BE OF GOOD COURAGE by C. L. Taylor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Oct 12, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 40.

BE OF GOOD COURAGE.

By C. L. Taylor

BY C. L. TAYLOR.

“Be strong and of a good courage.” “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage.”

THERE is absolutely nothing which God calls upon men to do which they can not perform. It were as easy to fly at the command of our Father as to walk at His command, because in His word is the power which enables one to do what is required.

In one sense the Lord is constantly asking of His people the impossible; that is, that which they of themselves are utterly unable to accomplish. He requires more than any one can render. All that man may reasonably ask of his fellow man is that he do the best he can; but God tells him to do better than he can.

You will remember that Jesus at one time said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this they said in amazement, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied,

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Jesus simply stated that is true to a great extent of everybody; namely, that in entering the kingdom there are some things which are commanded which are impossible if left to be done by human power alone.

Now this is especially true in the matter of courage. How can a person be of good courage when he is literally filled with discouragement? How can one be bright and sunshiny when he has “blues” in the very worst form? As well might one try to be white when he is black. It is simply out of the question for a weak, cowardly heart to make itself strong and courageous.

And yet, God calls upon His servants to do that very thing. “I have commanded thee, says He, to ‘be strong and of good courage.’”

Of the man at the pool of Bethesda Jesus asked an equally impossible thing when He said to him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” The cripple rose up, however, in obedience to the Master’s word, doing that which for thirty-eight years he had tried in vain to do. There was no struggle or painful effort of any kind connected with the doing; it was a blessed experience throughout. And from it there comes to men and women of to-day the assurance that as he could rise and walk when commanded, so one in obedience to the divine Voice may now rise up out of his blues and cowardice and discouragement and live a bright and strong and courageous Christian life.

The secret of the whole matter lies in the exercise of the will in response to God’s word. Or, to state it in another way, the truth is found by means of faith. Faith in the command of the Lord causes that command to become a part of one’s self. The Bible makes it very plain that to believe—have faith—in the word is the equivalent of receiving the word. John 1:12. And as the word of the Lord is full of power (Ps. 29:4), therefore he who receives the word will be filled with power. And when the power comes into the life, the work called for by the command is performed by the command itself.

God speaks of those things which be not as though they were. Rom. 4:17. He has a right to speak thus because He is the Creator. That which was not before He speaks, is brought into existence by His speaking. His speaking makes the thing a fact. Now, when His word is taken by His people and is allowed to speak to them, that which was not in them before the word was received, is a fact at once when it is received.

It matters not who the person nor what his condition, he is able to say, “I will” to God’s command; and in thus responding, he opens the door to the Lord Jesus who comes in and does away with all the evils of his nature and makes him upright and pure. When the discouraged man hears the word of God saying, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage,” he may willingly and voluntarily respond, Yes, Lord, and I will be of good courage; and so soon as he thus yields himself to the great Jehovah, the courage of heaven enters into his soul and he has a new experience. The word of God does the work, not himself. He simply wills himself to God; he opens the door to the reception of all that is in the word.

Are you discouraged? You need be so no longer. Take your Bible, your Father’s letter to you; find His command to “be of good courage,” read it carefully; and then, without any regard to natural feelings, yield to it, and claim it as yours. Say in faith, Lord, thou hast told me to be of good courage, and my heart says, Amen. The courage in Thy word, I now take into my soul. I thank Thee for the gift. I am of good courage. And let me assure you that you will have all that God calls for.

This is not a theory. It is a tried, well-proved plan. To a young man greatly discouraged and cast down the Lord sent, through His servant, this message: “Will you not, without delay, place yourself in right relation to God? . . . Give Satan no chance to say, You are a wretched hypocrite. Close the door, so that Satan will not thus accuse and dishearten you. Say, I will believe, I do believe that God is my helper, and you will find that you are triumphant in God. By steadfastly keeping the will on the Lord’s side, every emotion will be brought into captivity to the will of Jesus. You will then find your feet on solid rock.” “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”