June 9, 2025 • 14 mins
How do you stand in strength and courage when you don't feel like it? Let's look at some key scriptures and strategies from the Bible that tell us how to be courageous and not get discouraged.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 00 (00:00):
Hello, hello.
Welcome to the Dona WatsonShow.
I'm your host, Dona Watson.
Hi there.
Today I'm going to talk to youabout six ways that you can
cultivate courage and strengthin your life.
(00:22):
Life throws a lot of challengesour way, a lot of adversities.
And as we navigate thesechallenges with wisdom and
courage, how can we do thatwithout being overcome with
discouragement?
We can look in the Bible andfind many places where it can
(00:45):
instruct us on how to do that.
It tells us to be strong.
It tells us to be courageous.
But sometimes it seems likethat is easier said than done.
And how are we supposed to dothat when we don't feel like it,
when we don't feel like astrong person?
That's what we're gonna talkabout today.
(01:05):
I've had lots of opportunitiesto test these strategies in my
own life, whether it was losingmy husband to cancer or going
through a flood on my property.
I mean, there's so many waysthat adversity has come into my
(01:26):
life that has given me a chanceto test what I'm going to share
with you.
So I know that it works, andthat's why I'm really excited
that I get to share this withyou today.
I've come to find the truth inthese strategies, and it is my
hope that you will as well.
I love Proverbs 21:31.
(01:47):
In the New Living, it says, Thehorse is prepared for the day
of battle, but the victorybelongs to the Lord." Now while
we need to keep in mind that Godis the one who enables us to
achieve the victory like itstates in this scripture, we
(02:09):
still need to prepare the horsefor the battle.
We need to do everything thatwe can to make sure that we are
set up for victory.
The Bible offers us lots ofpractical ways that we can
cultivate strength and couragewhile avoiding discouragement.
(02:31):
So let's jump right in.
The first key point that I wantto talk to you about is we can
cultivate courage and strengthin our life by simply trusting
in God's promises and in Hispresence.
Joshua 1:9 is one of myfavorite scriptures of all time.
(02:56):
And it's where the Lord comesto Joshua and he says, "Have I
not commanded you, be strong andof good courage, do not be
afraid nor be dismayed, for theLord your God is with you
wherever you go."Not only is this important
because it tells us what we needto do, but it also tells us
(03:18):
why.
It connects us our beingstrong, it connects our being
courageous directly toremembering that the Lord is
going to be with us wherever wego.
Just like he was with Joshua,he has been with me, and he
(03:39):
probably has been with you tooif you've been walking in the
way.
This theme appears throughoutscripture.
That courage comes from knowingthat you're not alone in facing
your struggles.
We can take heart in knowingthat God is there with us.
(03:59):
He's walking with us.
And that brings so muchcomfort.
Knowing that God's got our backreally helps us to be strong
and to stand with lots ofstrength and courage.
The second key point andstrategy that you can use in
(04:21):
being strong and courageous isto meditate on and obey God's
word.
It is so important to read yourWord, to read the Bible, every
day.
In this same passage fromJoshua, chapter 1 verse 9, God
is telling Joshua to meditate onthe law day and night and to be
(04:44):
careful to obey it.
We see also in the Psalms, theyrepeatedly emphasize how God's
Word provides strength andguidance.
For example, Psalm 119 verse 28says, "My soul is weary with
sorrow, strengthen me accordingto your word." God's word brings
(05:09):
us strength.
And that's why we need to readit every day because of the
words and the promises that arein there that bolster us when
we're feeling down and reallyhelps the Lord speak into our
hearts.
The third strategy is toremember God's past faithfulness
(05:32):
to you.
This is one reason why Ijournal.
I love to write down thevictories in my life, the things
that God's done for me, thethings that have gone right.
I don't believe in coincidence.
I believe that everythinghappens for a reason and that
God's hand is in control of mylife.
(05:53):
And that way, when I'm in myjournal, I can go back and I can
look and see what God has donefor my life and remember that he
hasn't failed me before, he'snot gonna fail me again.
We see a similar thing in theBible with Bible characters like
(06:15):
David.
When he fought Goliath, heremembered and got courage from
remembering that God haddelivered him from the lions and
the bears.
And he knew that if Goddelivered him from the lions and
the bears, that he woulddeliver him from the giant
Goliath as well, because he hadGod's kingdom in mind, not his
(06:42):
selfish needs.
The Israelites also wererepeatedly told to remember how
God had delivered them fromEgypt.
It was an important remembrancestone.
And that is something that wecan do.
