Young People's Group

“BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE” (I)

by Pastor Mitch
September 04, 2005

Dealing With Our Fears Of Failure

Whenever we are faced with daunting tasks in life, the element of fear tends to creep in. We entertain doubts of our abilities and the prospect of failure becomes real. Joshua had the demanding task of conquering and dividing the land of Canaan. Though he was trained under Moses, he still grappled with fears and feelings of dismay. We may struggle with such feelings as we face challenges like exams. The immediate need is for us to find the strength and courage to rise up to these challenges. God told Joshua,

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed”
Joshua 1:9

If we want to deal with our fears and dismay, we have to learn to be strong and courageous.

Studying The Call To “Be Strong And Of Good Courage”

1. A Repeated Call To Encourage And Strengthen The Spirit

It was Moses who made this call to Joshua.

“Be strong and of good courage”
Deuteronomy 31:7

Moses spoke of how the Lord would go before him and He would be with him as he took on this task. However, there was still this fear. After Moses passed on, the Lord mentioned this phrase three times to Joshua.

“Be strong and of good courage”
Joshua 1:6, 7, 9

The people also said these words to Joshua.

“Only be strong and of good courage.”
Joshua 1:18

This challenge was repeated many times to Joshua so as to encourage him. Sometimes, a statement stated once is not enough. It has to be made repeatedly till the encouragement and strength come.

2. A Call To Engage Our Faith

God did His part by encouraging Joshua with the promise of His presence. He spoke of how He would go before him to fight for him. But there is a part that he had to do. He needed to personally engage faith. He had to learn to have a strong and courageous spirit to overcome his fears and dismay. He had to act with trust in God and His word. Young people, we can overcome our fears and anxiety by engaging our faith in the Lord. We can and must find that steadfast strength and courage to fight our “battles”.

Having The Potential To Be Very Strong And Courageous

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.”
Joshua 1:5

How strong can we be when we rise up to this challenge? We can become very strong and courageous. God spoke of how as He was with Moses so He would be with Joshua as well. Moses had tremendous strength and courage as he led over half a million people through the wilderness. It was the Lord who enabled Him. Similarly, the Lord will also strengthen Joshua. Young people, we have the potential to have a tenacious and courageous spirit in the face of daunting tasks. Our part is to focus on this challenge from God to be strong and of good courage. Let’s trust in the Lord and His word. We can be strong enough to overcome any challenge of life.

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