Be Strong and Courageous: This is the Part That We Miss

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

If you were asked about the one principle that guides you in life, how would you answer?

“Be strong, be brave, be kind! That’s my new mantra,” Joann shared with her friend as they caught up. We could all use a bit more strength, bravery and kindness in our lives. In the Bible, God gave the leader of His people this instruction: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Be strong and courageous—that was, and is, a command with a promise. The reason that God asks weak, fallible humans to be strong and courageous is that He promises to always be with us. Every time in Scripture God calls for these two qualities in our lives, He assures us that He will be with us, either just before or right after the exhortation (Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Joshua 1:5-6, 1 Chronicles 28:20) “His nearness is what equips us to obey,” points out a Bible teacher. “He never asks us to be our own strength and provision. He provides all that is required of us.”[1]

He provides all that is needed—even in a prison camp. A woman named Corrie, who lived through unspeakable horrors marveled, “I have experienced [God’s] presence in the deepest hell that men can create. I have really tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.”[2]

We can come to know God’s presence in our lives through personal relationship with Him. This is possible because Jesus died in our place. When we repent, God gives us His Spirit that lives within us. We can come to know God’s promises by filling our minds with scripture daily.

[1] The Bible Recap. Day 081 (Deuteronomy 32–34, Psalm 91). YouTube, 24 Mar. 2020, https://youtu.be/6ncLqdQv6nc. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

[2] Corrie ten Boom. Jesus Is Victor. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1985, p. 62.​