What could God mean by “Be”? Be of good courage? Be strong and of good courage? Be strong and very courageous? 🤓🤔

Joshua 1:6-9; Psalms 31:24

The first time God used the word Be was in the creation story. “Let there BE light and there was light”. Be is an instructive word that calls into immediate or instant existence something that wasn’t. Be is a current state of existence. Be is real and solid. Be is now, not in future. All that God called to Be forever exists. The world may rotate and darkness may exist in places but the sun is forever shining. God calls us to BE.

In Psalms 31:24, we are again told to Be…”Be of good courage”. Does this mean there is bad courage? Courage is boldness. Courage is strength of conviction. Courage moves forward even when darkness and uncertainty or threats abound. Courage is fundamental to faith. There can be no faith without courage. The just shall live by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Therefore, courage is required to please God…to move forward despite darkness.

But what is bad courage? Perhaps, courage that exists separate from God. Courage that exists while living/abounding in sin, leading one down a path to sure destruction. Courage that is born of selfish interests and not to please God. Courage that is inspired by evil company. It could also be discouragement, fueled by fear and lack of trust in God. This isn’t what God wants. He tells us – do not fear, do not be discouraged, Be of good courage. 

So what is good courage? When we read Joshua 1:6-9, we get some clarity. God tells Joshua three times to Be: 1) Be strong and of good courage (v. 6); 2) Be strong and very courageous (v. 7); 3) Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (v. 9). In the middle of God telling Joshua to Be strong and of good courage, He also tells Him the how! 💡💡💡

The secret of how to Be strong and of good courage lies in Joshua 1:8. 

1. It starts with the book of the law of God. To be of good courage, God first tells us to recite the words of God i.e. speak them out audibly, doing this (meditating) day and night. To know the words of God, we must constantly be studying them and committing them to heart. 🤷🏾‍♂️ This is the first step!
   
2. The next and final step is to do ALL that is written in it. James 1:22-25 reiterates this – do not be deceived by being hearers only of the word and not doers. 
   
3. Do the above and God says “then YOU will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success”! Oh wait, what?! Sounds like a secret formula. 😦😁 Do steps 1 & 2 and God guarantees us that we will undoubtedly be prosperous and have good success. James 1:25 says “this one will be blessed in what he does”. 

NB: This doesn’t mean a life free of trials or problems as God always allows His true children to go through trials to refine our character and strengthen our faith in Him. He does this for “a little while” (1 Pet 5:10)…it’s never forever so we must endure it to yield the fruits and for the purpose of the trial to be fulfilled in the short time that God decides is best. That we go through painful trials wasn’t in God’s original plan for us, but sin! Thus, to bring forth in us the fruit of righteousness, there is a refining process that God in His wisdom deems fit for each of us to go through when He decides the time is right. Also remember that God works in seasons. (1 Pet 4:12-13; James 1:2-4; Heb 12:5-11) 🙏🏾

Better said, because of our sinful nature and God’s desire to save us, if we don’t go through God-ordained discipline in this life, then we are not truly His children.

Heb 12:8

So in summary: “Good courage” is built on the word of God. God calls us to Be of good courage, meaning we can instantly Be, just like light was, in an instant! We only achieve this by day and night studying and speaking the words of God out loud 🗣 to our situation, then ensuring that we are obeying His word. NB: this is different from praying. Yes prayers, but meditate on the word also i.e. not just think about it but speak the literal words of God out of your mouth! Try it. 😉 This is what it means to live a life of faith, the substance of things hoped for. You speak what you’re believing to life and claim it because you see it with your spiritual eyes. This is what Jesus meant when He said to pray this…”thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”. When we declare God’s blessings over our situations, or boldly claim His promises with authority on earth, we do this knowing that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18) and that we have full access to the heart of the father, to know His will for us through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

This is how to Be of good courage, a courage built on the solid rock that is Christ and leads to prosperity and good success. 🙌🏾😎

For further insights, read my post on: Believing vs Asking/Speaking – What the Bible says about ”meditating on the word”