Have you experienced fear, discouragement or isolation in the last year? I think most of us have battled those feelings! But what does our God say about that?

“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

His words are not just a suggestion, it’s a command! We must be strong and courageous, not giving in to fear or discouragement! And the only way we can do that is by knowing that God is with us – always, wherever we go! Even when we feel isolated, we know that we are never alone, because He is always with us! And, if we know that He is God – all powerful, all loving, all knowing – we can trust Him. Then we will find that we are strong and courageous!

I have been encouraged by the life of David recently. He was rejected by King Saul, the Israelites, the Philistines, and then after the Philistines burned their cities and took their families, he was rejected by his own mighty men. After all of these trials and rejection, 1 Samuel 30:6 says “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” He then called his men back to the purpose and vision for their lives. God gave him the strength to master his own distress, look past the offense of his men’s rejection and rally them together to get their families back.

So how do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord, as David did? We strengthen ourselves by cultivating a lifestyle of thankfulness, praise, prayer, remembering God’s promises, and connecting with people of faith.  Whenever we come against a trial or some kind of discouragement, we must turn to God, and strengthen ourselves in Him! God always prepares us beforehand with strength for our battles. Whenever He gives us a promise, He also gives us a weapon to be able to contend for that promise. So when the battle comes, we must not give in to fear, but look into our arsenal of weapons that the Lord has equipped us with, knowing that we are ready and prepared for whatever we face.

So, my friends. Let’s commit to be strong and courageous! Let’s not give in to fear or discouragement! Let’s be intentionally aware that the LORD our God is with us wherever we go!