In Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV as Moses is transitioning his leadership to a man named, Joshua, he tells the nation of Israel to “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

 Here’s a bit of fun historical trivia for you…What do these three men have in common?

–  The Auto racer who set the world speed record at Daytona in 1914.

–  The pilot who recorded the most aerial combat victories against the Germans in WWI.

–  The Secretary of War’s special advisor who survived a plane crash and 22 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean during WWII.

The acceptable answers would be:  they all lived through some dangerous circumstances, they all displayed courage and they were all the same man, Eddie Rickenbaker.

And because of all this, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, 8 Distinguished Service Crosses and the French Legion of Honor. He was promoted to captain and put in command of his own squadron & nicknamed the American Ace of Aces.  When he was asked about his courage he admitted that he had been afraid, but then said, “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.

Listen, those who have the courage to step out and take risks and those who don’t both experience the same amount of fear in life. The only difference is that one overcomes it and moves forward, and the other lets it stop them in their tracks.  So your life actually expands in proportion to your courage or you allow fear to limit your life. Courage is never the absence of fear; it’s DOING what you are afraid to do…it’s having the willingness to step out into new territory even though it’s a scary thing.

Psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp says “All the significant battles are waged within self.”, so the battle is actually won or lost inside you first.

Today, God is asking us to have the COURAGE to face what’s in front of us. Haddon Robinson once said, “in any situation, what you ARE determines what you SEE; what you SEE determines what you DO.” Courage will always give you the right perspective. The Lord your God is the One who goes with you, and He will never leave you alone!