Be Strong & Courageous

I started following She Reads Truth (.com) during the Advent season and loved their reading plan/book so much that I decided to do their plan for Lent too. Over the 40 days of lent we are reading the book of Joshua and Mark. I just finished Joshua this morning. Easter is coming!

The memory verse they included in the study was Joshua 1:9, which I had chosen two decades ago as my confirmation verse, and memorized it again in college so I knew it well and it came back to me easily. But as I stewed on it week after week (as the book has you do) the words took on greater meaning.

Courageous/Discouraged

Strong/Afraid

The word courage is defined as "the ability to do something that frightens one or strength in the face of pain or grief." So to be courageous is to be full of courage... to take on the things that frighten you or to move forward with strength in the midst of pain or suffering. 

To be discouraged would be the opposite -- to have a lack of courage. To be unable to move forward in the present pain or fear. The dictionary says "having lost confidence or enthusiasm; disheartened." Some Bible translations use "dismayed" which can mean to be afraid or broken, shattered. 

If Joshua were discouraged or afraid, he may not have followed the Lord's directions and taken Jericho. Or any other cities God had given them. If he were discouraged, he may have let Israel wander for another 40 years in the desert. Who knows what would have happened if Joshua forgot that God was with him!?

This exhortation to be strong and courageous certainly makes sense for Joshua who was the new leader of Israel looking to take over the land God promised them. It would indeed require strength and courage to face many battles. Does it apply to us?

I think it does. We received the same promise of God's presence of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. God is with us wherever we go because the Holy Spirit is in us. We are also told in 2 Timothy 1:7 " For God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control." 

The other word that came to mind as I read this was "encourage" -- to give someone support, confidence and hope. Our words have such strong powers -- we can encourage someone just as easily as we can discourage someone. Our self-talk can do the same. 

I'm hoping that I can fill my mind with scripture so that my self-talk is really gospel talk. That I can be encouraged by the Word of God to be strong and courageous -- for whatever task lies ahead. After all, God is with me wherever I go.

I started following She Reads Truth (.com) during the Advent season and loved their reading plan/book so much that I decided to do their plan for Lent too. Over the 40 days of lent we are reading the book of Joshua and Mark. I just finished Joshua this morning. Easter is coming!

The memory verse they included in the study was Joshua 1:9, which I had chosen two decades ago as my confirmation verse, and memorized it again in college so I knew it well and it came back to me easily. But as I stewed on it week after week (as the book has you do) the words took on greater meaning.

Courageous/Discouraged

Strong/Afraid

The word courage is defined as "the ability to do something that frightens one or strength in the face of pain or grief." So to be courageous is to be full of courage... to take on the things that frighten you or to move forward with strength in the midst of pain or suffering. 

To be discouraged would be the opposite -- to have a lack of courage. To be unable to move forward in the present pain or fear. The dictionary says "having lost confidence or enthusiasm; disheartened." Some Bible translations use "dismayed" which can mean to be afraid or broken, shattered. 

If Joshua were discouraged or afraid, he may not have followed the Lord's directions and taken Jericho. Or any other cities God had given them. If he were discouraged, he may have let Israel wander for another 40 years in the desert. Who knows what would have happened if Joshua forgot that God was with him!?

This exhortation to be strong and courageous certainly makes sense for Joshua who was the new leader of Israel looking to take over the land God promised them. It would indeed require strength and courage to face many battles. Does it apply to us?

I think it does. We received the same promise of God's presence of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. God is with us wherever we go because the Holy Spirit is in us. We are also told in 2 Timothy 1:7 " For God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control." 

The other word that came to mind as I read this was "encourage" -- to give someone support, confidence and hope. Our words have such strong powers -- we can encourage someone just as easily as we can discourage someone. Our self-talk can do the same. 

I'm hoping that I can fill my mind with scripture so that my self-talk is really gospel talk. That I can be encouraged by the Word of God to be strong and courageous -- for whatever task lies ahead. After all, God is with me wherever I go.