This is my command - be strong and courageous!

Miri · Sep 17, 2017

Just came across this and I thought - wow.

So how are you at being strong and courageous, are you there yet.
How do you stop yourself from being discouraged. Is it possible.

No "you need to do this or that" theoretical answers.

I mean how do you actually do it yourself in real life, do you manage to do it?
Are some days easier than others.

For me i wake up each morning thinking that today is a new day whatever might have
happened yesterday. I don't know if that is a proper answer though.

Joshua 1:9 NKJV
[9] 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."

Joshua 1:9 NLT
[9] This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Locutus · Sep 17, 2017

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm

There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone

You'll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Lyrics by Jerry with his pacemaker.

FlSnookman7 · Sep 17, 2017

Hi! That verse becomes even more powerful when we realize who God is speaking to, Joshua was a warrior who had already been tested many times in hand to hand combat often versus overwhelming odds. If he needed encouragement to be courageous how much more do we need it??

On a personal level when I get fearful I try and remember that greater is He who lives in me than he who is in the world. I also remember that even if I live to be 125 years old that is nothing compared to the eternity I will spend with God.

I also find that when I am facing a situation that makes me afraid if I pray that fear seems to vanish. I hope that helps.

1 John 4:4 4 [FONT=&quot]Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.[/FONT]

Rosemaryx · Sep 17, 2017

Miri said:

Hi miri...I have just come out of two days of being down, and today it was getting stronger, thanks be to God for His word...I have been saying this today Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand...I don`t think any of us will get their, but we must run our race...God`s Word truly is a comfort when we go through trials, I messaged a cc member today Bill as I needed some encouragement, and He spoke reminding me who I am in Christ, after our chat the Scriptures came flooding back, God`s Word never comes back void, something I will try to remember the next time the evil one whispers in my ear, praise God \o/...

Miri · Sep 17, 2017

FlSnookman7 said:

God kept saying "do not be afraid" so I guess Joshua must have been afraid, maybe
afraid of letting the side down, of thinking he couldn't rise to the challenge, or of walking
in Moses' boots - they were big boots to fill.

Miri · Sep 17, 2017

Rosemaryx said:

Yeah ive been through more challenging times than I care to remrmber.
I think mostly I don't do anything, events just happen around me outside of my
control.

But I suppose we can take comfort that God is in control, even if we aren't.
I think as well that looking back and seeing where we have been, what we have
come through, is a powerful testimony to our doubting fearful current selves.

MarcR · Sep 17, 2017

Miri said:

Western society encourages people to be independent and self-reliant.

God encourages people to be totally dependent on Him.

When we rely on God rather than our own strength we can be strong and courageous; because we never have to worry whether we are up to the task at hand. We can have perfect confidence that God is indeed up to the task at hand!

Miri · Sep 17, 2017

MarcR said:

That last bit, I was only thinking that the other day.

Ecc 3 v 15 what is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in
the future has happened before. God makes the same things happen over and over
again NLT.

God is an experienced Father, we may be new to it, but God has done it all before.

Enow · Sep 17, 2017

Hebrews 13:[SUP]5 [/SUP]Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [SUP]6 [/SUP]So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Whenever I am afflicted, He has reminded me to put my trust in Him regardless of the storms of my life.

Sharing a poem ( not my poem ) that I am sure most believers had come across at one time or another.

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

He gives me courage that He will carry me through my trials by His grace & by His help.

notmyown · Sep 17, 2017

MarcR said:

Western society encourages people to be independent and self-reliant.

God encourages people to be totally dependent on Him.

When we rely on God rather than our own strength we can be strong and courageous; because we never have to worry whether we are up to the task at hand. We can have perfect confidence that God is indeed up to the task at hand!

as beautifully expressed as it is true, Marc.

Joidevivre · Sep 17, 2017

Sometimes so much is out of your control that there is no other choice than to totally trust this wonderful God that you have been telling others about. I trusted His love for me, that everything would be only for my good and His glory.

