Be strong & courageous...

Strength and courage; those are two items that are often lacking in our society and in our personal lives as well. In the face of a bad economy with huge financial uncertainty, I talk to people all the time who are really fearful of what tomorrow holds for them. I have sons who are going through the "new kid on the block" thing at their schools and I have discussions with them on responding to teasing and bullying in a way that honors the Lord. I shared something with them recently from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible: Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I shared with them that the Lord is with them as they go to their schools and face the stuff kids throw at them and I challenged them to be strong and courageous in the face of difficulty. I told them Joshua's story and how this was God's encouragement to him as he faced huge changes and stress in his life as he was now responsible for the millions of people Moses had led out of Egypt since Moses had died. The same God who had been with Moses, promised Joshua He'd be with Him also as Joshua obeyed all of God's word (Joshua 1:8).
So I applied this to my sons and their struggles in their schools, the same God who was with Moses and Joshua will be with them as they obey Him too! Their attitudes began to change and I could see their spirit's being strengthened and courage growing inside them as they came to understand this truth. God almighty is with them as they go to school or wherever else they go. I'm sure I'll need to remind them of this again soon; I need to be reminded of it regularly when fear begins to creep into my life. God's track record of faithfulness is perfect and He is with me everywhere I go. For a child of God, being strong and courageous are not options, they are commands. God expects us to obey Him and His word and He's promised to be with us everywhere we go. I hope you'll study Joshua 1 and ask God to embed this into your heart and mind and that you too will be strong and courageous. From my corner of the world to yours...