Encouragement

Have Courage and Trust God

by Julie Blackman
08/02/21
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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9, NKJV

According to the dictionary, courage means “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”1 And this is one of the attributes that God commanded Joshua to have. When I look at the definition of the word ‘courage,’ it encompasses those attributes. This commandment applies to us, as children of God today, as it did for Joshua. And we can be confident because God is immutable. The enemy will try to convince you otherwise, but remember we have Almighty God and therefore, we are:

Strong. We can do nothing of ourselves, but through Him we have strength. Exodus 15:2, NKJV states, “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” When we feel we are too weak to go on any further, God will fortify us with His strength to continue toward a successful end.

Courageous. No matter what we face, we should have courage. When David stood before Goliath, he declared, “…you come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied,” (1 Samuel 17:45, NKJV). Compared to the giant, David was insignificant, but with God he was brave. We can also defeat the giants in our life! “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV.

Fearless. Isaiah 41:10, NKJV states, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This Scripture is one of my favorites. It reinforces the presence of God, so we need not fear. It also assures us that He will always be with us. And finally, it reminds us that our Heavenly Father is not only in charge, but He will also help us.

Optimistic. Don’t become disheartened and give up. John 14:1, NKJV, states, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” We serve the Great I AM. He is sovereign and rules over everything. Nothing happens outside of what God allows. 

So, rejoice and be glad my brothers and sisters in Christ. Be courageous and trust God! We cannot lose because we are on the winning team—God’s team. And He never fails.

Source

¹Online Dictionary. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/courage. Accessed 7/23/2021.