What Do You Need For Courage?
by Bro. Duane Marshall
08/24/2023
Deuteronomy 31:6 - “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.”
Getting a job done calls for heart. Having a high IQ is not essential, neither is being a certain age of possessing a particular temperament. History books are full of incredible stories of men and women who accomplished remarkable feats in the face of unbelievable odds.
By early 1812, Napoleon ruled most of Europe. Every army that had opposed him had been defeated. He trounced Russia in a couple of major battles even though the Russian army made a gallant last stand Moscow fell.
By October of 1812, Napoleon sat in Moscow surrounded by his undefeated troops. Nothing on the horizon seemed impossible but something happened that changed all that.
No one knows how it started, but a fire broke out in Moscow and burned much of the city leaving Napoleon’s army without sufficient food and protective winter quarters. He was forced to abandon the city.
He headed west in a bitter Russian winter with the Czar’s troops at his heels. All of this proved too much for his army. They had lost heart and within two months, Napoleon’s army had virtually ceased to exist.
In Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the author points out that courage comes from Coeur, the French word for heart: “Courage is the quality that enables one to face difficulty and danger with firmness, without fear or depression.”
Then as Webster, a born-again Christian often did, he included a scripture reference of Deuteronomy 31:6-8 - “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. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Moses tells them you’ve got to have heart. They were not a people of great courage being slaves in Egypt. Moses knew how easy it would be for Joshua and his troops to lose heart.
The Lord promised five things not only for Israel when facing the promised land but also for us, the Gentile believers:
1. He will be ahead of us leading in the battle.
2. He will be with us to fight the battle.
3. He will not fail us.
4. He will not leave us when the going gets tough.
5. So that we do not need to fear the outcome.
You and I may not be in a public battle with Satan, but in the privacy of our own homes, we may deal with a child’s willful defiance or a teenager’s rebellion. We may be facing physical setbacks that stymie our once-agile bodies with no relief in sight.
Wherever the battle finds us these five promises are ours to hold onto, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5).
08/24/2023
Deuteronomy 31:6 - “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.”
Getting a job done calls for heart. Having a high IQ is not essential, neither is being a certain age of possessing a particular temperament. History books are full of incredible stories of men and women who accomplished remarkable feats in the face of unbelievable odds.
By early 1812, Napoleon ruled most of Europe. Every army that had opposed him had been defeated. He trounced Russia in a couple of major battles even though the Russian army made a gallant last stand Moscow fell.
By October of 1812, Napoleon sat in Moscow surrounded by his undefeated troops. Nothing on the horizon seemed impossible but something happened that changed all that.
No one knows how it started, but a fire broke out in Moscow and burned much of the city leaving Napoleon’s army without sufficient food and protective winter quarters. He was forced to abandon the city.
He headed west in a bitter Russian winter with the Czar’s troops at his heels. All of this proved too much for his army. They had lost heart and within two months, Napoleon’s army had virtually ceased to exist.
In Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the author points out that courage comes from Coeur, the French word for heart: “Courage is the quality that enables one to face difficulty and danger with firmness, without fear or depression.”
Then as Webster, a born-again Christian often did, he included a scripture reference of Deuteronomy 31:6-8 - “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. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Moses tells them you’ve got to have heart. They were not a people of great courage being slaves in Egypt. Moses knew how easy it would be for Joshua and his troops to lose heart.
The Lord promised five things not only for Israel when facing the promised land but also for us, the Gentile believers:
1. He will be ahead of us leading in the battle.
2. He will be with us to fight the battle.
3. He will not fail us.
4. He will not leave us when the going gets tough.
5. So that we do not need to fear the outcome.
You and I may not be in a public battle with Satan, but in the privacy of our own homes, we may deal with a child’s willful defiance or a teenager’s rebellion. We may be facing physical setbacks that stymie our once-agile bodies with no relief in sight.
Wherever the battle finds us these five promises are ours to hold onto, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5).
Posted in Living for God, Trials, Victorious Faith
Tagged with Deuteronomy 31, Courage, Battle, trial, promise
Tagged with Deuteronomy 31, Courage, Battle, trial, promise
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