Youversion App Theme: Courage

Joshua 1:9

“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.”

• There is no reason to be distressed in any situation. You can choose to walk with faith and joy! By beginning habits of gratefulness and spiritual growth, your life will be much more joyous than if you live in sin and sating fleshly desires. Temptation leaves you in momentary satisfaction, while meaningful appreciation in the very being who created us and excitement in your new life in the Spirit, you will have long lasting satisfaction. The Lord has much more courage and comfort to offer than anything the world has.
• The Lord says that He will be with you through every struggle. It is a comforting thought! He who protected Noah from the worldwide flood, He who granted Abraham his son Isaac in his old age, He who split the sea for Moses, is with you wherever you go! He let David win a sword fight with a rock, saved Jonah from the belly of a great fish, and resurrected our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the grave to save us. This very creator, offers us His companionship!
• He inspired the scripture writers so His word and promises are with us wherever we go. He reminds us time and time again that He will never leave us.

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

• He is forever righteous, just in the way He judges. He has deemed us worthy enough to stick with us through thick and thin, and because He is righteous, you can be one-hundred percent sure that He has made the right judgement!
• He keeps reminding us that He will give us the strength to be courageous. He also promises that if we ask in Jesus Christ’s name, we will receive. If we ask for courage and strength, He will grant it in His unique way!
• The darkness can’t truly harm us if we remain faithful to Him, and He even reminds us in 2 Timothy that even if we are unfaithful, He cannot deny who He is (which is perfectly faithful). He stuck through to the end with David even though he had sinned by committing adultery. All sins are firsthand against God, and even when we walk away from Him, towards our worldly desires, He will stay with us!
• You can lean on Him because He promises to uphold you.

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

• He has made us lovingly and fearfully but has given us a spirit of strength. We can overcome anything with His guidance and the protection of the arsenal He has to offer us. “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:14-17.
• He has given us gifts to use with the sound-minded spirits He has blessed us with. Some have the gift of wisdom and understanding, some with piety and counsel. He has also given us the free will to do as we please with our lives and the gifts He has provided for us!
• We are made in His image: His spirit is strong, so ours is strong. No darkness can overtake the spirit God has given us that is revived by the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us.
• Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to guide us, to strengthen us, and give us the wisdom to persevere. He has provided all we need to persevere through the darkness that surrounds us daily. He knows just how to help us in any situation.

The Lord loves us and promises to be with us wherever we go, whether to the deepest depths, or the highest heights. He says He hears us when we speak to Him, and He doesn’t lie because He is a holy and righteous God. He gives us the power and strength to persevere, so we should take comfort in that. He does not wish for us to hurt or perish… but even when that does happen because of the enemy, the Lord is there with us! He knows what we are going through and is prepared to see us to the other side of the pit. He will drag you through the valley if He must, just as long as you have faith that He can. I have personally seen God open opportunities and do miracles in a person’s life… when they were at their lowest moment, thought there was no way out, and all they had to cling to was Him. He wants to show us His wonders in His perfect timing for His glory!

Deuteronomy 31:8

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

• Even as He wants us to fear Him, like any good Father, He does not want us to be afraid of Him. He wants us to find comfort and peace in His loving embrace. We can go through the hardships in this world knowing that He loves us and can give us the strength to endure all trials.
• He is never not there. His presence can be seen anywhere, you just might have to look deeper for Him.

Psalms 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalms 31:24

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all who hope in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 16:13

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

• The word strength, and other words relating to it, appear in the Bible over 360 times, so at least once every day of the year we can be reminded to be strong and have courage. He does not want us to fear because He can give us the strength.
• The only thing we really must have fear of is disapproval from the Almighty God, because He is the one who dictates where our souls go. Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
• He wants us to respect His might and understand the power He has. Though, He does not want us to be afraid of Him, because He loves us, He does want us to give Him the reverence He deserves.