Conviction — the Key to Strength and Courage Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Conviction — the Key to Strength and Courage -------------------------- Date: 8/3/2002 Keywords: "conviction” “courage" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Joshua 1:6-8* 6. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it 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 then you will have success. Questions 1. Joshua stood on the banks of the Jordan River, preparing to replace Moses as the leader of Israel and to lead God’s people in battle against the peoples who lived in the land of Canaan. What emotions do you suppose might have been coursing through Joshua’s heart and mind as he considered replacing Moses?   2. Boil down the words of God in verses 6-8 (above) to its essential message. What is God telling Joshua to do, as he is faced with a seemingly impossible task?   Practical help In 15th century B.C., Joshua faced a daunting challenge: lead a nation that had known only one leader for the previous forty years — and lead that nation, which had not had military experience for four hundred years, to victory in warfare. What directive did God give this man? He told him to face down his fears with faith and courage, assuring him that as he did so, success would come. And, He told Joshua to let the law of God be his guide as he took courageous steps of obedience. Good counsel for Joshua — and good counsel for people like you and me, who battle daily with the daunting challenge to stay sexually pure while confronted daily with temptations to surf to Internet porn. In this sexually charged age in which we live, our assignment to stay pure may seem as impossible a task as that which was given to Joshua. Certainly, many men and women today fail in the effort. Based on Joshua, chapter 1, here is the wisdom of God for anyone who wants victory in the struggle: Search the Scriptures for those passages that point the way to purity until you are convinced from Scripture that God wants you to stay away from the pornographic images and videos available on the Web. This step is very important. You will never be able to cease your involvement with porn until you are fully convinced in your own mind that God stands opposed to it. The convictions of eXXit writers are not sufficient. If you want victory, you will have to come to the same personal conclusion. Then, be strong and very courageous. In the act of saying “No!” to temptation you will discover the life-giving joy that comes from flexing your moral muscle to the glory of God. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2002 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." ---