Take Courage

Joshua 1:5 says, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
I really felt the Lord pressing on my heart these two words……”Take Courage.” As I was praying I was reminded of three people whom God told this too. Let’s look at them:
Joshua:
Joshua 1:6,7, 9, and 18, Be strong and courageous, Be strong and very courageous, Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go, Only be strong and courageous!
Why did God repeat himself here? Well Joshua was told to take the Israelites’ into the promised land and did not know he had to defeat 31 kings prior to doing that. God was encouraging him.
Peter:
Before Peter walked on the water, it says the disciples were terrified when they first saw Jesus on the water and He said to them in Matthew 14:27, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
Peter ended up being hung on the cross later in his life and had it done upside down.
Paul:
Acts 23:11 says, “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
Why did he tell Paul this? Check this out in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28;
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
My encouragement to you today is to Take Courage, don’t allow the enemy to take any of your courage away. Don’t be easily discouraged, don’t be afraid, and don’t show any lack of faith so God can do inside you and through you what you are purposed to do.