Encouragement

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Countless times the Word of God encourages us to be of good courage and strength. One may wonder why this is the case; in this discourse I will explore some of the reasons why this is a necessity.

The major reason is that many Christians are becoming discouraged and are giving up. The zeal has been lost because things haven't aligned or gone their way. Times have become tough, trials have become many and the joy they had at first is being replaced by worry, fear, slackness and sadness. When we look at our lives, we notice that we are no longer serving others but are now content on sitting back. But a deeper look will reveal that this was not the reason why Jesus called us to Himself.

We need to realise that we have a job/task up ahead and no matter what we face we ought to complete it. We need courage to face the trials and tough times. To face the devil, a roaring lion, needs boldness. It also needs an unshakeable conviction that we can resist him. We need courage to be able to face the situation and overcome. We need to say, "Yes, the task is big, but the promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus." We need courage to be able to say that we can do all things in Christ.

We need courage to stand out from the crowd and say; "We shall not complain with you, but shall trust in God." We also need courage to come up to God and say to Him, "Work out all things for our good. Fulfil Your end because we have fulfilled ours." Remember that God is faithful and He will do just as He has promised. We need courage to keep the ship afloat. In the storms of life, fear will take over and we will lose focus. But with courage we can call on Jesus to calm and still the storm.

We need strength to be world-beaters. Many times people were told by God to go out in the strength that they had. We need a constant refuelling so as to complete the journey. Natural wells may run dry but the Holy Spirit never will. We need strength to dig out all the frustrations, fear, disappointment, you name it, so that springing waters may issue forth. We need Christ's strength to do Christ's work. For He knows we shall tire and grow weak. But it is in His strength that we shall be strong.

Finally let us take a look at some men who need courage and strength:
• Joshua to lead the Israelites into Canaan
• Solomon to build the Temple of God
• Gideon to rely on God for his 300 men against vast armies of Midian
• Jehoshaphat to praise the LORD when it made sense to go out and fight the enemy
• Isaiah to speak God's message to a stubborn and rebellious world
• John to prepare the way for the Messiah
• Paul to present the Gospel to the Gentile community

As Christians, we need to confess before the Lord our self reliance and ask Him to reshape our vision for He alone knows the way ahead. It is time to ask the Holy Spirit to regain control in our lives and do as He ought to do. And after this is done, we can then ask for the enveloping power to face the trials and situations that are ahead of us. In John 14v4 we read an interesting Scripture: "You know the Way to the place I Am going." Now is the time for us to follow that Way in the strength and courage that our Lord Jesus has given and availed to us.

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