Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The book of Joshua is a great read. Forty years later than was intended, the Jews were finally about to enter, claim, and conquer the promised land. Joshua, their leader, was a profoundly brave man who believed God the first time concerning His promise for a land “flowing with milk and honey”, and yet God doubled down as He directed Joshua on two keys to a successful occupation on the second go-around. First was God’s promise in Joshua 1: 5 and 9. God promised that He would never abandon Joshua and would be with him wherever he went. Secondly, was Joshua’s part to play. In Joshua 1: 6, 7, and 9 God declared that Joshua had to be “strong and courageous” and could not let fear or discouragement keep him from his calling.

Christians around the world, including a small country church in Indiana, have the same calling: to hear the promises of our Heavenly Father and obey His directions. Day in and day out we know  “what’s right”, the question is do we have the courage to walk out what we’re called to do? The answer to that question, for most of us, lies in how scary the assignment becomes.

On January 18, 2026 in Minnesota, anti-ICE activists(lawbreakers) stormed into Cities Church in Minneapolis and showed themselves as irrational idiots as they disrupted the morning service. The church’s supposed crime was supporting ICE agents in their lawful pursuit of illegal immigrants. I have little doubt Cities Church did and does support law enforcement, as every church should. Persecution of any church, including ours, is possible when we are courageous enough to stand up for Biblical truths in the midst of a lost world, not just inside our own walls. 

I believe our stance should be clear; legal immigration is a wonderful part of any country and has quite literally been the backbone from which our wonderful country has been built. These men and women who came to America with the intent of becoming “Americans” are among the most patriotic men and women I have ever known.

But when we open the borders to anyone without any vetting, guidance, or education in American values, then America has a big problem. Law enforcement, including ICE, have a responsibility to correct, as much as possible, the horrific mess the Biden open border policy saddled America with, and the Body of Christ has a responsibility to support them in that effort. Illegal immigration is wrong. No one wants violence, but let’s not be confused where the violence originates from…it originates from lawbreakers, not law enforcement. 

In a world gone crazy, the Church, including Sugar Grove, desperately needs to remember Joshua. We have been given by Jesus “everything pertaining to life and Godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). That includes the promises, boldness and courage to stand for what is right.