Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6

Courage is defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger and pain, without fear. It takes courage to live according to the word of God, to live everyday by faith refusing to compromise your beliefs for anything less. It is not unusual as a believer to be faced with situations where we constantly need to make choices on what to do – do we go God’s way and refuse to fear, or do we allow fear to rob us of the strength and courage God gives us to see His will accomplished in our lives.

When I think of courageous people, I think of people who in the face of challenging situations could have turned their back, turned around or stopped believing but instead they continue to move forward steadfastly. This is courage, being brave, firm and bold. Courage is usually demonstrated when fear or uncertainty tries to come in, when the situation in the natural looks challenging. It is then that we need to remember who our God is and dig in even deeper into the word.

The opposite of courage is timidity or fear which as believers we can overcome for the bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”

In Deuteronomy 31, Moses was one hundred and twenty years old and about to die. He was speaking his last words to Israel and Joshua, and mentioned to them the importance of being strong and of good courage. Moses had experienced so much of God in his lifetime and he says the way to do all God wants us to do is by being bold and of good courage.

David also gave the same advice to Solomon his son who was going to build the temple of the Lord in 1 Chronicles 28:20 which reads, “And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.”

You stay strong and courageous by constantly reminding yourself of what God has said to you in His word. The more you remember the stronger you become and the bolder you are moving forward in faith believing that He will come through for you.

So be strong and of good courage – do not fear, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. God is always on your side, He will not fail you and through Him you will accomplish all He has put on your heart to do.