We can remember what God hasdone for us and use that to
(07:05):
build our courage and ourstrength for the current
adversity that we are in,knowing that God is not gonna
fail us.
The next strategy is to pray andcast your anxiety on God.
This is biblical.
Philippians chapter four,verses six and seven instructs
(07:27):
believers not to be anxious, butto present their requests to
God through prayer.
This scripture promises thatGod's peace will guard their
hearts and their minds.
It says, "Do not be anxiousabout anything, but in every
situation, by prayer andpetition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God,and the peace of God which
(07:50):
transcends allunderstanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
These words of Paul's are sotrue.
When we present everything toGod, we turn it over to Him, we
know He's got our back, and wetell Him what we need.
(08:10):
We can know that He's going tohelp take care of that, and we
don't have to worry about it.
We can just dismiss it from ourmind and let God's peace invade
our hearts.
1 Peter 5.7 says to "cast allyour anxiety on Him because He
cares for you." And that's whatwe get to do.
(08:36):
The fifth strategy is to focuson God's character rather than
the circumstances.
For this point, we're going togo to the book of Isaiah,
chapter 40, verse 31.
It's a very famous passage.
(08:57):
"Those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength.
They will soar on wings likeeagles.
They will run and not growweary.
They will walk and not befaint."
This scripture from Isaiahpromises that those who hope in
the Lord will will renew theirstrength.
(09:19):
That is a promise you can beton.
You can take that to the bank.
The Bible consistently pointsto how God's power, his
faithfulness, and his love isthe foundation for our courage.
And that allows us to rely onhim rather than having to stand
(09:42):
in our own human strength alone.
You see, God is bigger than anyadversity we will ever face.
And what a comfort that is.
It has been to me.
I know that no matter whatcomes my way, He's not
surprised.
He knows what was coming myway.
(10:04):
And He already has madeprovision for helping me through
that adversity and to come outthe other side a stronger person
because I was able to know thatGod had my back.
I can do this.
I can do all things throughChrist who strengthens me.
(10:27):
And that brings me to the sixthpoint.
When you're going throughadversity in particular, it's
important to surround yourselfwith strong, like-minded people,
with an encouraging community.
There's a scripture inEcclesiastes, chapter 4, verse
12, that says,"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." When
(10:54):
we stand together, we arestronger.
We can encourage each other.
We don't have to do everythingall by ourselves.
If you don't have a team, it'sa good time to find one.
Find people who can stand withyou, who will be able to
encourage you when you're down.
(11:16):
Hebrews 10:24-25says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
This scripture encouragesbelievers to spur one another
(11:43):
towards love and good deeds,rather than to go our own way
and be on our own and do thelone wolf thing, but to stand
together stronger.
There's two sides to this coinalso.
Not just that you're relying onothers, but that you are there
(12:05):
for other people, that you'rethere looking to encourage your
friends in the community to givestrength to them as well.
So we see according to theseprinciples and these scriptures
that I've laid out today, thatin the Bible, true courage comes
(12:26):
not from self-reliance, butfrom anchoring yourself in God's
unchanging character and in hispromises for you.
And that is where you can findtrue courage today and you can
do what Joshua did and be strongand courageous, knowing that
(12:52):
God's got your back.
And if this blessed you, I wannashare one more resource with
you.
I still have available myWarrior Queen book bundle to
help you thrive and have couragein these chaotic times.
There's a link in the shownotes, I've put together a very
(13:13):
special bundle with a reallysteep discount so that you can
get the paperback book, thepaperback study guide that goes
with it of Be the Warrior Queen,which is full of practical
Christian strategies to help youstand strong.
You also get the audiobook.
(13:33):
And there's some other bonusesin there that I have for you
that I think will help you andbless you.
So look for that in the shownotes.
And until next time, be strongand courageous.
Know that God's got your back.
You got this.
Love you guys.
Bye-bye.
(13:56):
If you loved this, please giveit a like or thumbs up or leave
a comment with your thoughts.
I love to hear from you andyour comments help me to know
what topics you'd like to see mecover.
For more information on mybooks and other projects, visit
my website at DonaWatson.com ormy Substack at
DonaWatson.substack.com.
Hello, hello.
Welcome to the Dona WatsonShow.
I'm your host, Dona Watson.
Hi there.
Today I'm going to talk to youabout six ways that you can
cultivate courage and strengthin your life.
(00:22):
Life throws a lot of challengesour way, a lot of adversities.
And as we navigate thesechallenges with wisdom and
courage, how can we do thatwithout being overcome with
discouragement?
