Be Strong and Courageous
As we walk through life, we are going to face every kind of situation. Many of them will require courage to carry us through. God’s word to Joshua still stands: be strong and courageous. Courage means having strength in the face of pain or grief.
Why do leaders get criticized?
Marilyn Hickey once told me, “If you are a leader, you will be criticized.” When you lead, there will be seasons when you face criticism from other people. Over the years I have learned that I control how much of that criticism I let inside of me. I always learn something from the ones who criticize, but at the same time I make sure I hold my ground and keep believing in myself. It takes courage to face opposition, but having confidence in yourself will take you further than you ever imagined. A foundation as solid as a rock is the key to success.
What does it mean to be strong and courageous?
In the Bible, God commissioned Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9). As he entered the land to take possession of it, he had to have courage while he led his teams. They had to believe in themselves. God knew there would be trials against them, and He wanted them to be strong and courageous as they faced their challenges.
I believe you have to stay strong and have the courage not to quit. Keep your eyes on the prize and keep moving forward. My family faced every odd stacked against us while we were growing up. My dad would do well in his work, and then something would happen and we would lose everything, and that happened several times. Yes, we thought about giving up, but we did not. We held tightly to God and His promises. We knew we had to be strong and courageous. Even when we looked ahead, all we could see was debt and discouragement.
Walking by faith when nothing is changing
So we walked by faith. I believe that when you cannot see anything changing, you have to walk in faith, knowing that God has a plan and a purpose for you. Hold on tight, without wavering, and have the courage to keep going and to believe that God will lead you. Always believe in yourself when others may not, and stand firm in your family and your legacy as you move forward in life.
Leading takes more than nerve, it takes a foundation. That is why I wrote Stand on the Word for Leaders, and why I run the mentorship tracks for people carrying teams.
Keep reading
To be strong and courageous is a decision you keep making. These three sit right next to this one.