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Finding the Courage
to Try Again
You know something needs to change. You may even know your next move. But after a hard season, staying where you are can feel safer than trying again.
Choose how you want to jump in.
Full message video goes in this space.
Download Pastor Chris Fluitt’s Sermon Outline
Download the Finding the Courage to Try Again Follow-Along Handout
Don’t just agree with the message. Make a move.
The free LEVEL UP 21-Day Game Plan gives you Scripture, reflection, prayer, and one practical next step each day.
There was more promise than possession.
God’s promise to Abraham and Israel was bigger than a single moment on a map. Scripture describes the promised territory from several angles — and Joshua was told to move into what God had placed in front of him.
Genesis 15:18
“To your descendants I give this land…”
The promise stretches from the Wadi of Egypt toward the Euphrates.
Joshua 1:3–4
“I will give you every place where you set your foot…”
Joshua is told to move into territory stretching from the wilderness and Lebanon toward the Euphrates and the Mediterranean.
God had put more in front of them than they had actually walked in.
Could there be more of God’s calling, purpose, courage, obedience, and power available than I am presently walking in?
The point is the gap between PROMISE and POSSESSION.
Six passages that describe the boundaries
Genesis 15:18–21
Wadi / River of Egypt to the Euphrates; the peoples of the land are named.
Exodus 23:31
Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines; desert toward the Euphrates.
Deuteronomy 1:7–8
Hill country, Arabah, lowlands, Negev, coast, Lebanon, and Euphrates.
Deuteronomy 11:24
Wilderness to Lebanon; Euphrates toward the western sea.
Joshua 1:3–4
Wilderness, Lebanon, Euphrates, land of the Hittites, and Mediterranean.
Numbers 34:1–12
A detailed description of Canaan’s allotted boundaries — a narrower, more specific boundary description.
These passages describe the promise and the allotted land from different angles. The sermon uses them as a study trail, not as a modern political boundary claim.
There may be more power available than I have walked in.
Three moves forward.
You don’t need to possess the whole territory today. You need the next faithful move.
Move On
Joshua 1:2:
“Moses my servant is dead.” God is not finished. Stop letting yesterday make today’s decisions.
What do you need to leave behind?
Get Ready
Joshua 1:2:
“Get ready to cross the Jordan River.” Someday is not a day on the calendar. Prepare for the move you say you want.
Getting ready is already movement.
Put Your Foot On It
Joshua 1:3:
“I will give you every place where you set your foot.” Send the text. Make the call. Apologize. Ask for prayer. Show up.
Take one concrete step.
— Joshua 1:9
What’s keeping you here?
Sometimes we’re not stuck because we don’t know what to do. We’re stuck because we keep saying someday.
Jesus doesn’t leave people stuck.
In John 5, Jesus is in Jerusalem near the Pool of Bethesda, where many sick and disabled people gathered. Among them was a man who had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years.
John 5:5–6
Jesus sees the man lying there, learns that he has been in that condition for a long time, and asks him a direct question:
Grace gives us power to move.
Why would Jesus ask that?
Jesus is not mocking the man or questioning whether his suffering is real. He is confronting a life that has been defined by the same condition for decades.
The man explains why nothing has changed: he has no one to help him into the pool, and someone else always gets there first.
John 5:8–9
Jesus does not leave the man with only sympathy. He gives him a command:
“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
The man gets up and walks.
Joshua heard, “Get ready to cross.”
The man at Bethesda heard, “Get up and walk.”
In both stories, God meets people in a real situation and then calls them toward a next move.
Name it. Move on it.
Make Your Move
What will you actually do differently this week?
Start a Conversation
Tell somebody where you need help, prayer, or accountability.
Pray
Bring your fear, your next move, and your future to God.
This is Week 1. Keep going.
Explore the rest of LEVEL UP: Get unstuck. Make your next move.
Quick answers for the road ahead.
What does the Bible say about courage?
Biblical courage is not the absence of fear. Joshua 1 connects courage to confidence that God goes with us.
How do I start again after failure?
Start with one faithful step. Failure can teach you without deciding where you stay.
How can I stop feeling stuck spiritually?
Name where you’re stuck, return to Scripture and prayer, and take a concrete step of obedience.
What if I don’t know God’s whole plan?
You do not need the whole map before you move. Start with the next faithful step you can see.
A quick note from me.
Hi, I’m Chris Fluitt, pastor of Redemption Church. I’m passionate about seeing the Word of God come alive in people and helping them succeed in the calling God has placed on their lives.
If this message encouraged you, if you have a question, or if you want to talk about your next step, I’d love to hear from you directly.
— Pastor Chris Fluitt
Text line: 469-467-8111
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You don’t have to stay stuck.
We’re a church helping people find and follow Jesus. If you’re in the Plano area, we’d love to meet you.