Episode 64 - Standing courageous in the middle of your weakness

In today's episode, we talk a little bit about strength and courage. We actually recorded this episode live on Zoom with a group of around 35 friends from Sojo Academy! We asked them what some of their fears are and heads up… some of them are kinda hilarious! 

If you’ve been listening to our podcast, you know we’ve been talking about Joshua and today we are revisiting where God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. This command sets the stage for the entire book because throughout the book of Joshua, we see many fears, scary encounters, warfare, and enemies. This central command carried Joshua through all of those things.  

The command applies to us as believers too. 

Strength and courage are actually two different things. 

Strength is fortitude. It's power. When we think about strength we think of having muscle and being strong. Strength is associated with physical toughness, but can also be referred to as emotional or spiritual resilience. 

Whereas courage is the willingness to face danger, difficulty, or opposition in pursuit of a goal or belief, even without strength.  Courage is having that fortitude in the middle of weakness as well, so you can actually be weak and still have courage. 

What is this distinction important? Because we are told to be both strong and to be courageous. Whereas one is external and one is internal, we are to have both. 

As AJ says, when we trust, we are as strong as the strongest thing we rely on, and for us believers it is the Lord. 

In Episode 61, we talked about circumcision and how they deliberately became weak right there after they had crossed over into enemy territory, when they obeyed God's command to become incapacitated. That is so symbolic of us becoming weak in order for the Lord to make us strong, in order to remind ourselves that we are dependent on Him and His strength.  

It's not actually about strength at all - it’s about trust in the Lord's strength and understanding that not only is He capable, He is willing. 

There's so many times we all feel utterly weak, helpless, devoid of anything strong or powerful at all, whether it's in our parenting, in our relationships, in our jobs… whatever the case is. When we are weak, that is the opportunity for us to experience the strength of the Lord. 

Before the Israelites even entered into the promised land to conquer, God was saying, “Be strong in me. Be strong and be courageous because I'm with you. I'm the one. I'm with you wherever you go and every place your foot treads has been given to you.”

And we need to remember those same promises. 

Question for you: Do you have anything that comes to mind on how to be strong and courageous? How can we obey that command?  

Some practical ways could be:

-  Consistently be in the Word, be hearing from God;

- Read the Bible, do Bible studies, listen to the Bible;

- Pray regularly 

- Surround yourself with other believers.

- Be in community with one another so that we can stir each other on

- Seek wise counsel when we need it. 

- Practice praise, gratitude, worship. 

- Live a life of worship.

God did not give us that spirit of fear. And when we know who we are in Him, when we understand our identity in Him, that's when we can start to have really a spirit of, of an overcomer, full of strength and courage.

Sojo Academy

If you're not part of Sojo, please consider joining us. Especially in 2023, our goal is to take bits from God's word and implement them into our lives. Learn more at www.sojoacademy.com.