Ministry

Be Strong and Courageous: 

Be the Voice of God to Someone Else

We all love a good hero story. 

Whether it’s Captain America standing up to bullies, or Joshua standing before a nation with a message of courage, something stirs in us when someone dares to do what’s right, even when it’s hard.

Captain America inspires us not because he’s the strongest, but because he stands up when it matters. 

He says, “I can do this all day.” 

That spirit of courage in the face of fear is what we see in the story of Joshua from the Bible.

Joshua wasn’t always the leader. 

He started as Moses’ assistant. Not exactly a headline role. But when it was time to take the people of Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua stood up. 

He said, “We can do this. God is with us.” 

But sadly, the people didn’t listen. 

They chose fear over faith, and ended up wandering the wilderness for forty more years.

Later, when the time came again, Joshua was no longer just the guy giving the speech, he was the leader. 

And this time, it wasn’t Joshua speaking courage into others. It was God speaking courage into him: 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. I am with you.”

Why did Joshua need that? 

Because even leaders get scared. 

Even heroes hesitate.

And so do we.

All of us have had moments when we didn’t speak up, when we didn’t act, when fear won. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be willing. 

And even more powerful than being courageous yourself is helping someone else be courageous.

You can be the voice of God to someone else.

You can say: 

“I’m with you. Be strong. Be courageous. You’ve got this, and I’m not letting you do it alone.”

Whether you’re a person of faith or not, every single one of us can help someone else stand strong. Every one of us can be a voice of courage. So today, who can you encourage?

Chris Mann

College Pastor