Wednesday - October 1, 2025
Be Strong - Strength and Courage
Joshua 1:7-9; Ephesians 6:10-18; Matt. 28:20.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Strength and Courage Commanded, Not Suggested
The words to Joshua are not a mere encouragement, but a divine command: “Have not I commanded thee?” (Josh. 1:9). Strength and courage are not optional traits—they are the conditions for success in God’s mission. Israel’s inheritance of the land depended on Joshua’s boldness to lead under divine authority, not human wisdom.
SOP emphasizes:
“God does not require of His children that which they cannot perform. He gives them strength to do that which He requires.”
As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings. {COL 333.1}
Thus, courage is the result of trust in God’s presence, not reliance upon self.
The Source of Strength: God’s Word and Presence
Joshua’s strength was not found in weapons or numbers but in obedience: “Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law” (Josh. 1:7). True courage is born from fidelity to the Word of God.
Paul echoes this in Ephesians 6:10–11: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God.” Strength is spiritual, not carnal. It comes from union with Christ and daily reliance on His Spirit.
SOP affirms:
“In the strength of Christ, men and women have done deeds of courage and have braved dangers which they would never have dared to face in their own strength.”
Talk courage to the people; lift them up to God in prayer. Many who have been overcome by temptation are humiliated by their failures, and they feel that it is in vain for them to approach unto God; but this thought is of the enemy's suggestion. When they have sinned, and feel that they cannot pray, tell them that it is then the time to pray. Ashamed they may be, and deeply humbled; but as they confess their sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive their sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. {MH 181.3}
The SRod links this to the end-time remnant:
“Strength to stand in the time of trouble comes not from human resources but from confidence in the promises of God and obedience to His instructions.” (Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 8, p. 24).
Courage Against Fear and Discouragement
Fear and discouragement were Israel’s great stumbling blocks at Kadesh-Barnea, leading to forty years of wandering. The command to Joshua confronts this failure: do not yield to fear, for God Himself guarantees success.
SOP comments:
“Faith takes God at His word, not asking to see or feel to believe. Courage, energy, and perseverance will accomplish wonders.”
Often the Christian life is beset with dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before, and bondage and death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, Go forward. Let us obey the command, even though our sight cannot penetrate the darkness. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every uncertainty disappears, and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey. Faith looks beyond the difficulties, and lays hold of the unseen, even Omnipotence, therefore it cannot be baffled. Faith is the clasping of the hand of Christ in every emergency. {GW 262.1}
Similarly, the SRod warns that unbelief and timidity in advancing with God’s truth will exclude many from the kingdom:
“Fear and unbelief kept the first generation out of Canaan, so also will it bar from the kingdom those who fail to go forward in faith with the message today.” (SRod, Vol. 1, p. 127).
Thus, courage is not mere bravery but unwavering trust in God’s guidance, even when circumstances appear unfavorable.
The Presence of Christ: The Ultimate Assurance
The repeated promise, “for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Josh. 1:9), finds its echo in Christ’s assurance to His church: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
This abiding presence makes obedience possible and victory certain. SOP assures:
“Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on Christ.”
These precious words every soul that abides in Christ may make his own. He may say:
"I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: My God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: When I fall, I shall arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord shall be a light unto me." Micah 7:7, 8. "He will again have compassion on us, He will blot out our iniquities; Yea, Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea!" Micah 7:19, Noyes. {MH 182.2}
God has promised: "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; Even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." Isaiah 13:12. "Though ye have lain among the pots, Yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold." Psalm 68:13. {MH 182.3}
The SRod magnifies this thought in its prophetic setting:
“As Joshua of old was assured of divine presence in leading Israel into the land, so the antitypical Joshua is assured of divine presence in leading the purified church into the kingdom.” (Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 4, p. 22).
Therefore, courage for the church today is grounded not in visible strength, but in Christ’s invisible yet certain presence.
Prophetic Application – Strength for the Final Conflict
The prophetic relevance of Joshua’s command becomes vital in our time. As Israel stood on the borders of Canaan, so the church stands on the verge of the kingdom. The command to be strong and courageous is a call to meet the final crisis with faith and obedience.
Ephesians 6:13–18 outlines the armor of God—truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer—as the means of standing in the evil day. Victory over spiritual Canaanites—the powers of darkness—requires full armor and divine courage.
SOP counsels:
“We are standing on the threshold of the eternal world. We need now the courage of heroes and the faith of martyrs.”
Where are the missionaries who should be raised up at the heart of the work? From twenty to fifty should be sent out from Battle Creek every year to carry the truth to those who sit in darkness. But piety is at so low an ebb, the spirit of devotion is so weak, worldliness and selfishness so prevalent, that the moral atmosphere begets a lethargy fatal to missionary zeal. {5T 187.1} .
The SRod concludes:
“The triumph of the church does not rest in human might, but in divine courage and faith. Only those who are strong in the Lord will stand with Joshua and enter the land.” (SRod, Vol. 2, p. 149).
Consider the Following
❖Strength and courage
—Before asking Joshua for strength and courage in battle (Josh. 1:9), God asked him for strength and courage to obey the Law (Josh. 1:7).
—This is also the case today. God asks us to strive to keep His law (Rev. 14:12). This requires great courage on our part.
—For His part, He promises that “will be with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9), helping us fight the battle we are engaged in. Not a physical battle, “but against principalities, against powers…” (Eph. 6:12). To do this, He has provided us with the necessary weapons (Eph. 6:13-17).
—The key to success is to fully trust in God. And to do so, we need to relate to Him every day (Eph. 6:18).
God’s command to Joshua—“Be strong and courageous”—is a timeless imperative. It is a call to obey faithfully, to trust unfailingly, and to advance fearlessly. The inheritance is assured, but only the courageous in faith will enter.
As Joshua’s mission prefigured Christ’s leadership, so today God calls His people to clothe themselves with the whole armor of God and march forward under the banner of His presence. Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph of faith over fear.
✨ Prophetic Insight: In the final conflict, courage is the priceless quality that will distinguish the heirs of the promises. With Christ’s presence as the unfailing assurance, the purified church will march forward with strength and courage, overcoming every foe and inheriting the kingdom prepared for them.
