“Only be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7)

If a Christian is fearful and fainthearted, it dishonors God. But, your ability to be strong and courageous for God depends on your confidence in Him … put simply, if you know He loves you, you’ll have the confidence to be strong and courageous IN Him. Without the love of God, strength and courage and faith have no guiding influence. “Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1). “Stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love”(1 Corinthians 16:13-14). “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:4). The goal for every Christian is to operate in “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). 

 How do we get there? We know “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7), but why was the Apostle Paul strong and courageous? He tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? … I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39). 

 When you know as a moment-by-moment reality, that Christ has already taken the punishment for your sin, you’ll be released from the power of the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). This will enable you to operate in faith working through love. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18). Once you know, as reality, “as He is, so are you in this world”, the fear of man will diminish to insignificance, and you’ll be strong and courageous for God.