Courage or EN-courage?

Deu 31:6  Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 

Ever feel DIS-couraged? Think you need to be EN-couraged?

What do those words have in common? COURAGE.

Maybe you don't need an emotional pick-me-up. Maybe you just need to have some courage in your life today.  How in the world can you summon up the courage to be encouraged?

1. Do what your told. I can imagine God shouting, like a sergeant to a private shivering in a foxhole, "Be strong and of a good courage". Sometimes our simple obedience is all that is needed to get us out of the haze that we're lost in.

The reason a soldier gets out of the foxhole and faces deadly gunfire is because of his training. If an earthly warrior can follow an earthly leader to a terrible fate, can we not as sons of God follow our Father, knowing that He has promised to preserve us and present us spotless before the throne?

2. Remember God doesn't give you any commands that you cannot do. The reason He tells us to be strong and of a good courage is because He is going with us. If you ever wonder where God is, maybe He is right outside on the porch, waiting for you to get on with the mission. Ever since the garden of Eden, God has decided, for better or worse, to work with people. He won't do anything through you until you let Him do something with you.

Stop waiting to be EN-couraged and put some courage IN. Do it now, private!