Some of my strength and courage came from the many many many people who were praying for me as I had part of my mouth cut out because of cancer. But what I learned about myself was worth it - I learned that inside of me were spiritual resources of peace and faith surpassing everything that was happening.

My faith was sorely tested, and it came out "golden". My peace never left. Because at the root of confidence is great peace.

OneFaith · Sep 17, 2017

Miri said:

Ok, you may think my answer is a little out there. When I first read "Be strong and courageous" I thought "How can I? I'm not a man." But I realized all Christians will be persecuted- even to the point of death maybe. And the Bible says do not flinch back? I'd be doing more than flinching! But I thought it was a message to me personally, because it's the meaning of my name- which I think God wanted me to have because that's the part of me I need to strengthen the most.

Ever since then I have been in the mindframe of "Would I be able to pass that hardest test? Can I be strong and courageous no matter what?" The Bible says I can do all things through Jesus Christ my Lord. So I would watch movies, or Criminal Minds, and imagine how I would react in the most torturous deaths. Would I be strong? Actually I think I would, but it's the one part of my Christianity that I don't have complete confidence in. I'd like to hope that the Holy Spirit would help me be that strong and courageous if I ever needed to be.

But one very good thing has come out of exercising my mind in such a way. It has made the little stuff much easier to do- like forgive others (and myself), quit smoking, not flip the bird to the drivers who cut me off and make me slam on my brakes, etc.

The Bible says to be sober-minded. Whenever I get into worldly thinking, and am tempted to act worldly, I look at a brick. I imagine how gently I would touch my forehead to its sharp corner, then imagine a little harder, and I stop my worldly thinking. Because I think of all those who were stoned to death in the Old Testament for their sin, and how I need much more time, years, to work up the maturity needed to die for Christ, needs be. And I just can't waste time being immature. I'm not put here to live for pleasures, I'm put here to be tested for heaven. And I so want to pass that test!!!

Desertsrose · Sep 17, 2017

Hi Miri,

There's so much in God's word that helps me to be strong and courageous. It's not any one scripture, but it's the more I read and learn the truth about God, it changes me from within to be more like Him.

His word becomes my best friend in times of trouble and the understanding of them revisit me when I need them. Even if I can't quote them word for word, I remember the lesson learned through study and practice.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10

The undergirding joy of the Lord helps us through everything to encourage and strengthen us in our daily walk.

James 1:2-4

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

And then to know it's God at work in me is such a sustaining truth. I know I can totally trust and rely on Him. So when the moments of discouragement come or when the moments of weakness come......because they surely will come.......His word draws me to the One who gives us the courage and strength we need.

Philippians 2:12-13
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Ephesians 2:20
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

In many ways I think that we have strength and courage lying dormant within us. We have the power of the Holy Spirit and the more we rely on Him in our daily walk, the more we'll see we always have that undergirding joy of the Lord to sustain us. When I meditate on that, I always see that it's His joy that continues to help me get through those tough times in life.

Romans 8:28 comes to mind when I consider the rough roads we travel. Somehow whatever we're going through is working out for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

So there's a trusting in the sovereignty of God when we struggle. When I trust God with a situation, I'm empowered to rest in how it will work out. It may have taken a few tears, lots of prayer and agonizing, but in turning to God and knowing His goodness and lovingkindness, entrusting myself to Him its.......well.......it's a relationship that builds and grows and flourishes as we continue to grow up in Him.

Miri · Sep 18, 2017

Gideon came to mind, you have to chuckle a bit when you read
these verses.

It's like called called him a mighty man of valor and
Gideon said "who me you've got to be having a laugh".

Maybe Good sees what we have on the inside and what we
are capable of, even though we don't see it in ourselves.

Judges 6:12-15 NKJV
[12] And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said
to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" [13]
Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then
has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles
which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD
bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us
and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." [14] Then
the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours,
and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have
I not sent you?" [15] So he said to Him, "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."

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This is my command - be strong and courageous!

Miri

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