Be strong and courageous

A few quick questions.

1. This one is probably going to seem like an obvious answer - but - in the bible, how many commandments are there?  

2. What are some of them?

3. Do you think there are any other commandments that God has given us?

Here's one:

Joshua 1:9 (NIV):Have I not commanded you?  (There's that word - command) Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go.

Here's another:

Deuteronomy 31:6:Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.

So, here's another question - in these verses, are these verses only telling us to Be Strong and Be Courageous or is there something more?   I think there is something more that God is telling us here.   I believe God is also telling us to not live in fear and to let go of our fears.   The reason we need to let go of our fears is that they hold us back.   Our fears keep us from moving forward in several areas of our lives and may keep us from living the lives that God wants us to have.

You see, John 10:10 (NIV) tells us that The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life; and have it to the full.   In the KJV this verse ends with "have life more abundantly".     Would you agree that fear, in some ways, holds us all back from living as abundant a life as God wants for us?

You see, we can take the above verses either as a recommendation OR we can take them to heart and take God up on his promises.   God is so invested in us getting over our fears and insecurities that He doesn't just command strength and bravery, but he backs up His command with His attendance in our lives. 

However, we all find various reasons to be afraid and the result is that we let that fear hold us back.    You see, fear tries to call God powerless.  It actually says to us "You may have God, be He is not enough.   You really should still be worried.  The worst is going to happen.   You WILL fail!"   Can you see how fear is at odds with God and God's plans for us?   God loves us, and that perfect love casts out all fear.   That is what makes God our perfect Kind and is also why he is so dangerous to the enemy. 

1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love.   Bet perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

God can command us to be strong and courageous because He alone is the insurance policy for our success.   God is not encouraging us to be strong because we're great, but because HE is great.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I leave you with this really good news: these verses deliver us the freedom to do more than any of us have ever done.  Being courageous means that we are no longer afraid to fail.  Being courageous means doing and attempting things that we ordinarily wouldn’t try. 

Does it mean we won’t fail?   Of course not.  There will be times that we may fail for a variety of reasons but God will be there to catch us we will continue to grow through those failures and our experiences will allow us to experience a greater, more abundant life, than we would by letting fear stand in the way.