Be Strong and of Good Courage - Peaceable Thoughts

Be Strong and of Good Courage by Sonia McDonald

The Eternal gave this command to be strong and of good courage to His chosen messengers/leaders to enable them to face the trials and adversities ahead of them as they journeyed into the Promised Land. The following scriptures give the context:

Deu 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

As we appear to be heading toward ‘End Time’ Scenarios, this will be an important concept of which to take hold. This scripture is very consoling for us, His children, as it illustrates that we don’t have to be afraid of anyone, or anything that they may attempt to do to us. This is because The Eternal will go with us wherever we go, and will never leave us, just like He did for the Israelites, He is our Cloud by day and Fire by night, His Spirit is within us, leading us through the shadows of death, into green pastures.

So, we don’t need to fear, as God is always near!

Deu 31:7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.

Here we see Moses reinforcing the same concept to Joshua (the analogy is awesome, Joshua the son of Nun taking the physical children into the Promised Land, and we have Joshua -Yeshua, leading the spiritual Israelites into the KOG) and telling him he will succeed… ‘you shall cause them to inherit it.’ Christ also WILL succeed; He will not lose one out of His hand that the Father has given Him. The analogies in the Bible are so uplifting, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow: if we do our part, follow Yehovah’s commandments, remaining in Covenant with Christ, we can totally rely on Him, to do His part.’

He is the faithful One, His Commandments we must not shun!

Deu 31:23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

Here The Eternal once again, places emphasis to strengthen Joshua with the promise, ‘and I will be with you”. This promise enabled Joshua to be of good courage, because he knew Yehovah would be with him throughout the ordeals that lay ahead of him. Joshua had already proven himself to be a man of great faith, as was witnessed when he was sent to spy out the promised land originally, and only he and Caleb came back with a good report. Joshua was also a right-hand man to Moses, so he witnessed first-hand all the miracles of Yehovah.

So, there is no need to be filled with worry or fuss, Knowing Christ will NEVER, EVER forsake or leave us!

Jos 1:6 “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.

The Eternal knew Joshua would not have an easy job completing the task he was given and so He reminded him once again to be strong and of good courage. In our wilderness journey whilst waiting patiently for entry into the Spiritual Promised Land, we also will be faced with many ‘giants’ on the way, trying to block our path or divert us off course. Some trials could be very scary, others alluring, still others that cause much physical or psychological pain. It is in these times we must clearly remember our God’s clear instructions to be strong and of good courage, as He will be with us and never forsake us. He Who is living in us, is much greater than he who is living in the world.

So, we need not worry about this evil age, Instead, be strong and of good courage!

Being strong and of good courage also implies some sort of action on our part. It could mean standing firm and holding your ground on God’s Principles, or likewise it may require action, like when the Israelites had to cross over the Red Sea and the Jordan with great swathes of water towering over either side of them. During end times we will probably be required to do both, i.e. stand for the Truth of God, even if it requires martyrdom, and possibly leave our homes, family, friends and animals. We will have the strength to do this through the Holy Spirit, because we know Christ will be leading us/ carrying us and will never forsake us. Deut 31.8 “And the Lord, He is The One who goes before you. He will not leave you nor forsake you: do not fear nor be dismayed.”

So, be confident while on your wilderness trip, Because the Eternal has You in His loving grip!

The Psalms also reiterate the same strong message.

Psalm 5:11-12 “But let all who put their trust in You rejoice; let them always shout for joy because You defend them. And let those who love Your name exult in You. For You, O LORD will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield.

These verses indicate that we need to trust The Eternal, to believe that what He says He will do
We need to love His name, and show triumphant joy in Him, which coincides with adherence to the first four commandments
We need to be following God’s laws of love: Sheep and Goats parable; The Good Samaritan Parable, and the last six commandments, which if you love your neighbour, you certainly would not do anything to hurt them. Christ’s righteousness will then be imputed to us and His sacrifice on the cross will cover our repented of sins. Those in covenant with Him will be blessed and given favour and protection, even if we are called to give our lives for His Holy name. If we remain faithful throughout our trials, we can trust The Eternal to give us a crown of salvation.

Psalm 31:23-24 “O love the LORD, all you His saints! The LORD preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud doer. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD

New Testament

The New Testament writings also contain the same theme. The following scriptures confirm this: Acts 23: 11, 2 Tim 2:1-7, 1Corin 16: 13-14, Eph 6: 10-18 -which also tells us how to be strong by putting on the whole armour of God.

My dear sisters in Christ, let us all stay close to Christ, so we can be spiritually strong and have good courage until our long-awaited Saviour returns or until we take our last breath.

So, trust in the Lord with all your might, Keep up the good battle to do right. Show agape love to God and man, Walk uprightly and humbly throughout your life span. God in turn, will keep His promise,

So be strong and of good courage.

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