When the Children of Israel were about to enter the promise land, the Lord appeared unto Joshua and said, “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land”..….(Joshua 1:6). Notice he connects the possession of the land to being, strong and courageous. Both words (strong & courage) are dealing with the attitude of the mind. So the Lord was teaching Joshua how our thoughts are connected with our results. The atmosphere around you is the reflection of your mindset.
Why didn't the Lord say, "relax, I will destroy all your enemies and give you the land". Many people don't understand how God operates. Yes, he is all powerful, but his power can be limited or rendered powerless when one walks in unbelief. For him to do things in the world, it must be through human beings, and such human beings must understand how he operates. Faith is the key. How did Joshua take the promise land? Was God strong and courageous for him? Did God come down from heaven and chase the people of Canaan away? Was it not Joshua who had to be encouraged. Was it not Joshua who fought the war and drove the enemy out. God cannot do anything about the devil unless we do something about him. Satan is so afraid of us like he is of God. He knows that the power to bind him has been delegated to the Christian. Demons know about Jesus, they believe he is all powerful, but that cannot stop them from messing around with your life. Demons are well aware that God will not do anything in the world unless we the heirs of salvation first do something about them. The Christian who is ignorant of spiritual realities can be easily defeated by the demonic forces, they can even kill him, and God cannot do anything about it. But if you know the truth, Satan will bow to you, including the Angel of death. You tell death, you ain’t taking no one in my family without my permission.