A phrase repeated many time in the Bible. Two simple words, with simple meanings:
Strong – of great moral power, firmness, or courage
Courageous – not deterred by danger or pain; brave
Now let’s take a look at what it really means to be Strong and Courageous. One of the best examples of this in the Bible is certainly the story of Joshua. Joshua spent many years helping Moses in the wilderness after the Exodus form Egypt. Moses was told by God that it was his time to die, and that Joshua would take his place to lead the Israelites through the Jordan River and to the land they were promised. Although Joshua had already spent many years helping Moses, there is a huge difference between helping the leader, and being the leader. This certainly takes an extra measure of courage to step up to the plate. God repeated the phrase “Be strong and courageous” many times to Joshua. God went on to tell him:
"No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.” - Joshua 1:5
I’m sure this was very comforting to Joshua, and should be comforting to us. God’s statement here does not only apply to Joshua. It also applies to us, IF we are willing to stand up, depart from our former sinful ways, and be a courageous leader for God.
If your anything like me, it is very easy to justify your own actions and think you’re doing things right. You may be thinking “well I am in a position of leadership at (work|church|home|baseball team|etc) and I do a good job, so I guess I’m already a courageous leader.” Cool, done, moving on. Hold on just a minute! Do you measure your success by the opinions of your peers, or the opinion of God? Are you putting others first and truly serving them, or just leading them for your own agenda? We all need to take the time to prayerfully examine out motives behind what we are doing. Being a strong and courageous leader doesn’t mean being a strong boss. It means you are of great moral power and brave enough to server others, while leading them on the path of what is right, not just what is popular.
The best example of this is a movie produced by Sherwood Pictures in 2011. It is a movie simply titled Courageous – Honor begins at home. If you have not seen it, I strongly recommend it. If you have a spouse, children, friends, or anyone else who looks up to you, you owe it to them to ask yourself, “Am I being a good father or just a good enough father”. I am no longer content with being a good enough father. My family deserves a strong and courageous leader of their family. A leader with great moral power who will keep their actions honorable and answerable to God. A leader who is brave enough to do what is right and unafraid of ridicule. This leader will be me. Will you be a Strong and Courageous leader for those around you?