in the name of the Lord to live your life cutting off unrighteousness, worries, concerns, fears, and various contradictions unrelentingly!