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"Only
be thou strong and very courageous..." Joshua 1:7a
(Selected
from Heart Talks by C.W. Naylor)
Be brave.
Only the brave are strong. The coward is a weakling; if he has
strength, he dares not use it. We must be brave, for life is a
battle. The forces of good and evil are in deadly combat. You cannot
avoid having a part in the conflict. You must fight whether you will
to do so or not. There will be obstacles to meet no matter where
your path may lie. You must overcome them or they in turn will
overcome you.
Do not dream of a time in this life when all your obstacles will be
overcome. There is no day so bright but the darkness follows. There
is no ship that sails the sea but must meet the storms. No tree
sinks its roots so deeply into the soil but its strength is tested
by the gale.
Upon you will blow the piercing winds of adverse circumstances.
Things will come that you cannot foresee. Do not shrink before them
when they appear. Lift up your head, throw back your shoulders, look
them squarely in the face, and with courage born of faith meet them
in the strength God will give you.
Sometimes it may seem that to endure is impossible. Your strength
may fail, but when you have come to the end of yourself, God will
add strength, and that added strength, will mean victory. Be brave.
It is only when you bravely face the foe that you can know the
measure of your strength. There can be no defeat to him who will not
be defeated. Circumstances may prevail against you for a time, but
if you fight manfully on, the seeming defeat will end in victory.
Napoleon once fought a battle and lost. His troops were driven back.
One of his marshals, who with his troops had not arrived in time for
the conflict, came up during the retreat. Napoleon said to him, "We
have lost the battle." "It seems so, sire, " was the reply, "but
there is still time to fight another." Encouraged by the words of
his marshal, Napoleon rallied his troops, attacked the enemy, and
won a great victory.
If defeated, never count that defeat final. Attack the foe again and
keep at it till you win. Bravery is a quality of mind and soul. You
may be weak in body; you may be timid and shrinking, but if you
will, your soul may rise above all this, and wax strong in God.
Courage is the basis of your strength. It will bring strength from
God. But should he give you ever so much strength, only through
courage can you make use of it.
--C. W.
Naylor |
