Courage
Bible Verses About Courage: Strength for the Step in Front of You
Updated
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Courage arrives in Scripture as a command, which sounds unfair until you notice the reason attached to it. Joshua is not told to feel brave; he is told that God goes with him. The courage commanded is a response to a fact, not a mood to be manufactured.
Joshua received this word at a threshold, not in a settled season. Moses had died, the river was uncrossed, and the people were watching. Biblical courage almost always shows up at the edge of something — which means fear is not evidence that you have missed God's will.
Notice also how small the assignment is. Joshua is not asked to conquer the land today; he is asked to cross a river. Courage rarely requires a lifetime of nerve at once. It requires the next obedient step, taken with God present in it.
Author & editorial board
Written by
Daniel Okonkwo — M.Div., Biblical Studies
Editor, Year for the Word
Daniel writes the daily reflections for Year for the Word. He has spent fifteen years teaching Scripture in local churches and small groups, with a focus on making the whole Bible readable in a single year.
Reviewed by
Rev. Marianne Silva — M.Div., Pastoral Theology
Pastoral Reviewer
Marianne reviews every topical guide for doctrinal accuracy and pastoral tone before publication, drawing on two decades of parish ministry and lay-leader training.
Practical takeaways
- Write down the one thing you have been avoiding, then reduce it to the smallest honest next step and do that step today.
- Read Joshua 1:1-9 aloud each morning this week, emphasising the phrase 'the LORD your God is with you'.
- Tell one person what you intend to do; courage borrowed from company still counts.
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