Be Strong and of Good Courage

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 

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hen Moses was one hundred and twenty years old, he made the encouraging statement quoted above to Israel. Israel was poised on the threshold of the Promised Land, but there were still fortified cities and giants in the land that they were promised that they would possess. They had been in this position 40 years earlier, and they had chosen to listen to the advice of the ten spies who discouraged them with their reports of giants and fortified cities. A new generation had grown up in the wilderness and now it was their turn to make a choice. The condition of the Promised Land had not changed in 40 years, but this generation of Israelites had a different spirit. They would not turn back in fear, but they would forge ahead with courage.  

I have read a few quotes recently regarding courage and choice. I hope you may find some encouragement in these words:  

"In my 65 years on this earth, I have come to realize that the difference in our success or failure is not chance, but choice. Because when adversity strikes, it's not what happens that will determine our destiny; it's how we react to what happens." Mac Anderson 

"Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed." Dale Carnegie 

"Have the courage to live. Anyone can die." Robert Cody 

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die." Gilbert K. Chesterton 

I remember the words of Mordecai to Esther when Haman made a plot to destroy the Jewish people: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the King's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:13-14). Mordecai had confidence that God would deliver the Jews, and he encouraged Esther not to shrink from the opportunity that was open to her to be a part of God's rescue.  

I don't know what your circumstances are today. I'm not sure what challenges and adversities you face. I am confident that God can see you through whatever difficulties surround you if you will choose the path that he places before you. I do not promise that it will be easy. I do pray that God will give you the courage to face your giants and claim the victory that surely comes to those who trust in God.  

"…You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…."  1 Samuel 17:45-46 

-Scott Gage

Fayetteville, Arkansas