BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

‘Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.’ Deuteronomy 31:6

God uses the stress and struggles of life to build spiritual stamina and strength in us. Every time the Israelites faced challenges, God often tells them, ‘Be strong and courageous.’ In this perilous time, God is telling us to be strong; to have grit, fortitude, determination and courage. How do we become strong?

1. COVENANT WITH GOD
We get strong when we know we have a covenant with God, the Father. We know God and God knows us. In Christ, we are reconciled to God and we receive a covenant. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, ‘Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments’ (NIV). Isaiah 54:10 reads, ‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.’ You and I can have intimacy with God and be assured of His covenant promises.

2. COMMUNION WITH THE FATHER
Strength comes when we have communion with God. When we spend time in prayers, in the presence of the Lord, we receive strength from Him. Ephesians 3:16 says, ‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.’ There is something about God’s presence that makes a man strong and formidable.

3. CONVICTION
Men of courage are men of conviction. One of their greatest convictions is that God rules in the affairs of men. Daniel 4:17 says, ‘This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers and the decision is a command of the holy ones, so that the living may know [without any doubt] that the Most High [God] rules over the kingdom of mankind and He bestows it on whomever He desires and sets over it the humblest and lowliest of men.” Men of conviction believe in the power of the most high God. Hebrews 11:6 says, ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’ He that must come to God must first believe that He is all-powerful, all-knowing and able to do all we can ever ask or think. What is your conviction about God for your life?
Are you assured of his goodness and mercy? Do you believe He is mighty to safe? Are you confidently assured of His faithfulness? Our God is mighty and He will deliver you; only be strong and courageous.

God bless you.

#gregerhabor