Courage

By Jonathan McNair

No less than 4 times in 18 verses of the first chapter of the book of Joshua in your Bible, this phrase appears in one form or another:

Be strong and of a good courage… (Joshua 1:6 KJV)

A thought to keep in mind is the fact that God does not repeat Himself just to fill up space or because He forgets what He has said; He repeats Himself for emphasis and because we, at times, forget/need to be reminded of what He has said. That’s why you see some themes/texts repeated over and over again in the Word of God, and presented from different angles repeatedly, because God wants His people to have it solidly planted/placed in their spirit/mind. One of those themes/subjects is courage.

Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain without fear; bravery… to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

I want to interject at this point that if there is one characteristic that the end-time church needs to nurture and develop, it is courage. We are living in a time frame of history in which we are being challenged in our lifestyle and beliefs by an antichrist spirit that is increasing daily, and we need a spirit of courage to arise in our spirit while we declare that in this time of crisis, we will turn to God for help/courage, while reminding ourselves what’s true, and that we will take courage in God.

The question you need to answer is, where do I turn in times of crisis? Some people try to escape. They dull the pain through food, alcohol, drugs, and pleasure. Or they turn to friends to help them. But the record of the Word of God repeatedly shows us that there’s only one place we can ultimately turn in times of trouble/stress/pressure; there is only one true source of courage, and that’s God. Only He will provide the refuge/strength/courage that we need when we go through the challenges we will face as history continues to unfold.

The theme of God being our help/source of courage keeps arising in the book of Psalms. David writes:

“In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness. Bow down Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: Be Thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: For Thou art my strength.” (Psalm 31:1-4 KJV)

We all have coping strategies that we use in times of trial. Here is the one thing that they all have in common, apart from God: they will let you down. We all come to a place in life where we need a secure place. When everything crumbles around us, we need one place that is safe, a place of security and protection. The psalmist points us to the only true place of refuge/courage we will ever experience in times of trial: God Himself.

My advice in the midst of all we are facing is that we need to run to God and find in Him the strength/courage that we need. Find in Him everything you need. He will not let you down.

You need to pray/trust yourself to a place of refuge/courage in God on a daily basis so that the first response when trouble/stress comes is, “I will have courage in… through… and from God!”

Be strong and of a good courage… (Joshua 1:6 KJV)

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Reverend Jonathan McNair | Fredericton, NB

He is the former Campus Ministry Director at Northeast Christian College and has led two churches. Previously, he served at Calvary Tabernacle in Perth Andover, New Brunswick, Canada. He and his wife, Denise, are proud parents of three boys and have four grandchildren.