Be Strong and Courageous
Day six of a month for prayer and fasting and calling out to God
“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
1 Chronicles 28:8-10
I believe that when God repeats something to us, we should pay attention and act where he is calling us to act.
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20
“Be strong and courageous” is found as a command, as an inspiration, as a calling, eleven times to the people of Israel. And it was not just given to them, it was also given to those who follow the teaching of Jesus. In many different ways, Jesus called his disciples and all who follow him to boldness, to courage, to trust in our powerful God. And in the end, those who choose cowardice will find a terrible fate:
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
I confessed my cowardice in ‘They Cried Out to the Lord’, I am trying to repent. This month I am choosing to post publicly these prayers on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X under the hashtags: #PrayingInPublic and #HumilityMonth. Jesus did command to pray, fast, and give in secret. And I encourage you all, and aim myself to pray, fast, and give in secret, yet we are in danger of legalism if we too narrowly interpret Jesus advice and warnings. Yes, this month and in many months to come, set aside times to pray, fast, and give - doing so in secret and may God reward you for that. And, we are also called to do good works in public. Just as Jehoshaphat called the whole nation to fast and pray and seek God, just as Daniel prayed with his window open, and was thrown into the lion’s den, just as Joseph sold a field and brought the money and gave it to the apostles, there are times when it is appropriate to do these things to God and for God in public. We do need to, I need to, watch ourselves for hypocrisy, for grandstanding, for seeking glory. Yet at this time, I would call you to boldness, to be strong and courageous, and to seek God both in private and in public. To worship him and put our trust in him in private, and in public.
Father in heaven, where we are weak and afraid, forgive us, and strengthen us with your holy boldness. You have consistently called those who follow you to have faith in you, to trust in you, to believe in you - and you are our awesome God, our mighty King, Lord of lords, creator, redeemer, saviour! We call out to you to first work in us, to renew our strength, fill us with courage by your Holy Spirit. And we call to you to save our children. Pierce the darkness surrounding them, Father in heaven, let the light of your son Jesus shine on them and call them back to you. Deliver our children from evil, from sin, and from the consequences of sin. Lead our children back to life - which is in you and from you. Thank you! Thank you, Father that you are hearing our prayers and you are answering them. Amen
Read yesterday’s post: https://goal31.substack.com/p/anyway
Day seven: https://goal31.substack.com/p/we-speak-the-name-of-jesus
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