Be Strong and Courageous

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

When have you been afraid? I remember growing up in our holler on the Benham Road in Bristol, VA being awaken one night by the scream of a bobcat. My adrenaline was pumping and my heart was racing. Adrenaline has numerous effects on different parts of the body such as more blood will traveling to our brains which makes our minds keener.  The adrenaline kick will usually last for one or two minutes, during which time you’ll have hopefully dealt with the dangerous situation. Isn't the design of the body by God amazing? Adrenaline may allow us to show more courage in dangerous situations.

I recently read a list of things that frighten us. The top ten are as follows:

survivingsurvivalism.com 

1. Fear of flying
2. Fear of public speaking
3. Fear of heights
4. Fear of the dark
5. Fear of intimacy
6. Fear of death, dying
7. Fear of failure
8. Fear of rejection
9. Fear of spiders
10. Fear of commitment

According to this list, we would rather die than fly or be required to speak in public. I did find it humorous that fear of clowns was number 22. I guess some people do fear me (my friend Phil Leonard always said I was a clown.)

I must admit I was fearful this week after seeing how divided we are in our country as shown in the election results. What really concerns me is our inability to address real issues without lying about the issues and then demonizing our political opponents. Our country has major issues to address and it will not be led from the White House but from our houses. Christians will be required more now than ever to be strong and courageous.

We may think this thing of courage is not required but according to the first chapter of Joshua it is a command. Actually God is commanding Joshua to be strong and courageous. But with God there is always a promise. God told Joshua “for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We can let fear dominate our life or we can choose to be strong and courageous. We can let fear grip our heart and influence our decisions. We can rationalize why we can’t be strong or courageous. We can justify why we should be discouraged and drown in self-pity and yet what does God command? “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

“The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” What a wonderful promise for the family of God.