Strong and Courageous

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The child of God should realize that God is their strength, protector, defender, and promoter. This begs an answer to the question - If God is all of these things to us, why do we allow the devil to make us feel discouraged and defeated? If the enemy can get us to believe that we are paupers instead of children of the King, he has accomplished his task of winning the fight before it even begins. Satan is a liar!!  In John's  gospel, Jesus confronted some Jewish people who simply claimed to be God's children by their genealogy. In His remarks He clearly called Satan  a liar and the "father of lies".  “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭NLT No family line can save us. Certainly, a good family line can rear us in the teaching of the truth. However, simply being born into a particular family doesn't make us a child of God. Only those who truly know Jesus Christ are God's children.  When we are His children, we are under His protection and care. Our Father knows what we need. He cares about our welfare. He is right here with us. He will not fail or forsake us!! Let us place our full confidence in His ability, not our own. 
Today, you may feel weak and without strength to overcome. If you trust in the Lord Jesus as your Master, don't listen to the voice of the liar, Satan. Listen to the voice of the Triumphant Lord of lords and King of kings. He is with you right now. Trust in Him. Lean on His everlasting arm. Be strong and courageous! Let me leave you with this verse from Joshua: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