Stepping Into the Unknown With Courage

Deuteronomy 31:8 says: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

This isn’t just a verse for the spiritually curious; it’s a truth that stretches across life, leadership, and business. It’s a word that meets us at the edge of uncertainty, in the moments when our shoulders feel heavy with responsibility and the future looks more like fog than clarity. Let’s dig in, not with platitudes, but with real grit.

Leadership Is Temporary, But Legacy Is Not

Moses had carried the weight of leadership for forty years. He guided Israel through plagues, oceans, deserts, and rebellions. But at the edge of the Promised Land, he handed the reins to Joshua. Why? Because leadership is never about one person’s permanence; it’s about God’s presence.

This truth applies to you whether you’re running a team, leading a family, or building a business. Leadership roles change. Titles shift. You will eventually hand the keys to someone else. The danger is tying your identity or your organization’s future to one individual’s shoulders.

Here’s the anchor point: God’s mission moves forward even when leaders change. The strength of your work, spiritual or professional, is not in your ability to hold it all together, but in how deeply you trust that the One who goes before you is already at work where you cannot yet see.

God as the Trailblazer: Before You, With You, Never Leaving

The Hebrew picture behind “goes before you” is powerful. Imagine a guide hacking through a dense forest, clearing a path before the group even arrives. That’s what God does, He crosses into the unknown ahead of you, preparing ground you haven’t stepped on yet.

And then, He doesn’t leave you there. He stays with you in the thick of it. He never withdraws.

In business terms, think of it like having a strategist who not only maps out the market landscape ahead of your launch but also sits in the room when the campaign tanks and the investors are watching. That’s presence. That’s faithfulness.

So why do we so often act like we’re alone in the fight? Why do we white-knuckle our way through transitions as if everything depends on us?

Because fear and discouragement are persuasive liars, they whisper that you’re not enough, that you’re alone, that the future will expose you.

This scripture calls them out. Fear is real, but it’s not final.

Courage Isn’t Built, It’s Borrowed

Here’s the hard truth: you don’t muster courage from thin air. You borrow it from the presence of the One who goes before you. Courage grows when you know the Author of the story is not going anywhere.

Joshua didn’t need a tactical manual; he needed a vision of God’s faithfulness. And you, in your life and career, don’t need every “how-to” figured out before you take the next step. What you need is clarity about who walks ahead of you.

Think about your next professional leap, maybe it’s leading a new team, pitching an idea, or navigating a company reorg. You don’t need to pretend you’re fearless. You need to remember that courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the decision to move forward anyway because you’re not moving alone.

That distinction changes everything.

Encouragement Done Right

When someone close to us is stepping into a challenge, what do we often say? “You’ve got this.” But Moses models something different. He doesn’t say, “Joshua, you’re smart enough, tough enough, resourceful enough.” He says, “God’s got you.”

In your relationships and leadership, what kind of encouragement are you giving? Are you inflating egos with self-reliance, or pointing people toward the unshakable presence of God who goes before them?

At work, this means reminding your team that their value doesn’t hinge on a single presentation, product launch, or client reaction. At home, it means speaking life into your kids or spouse, not by promising smooth paths but by promising that God will not abandon them in rough ones.

Encouragement done right doesn’t just lift someone for the moment; it anchors them for the journey.

The Canaan Edges in Your Life

Every one of us has a “Canaan edge”, that place of transition or challenge where we’re asked to step forward without seeing the whole path. For Joshua, it was crossing into a land filled with fortified cities and unknown battles. For you, it might be:

• Accepting a leadership role you don’t feel ready for.
• Navigating a career pivot after years of stability.
• Walking into conflict at home instead of avoiding it.
• Taking a risk that feels bigger than your resources.

The tension is real. But so is the promise: Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.

That’s not denial. It’s not wishful thinking. It’s an invitation to trust that courage and provision come from the God who is both before you and beside you.

Action Steps for Today

1. Name your edge. Where in your life or work do you feel the fog of uncertainty right now? Write it down. Be specific.
2. Shift the narrative. Instead of asking, “Do I have what it takes?” start asking, “Do I trust the One who goes before me?”
3. Anchor someone else. Don’t just say, “You’ve got this.” Tell them, “God’s with you in this, and He won’t leave you.” Change the way you encourage others.
4. Step anyway. Don’t wait for fear to disappear. Take one faithful step forward today, small or big, knowing courage shows up in motion.

The Final Word

You don’t have to manufacture courage. You don’t have to know the entire roadmap. You don’t have to control what’s ahead.

The Lord himself goes before you. He will be with you. He will never leave you.

That truth, if you let it sink deep into your soul, is enough to change how you face tomorrow, at home, at work, and in the unseen places of your heart.

So, the question is simple: will you keep staring at the fog, or will you trust the God who has already gone ahead into it?

A Prayer for Courage in the Unknown

Father,

Thank You for being the One who goes before us into every season, every boardroom, every late-night worry, and every unseen tomorrow. We confess that fear and discouragement often feel louder than Your promises.

Yet today, we choose to trust that You are already clearing the path ahead, already standing with us in the tension, already holding us steady when we feel unqualified or overwhelmed.

Teach us to lean into Your presence, not our performance. Help us lead not with ego but with encouragement that points others back to You. Remind us that we don’t have to generate courage; we borrow it from Your faithfulness.

As we step into the edges of our own “Canaan”, whether in life, work, or relationships, anchor our hearts in this truth: we are never alone. You will never leave us. You will never forsake us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Take a deep breath now. Step forward in faith. The God who goes before you is already there, waiting to meet you.

Journaling and Reflection

Here are three reflection questions you can sit with, journal through, or discuss with someone you trust:

1. Where am I currently standing at the edge of my own “Canaan”, a place of uncertainty, transition, or risk, and how does believing that God goes before me change the way I see that moment?
2. In my leadership, whether at home, in business, or in relationships, am I encouraging people by pointing them to their own strength, or am I anchoring them in the faithfulness of God who never leaves?
3. What one step forward, even in the presence of fear, can I take today to demonstrate trust that God is already preparing the way ahead of me?