WORDS OF COURAGE AND STRENGTH

“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 1:9b

It takes GOD’S WORDS of COURAGE and STRENGTH to possess the Promised Land: “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” (Jos.1:9). Three times in one ‘sermon’ the LORD reiterated Joshua’s need for Courage and Strength: “BE STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only BE STRONG and VERY COURAGEOUS, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” (vv. 6-7).

God was teaching Joshua that achieving anything of value in life demands Courage! We need courage to try, to begin or commence, to continue and persist, to resist daunting challenges and oppositions, to complete every commission and accomplish every assignment; and even the courage to fail or fall and rise again! Infants exhibit the latter kind of courage when learning to walk> Falls, injuries and failures occur at a shattering rate, a rate that later in life would discourage almost anyone from learning a new activity, but the courageous infant keeps at it until the feet grip the ground. Every truly successful person has taken risks and made courageous decisions. The opposite of Courage is not fear; it is conformity!

Courage is a spiritual reality that rises above circumstances and above natural facts to fight and conquer! E. W. Kenyon described Courage as “a spiritual force – born of the Spirit of God – not associated in any way with our reasoning faculties. Courage is that force which can face defeat and still rise from the mat fighting. It is the fighting heart, a fighting spirit, a conquering spirit, and a dominating spirit, that cannot be whipped or defeated.” When the head says, “It is all over, you might as well throw in the sponge”; when the natural senses have given up the fight altogether, courage is just beginning. In the eyes of courage, it is utterly impossible to conceive of being defeated or of giving up.

Gideon learnt the lesson that Courage must be coupled with Strength in order to overcome fear and move forward in life’s assignments. God had allowed the Midianites to invade Israel (Jud.6:1-6). When the Israelites cried out to God for help, He responded by seeking out Gideon and encouraging him: “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Jud.6:14). In other words: “Go in the STRENGTH you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand”! God’s Strength was already with Gideon, but without courage, it was latent. Gideon initially gave excuses: “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house” (Jud.6:15b). But the Lord insisted: “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Jud.6:16b).

Eventually, after dialoguing with God and confirming His instruction by means of the fleece, Gideon became confident that God was with him and would save Israel by his hand. God’s presence gave Gideon courage. He routed the vast Midianite army using just three hundred courageous men. One of the chief enemies of destiny is “Dis-COURAGE-ment.” It tries to suck the courage right out of us and replace the void with fear, which in turn, paralyses. Courage says: “Do not be afraid: of failure; of criticism; of persecution.” We need Courage to overcome all forms of fear and move forward in life's callings.

God’s Presence is our Source of Courage and Strength. Rather than to give in to fear, we must get closer to God through His Word and submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Then, we’ll have Courage to advance in His Strength and possess our Promised Land!