DEUTERONOMY 31:23

1. GOD SAID, "BE STRONG!"
1. The word for strong means "be firm, stout, rigid." The idea is to withstand difficulty, to endure hardship, to be unbending in principle.
2. The demand for all Christians is "Be strong! Be firm, resolute, and in point of doctrine and principle, inflexible." Well, that's easy to say. You might as well say, "Be tall! Be young! Be handsome!" God said, "Be strong!" How can we be strong? The Bible speaks to that:
1. To grow strong, wait on the Lord when there seems to be a delay in action:
1. "He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:29-31.
2. "Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." Psalms 27:14.
3. That means: don't panic, don't give up because He seems slow to answer or to act. Rest yourself in His goodness and take strength from the time of inactivity. Peter assures us: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10.
2. To grow strong, rejoice in the Lord. Nehemiah said, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10.
3. To grow strong, let His strength be adequate in your weakness: When you can do nothing, when you are overwhelmed, when you feel defeated, draw strength from Him to Whom nothing is too difficult!
1. Paul said, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.
2. Paul's experience with the "thorn in the flesh" for which he asked, and was refused, deliverance three times taught him this lesson: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
4. To grow strong, keep yourself morally pure and right. Job said, "Nevertheless the righteous shall hold to his way, And he who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger." Job 17:9.
5. To grow strong, through prayer and Bible study, put on God's armor: "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:10-13.
6. To grow strong, put your absolute confidence in the Living God: For God said, "In repentance and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15.
3. So, be strong!
1. When life gets hard, and the duty is demanding, be strong.
2. When pressures mount and stresses increase, be strong.
3. When pain assaults and anguish deepens, be strong.
4. I read an article by Craig Larson about the Alaskan bull moose. "The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon, are broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk. There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now - before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they're needed." Leadership-Vol. 9, #3.

2. GOD SAID, "BE COURAGEOUS!"
1. To be courageous is to be assured, confident and even obstinate! The concept is to look danger in the eye without flinching, to stand up to formidable odds with holy boldness, to stand unflinching against the hostility of any enemy and even when we are afraid, to still do our duty.
2. Walter Anderson, in his book, "Courage Is a Three Letter Word" said, "Real courage means saying 'yes' to life instead of backing down when we face adversity. ... courage is acting with fear, not without it."
3. We need courage
1. When called to new tasks, duties and challenges.
2. When faced by enemies and antagonists.
3. When all around us quake, fear and run away.
4. When every logical thought that crosses your mind says, "Hit the panic button!"
4. George Smith had courage. He was a jet test pilot. He could face anything until he had to bail out of a jet going over 800 miles per hour. Though he survived, he was afraid of ever flying again. Then, during his hospital stay, a nurse gave him an antidote to fear. She said, "Courage is knowing the worst and discovering that, in God's world, the very worst can't really hurt you." (Guideposts 1958).

3. GOD SAID, "I WILL BE WITH YOU!"
1. What a promise! How else could Joshua be strong and courageous? How else could he lead the people into the land of promise? He knew he was not alone!
2. We read in Ecclesiastes, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. If God is one of those two, and you are the other, you are in good company!
3. Consider these folk who drew strength and courage from the Lord's presence:
1. Jeremiah who said,: "But the LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten." Jeremiah 20:11.
2. David, who said, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Psalms 23:4.
3. Jesus Himself knew it, "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." John 16:32.
4. Paul's testimony is, "At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." 2 Timothy 4:16-18.
4. A man who had been a drunk became a baptized Christian. He loved to be in the house of the Lord as frequently as he could. Sometimes, when things were hard and he was fighting the temptation to drink, he'd stop what he was doing and would look heavenward, saying, "Jesus, this is Jim! I need you right now!" His regular manner of beginning his prayer was that same, "Jesus, this is Jim!" Jim became ill and was hospitalized. One night, lying in the hospital bed, he heard, in his mind, a kind voice. It said, "Jim, this is Jesus! I'm here with you!" Jim testified later that the presence of Jesus banished all his fear and loneliness. Just so God's presence enabled Joshua to do what he was commissioned to do. The same hope is ours: He will come and speak comforting assurance to all who are willing to hear. "Jim, John, Sally, Joan, this is Jesus! I'm right here with you!" What comfort! What assurance! What a hope! 

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