Be Strong and Courageous

The past few weeks I’ve been leading a bible study with a group of beautiful young ladies. We talked about several different people in the bible who exemplified bravery and courage. As we went through this study it became clear to me that we all need to live a life of courage.

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

This is one of my favorite verses in all of the bible. It has encouraged me through some pretty low times in my lifetime so far.

In this chapter, Moses has died and Joshua is installed as the new leader. In verse 5 the Lord encouraged Joshua through this transition by telling him that He would be with him and not leave him or forsake him. In verse 7 the Lord tells Joshua to be strong and courageous and to obey the law so that he may be successful. As a result of the Lord encouraging and reminding Joshua through the leadership transition, he was able to lead with strength, big courage and with great success and respect from his followers.

We studied and talked about David and how he killed the giant. David had the confidence and courage to do this because he had previously killed a lion and then a bear. What?! Who does that? He trusted that God would help him because he’s done it before. What he had accomplished in the past helped him to have enough courage to face and defeat the giant. He chose to do what was in front of him even when he didn’t know the end of the story. That’s courage.

Mary Magdeline was known to be a true worshipper of Jesus. She knew what it was like to sit at his feet and honor Him in the way he deserved. One time she even poured a very expensive bottle of perfume over Jesus’ head and feet as a way of showing love and honor. This seems odd to us but Jesus considered it to be a beautiful thing even though others around her thought it was ridiculous. She did the right thing even when it looked weird. She wasn’t concerned what others thought of her. Courage is doing the right thing even when others think it’s odd.

There was also Gideon who as a young boy was threshing wheat in hiding. An angel of the Lord showed up and told him that he was a “mighty warrior”. Gideon wasn’t convinced and had a conversation with God about who he was. Eventually Gideon believed that he was who God said he was. Gideon then goes on to defeat the Midianites and the kings who were leading them. We need to believe that we are who God says we are so that we can be courageous enough to do what God calls us to do.

We also talked about Benaiah, a mighty warrior, who clearly fought many battles and won. We learned that this man was in charge of David’s 30 guards, his father was a priest, he killed a lion in a snowy pit, he somehow killed an Egyptian giant with the giant’s own spear and he became King Solomon’s general. No one accomplishes all this without being disciplined in training. Benaiah obviously spent some time training with his weapons and was skilled in leadership. None of this happens without living a life of discipline. We need to be disciplined in our walk with Jesus in order to be courageous in the tough situations life hands us.

And then there is Jesus who was the very best example of what courage looks like. He endured so much for us when he gave his life for us. He knew what he was going to go through before he even started. He knew the level of pain he was going to go through … but he still did it. For you and me! 

He also knew what the end of the story looked like.

He understood the purpose of the pain and sacrifice.

He understood why he was doing it.

He understood that it would be worth it.

He saw the big picture.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Our focus needs to be on Jesus. Just like a person who walks the tightrope needs to focus on what’s in front of him, we need to focus on Jesus.

Just yesterday afternoon all that I had taught was put to the test…

My daughter was asked by some friends to play travel volleyball this winter. This mom thoroughly enjoys watching her children play in whatever sport her kids play in. I liked the idea of sitting through more volleyball games. It was very appealing to me to get her signed up and move forward with this. Even while I really wanted to sign her up, I kept having a check in my spirit about it all. I couldn’t bring myself to commit to it. I had some concerns. I prayed about it. I kept hearing God say “no” when I asked him about it. I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t like his answer. I just knew that it was what he was saying. Long story short, I had a conversation with my daughter about what I had just taught the young ladies and what it meant to do the right thing even when it didn’t make sense. After discussing this, we agreed that she wouldn’t play this year. She was good with it and so was I. It was freeing to do the right thing even when we didn’t understand it all. She was going to have to go to her friends and tell them that she wasn’t playing without a clear explanation but we know that it’s the courageous thing to do.

It’s sometimes good to not know the full story.

It can be to our benefit to not know the ending.

It’s ok to look weird to others when God is in it.

It’s so great to know who God says we are.

It’s beneficial to be disciplined.

It’s helpful to trust God without knowing all the answers.

It is in our best interest to be obedient to Him in everything.