Lived-out courage worships God in victory.

Once Joshua turned back to God, rooted out evil in his life, and began walking with God again; he started experiencing victory in his battles.  Lived-out courage recognizes that our victories are only at the hand of God.  So, we thank God for the victory.

At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, "an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings. (Joshua 8:30-31 ESV)

Sometimes we think of worship as thanksgiving, an this is certainly true.  We worship God when we thank God.  There is more to worship, though.  We worship God when we walk with Him.  This walk is a day by day, moment by moment journey.  As we live out our faith and trust in Him, we worship God.

And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. (Joshua 8:32-33 ESV)

This is why we participate in worship services.  This is why we get in Bible studies.  This is why we read devotions in the privacy of our own world.  This is why we spend time in prayer.  We want to know the will of God so we can walk with God.  We do whatever it takes to walk with God.  We can start by thanking God for our victories.  Then, we remind ourselves of God’s picture for our lives, so we will experience victory more and more as the days go on.

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them. (Joshua 8:34-35 ESV)

How about you?  Do you only turn to God when you are struggling and in defeat?  Or, do you turn to God in victory as well?  Do you worship God in victory?