We can look in the Bible andfind many places where it can
(00:45):
instruct us on how to do that.
It tells us to be strong.
It tells us to be courageous.
But sometimes it seems likethat is easier said than done.
And how are we supposed to dothat when we don't feel like it,
when we don't feel like astrong person?
That's what we're gonna talkabout today.
(01:05):
I've had lots of opportunitiesto test these strategies in my
own life, whether it was losingmy husband to cancer or going
through a flood on my property.
I mean, there's so many waysthat adversity has come into my
(01:26):
life that has given me a chanceto test what I'm going to share
with you.
So I know that it works, andthat's why I'm really excited
that I get to share this withyou today.
I've come to find the truth inthese strategies, and it is my
hope that you will as well.
I love Proverbs 21:31.
(01:47):
In the New Living, it says, Thehorse is prepared for the day
of battle, but the victorybelongs to the Lord." Now while
we need to keep in mind that Godis the one who enables us to
achieve the victory like itstates in this scripture, we
(02:09):
still need to prepare the horsefor the battle.
We need to do everything thatwe can to make sure that we are
set up for victory.
The Bible offers us lots ofpractical ways that we can
cultivate strength and couragewhile avoiding discouragement.
(02:31):
So let's jump right in.
The first key point that I wantto talk to you about is we can
cultivate courage and strengthin our life by simply trusting
in God's promises and in Hispresence.
Joshua 1:9 is one of myfavorite scriptures of all time.
(02:56):
And it's where the Lord comesto Joshua and he says, "Have I
not commanded you, be strong andof good courage, do not be
afraid nor be dismayed, for theLord your God is with you
wherever you go."Not only is this important
because it tells us what we needto do, but it also tells us
(03:18):
why.
It connects us our beingstrong, it connects our being
courageous directly toremembering that the Lord is
going to be with us wherever wego.
Just like he was with Joshua,he has been with me, and he
(03:39):
probably has been with you tooif you've been walking in the
way.
This theme appears throughoutscripture.
That courage comes from knowingthat you're not alone in facing
your struggles.
We can take heart in knowingthat God is there with us.
(03:59):
He's walking with us.
And that brings so muchcomfort.
Knowing that God's got our backreally helps us to be strong
and to stand with lots ofstrength and courage.
The second key point andstrategy that you can use in
(04:21):
being strong and courageous isto meditate on and obey God's
word.
It is so important to read yourWord, to read the Bible, every
day.
In this same passage fromJoshua, chapter 1 verse 9, God
is telling Joshua to meditate onthe law day and night and to be
(04:44):
careful to obey it.
We see also in the Psalms, theyrepeatedly emphasize how God's
Word provides strength andguidance.
For example, Psalm 119 verse 28says, "My soul is weary with
sorrow, strengthen me accordingto your word." God's word brings
(05:09):
us strength.
And that's why we need to readit every day because of the
words and the promises that arein there that bolster us when
we're feeling down and reallyhelps the Lord speak into our
hearts.
The third strategy is toremember God's past faithfulness
(05:32):
to you.
This is one reason why Ijournal.
I love to write down thevictories in my life, the things
that God's done for me, thethings that have gone right.
I don't believe in coincidence.
I believe that everythinghappens for a reason and that
God's hand is in control of mylife.
(05:53):
And that way, when I'm in myjournal, I can go back and I can
look and see what God has donefor my life and remember that he
hasn't failed me before, he'snot gonna fail me again.
We see a similar thing in theBible with Bible characters like
(06:15):
David.
When he fought Goliath, heremembered and got courage from
remembering that God haddelivered him from the lions and
the bears.
And he knew that if Goddelivered him from the lions and
the bears, that he woulddeliver him from the giant
Goliath as well, because he hadGod's kingdom in mind, not his
(06:42):
selfish needs.
The Israelites also wererepeatedly told to remember how
God had delivered them fromEgypt.
It was an important remembrancestone.
And that is something that wecan do.
We can remember what God hasdone for us and use that to
(07:05):
build our courage and ourstrength for the current
adversity that we are in,knowing that God is not gonna
fail us.
The next strategy is to pray andcast your anxiety on God.
This is biblical.
Philippians chapter four,verses six and seven instructs
(07:27):
believers not to be anxious, butto present their requests to
God through prayer.
This scripture promises thatGod's peace will guard their
hearts and their minds.
It says, "Do not be anxiousabout anything, but in every
situation, by prayer andpetition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God,and the peace of God which
(07:50):
transcends allunderstanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
These words of Paul's are sotrue.
When we present everything toGod, we turn it over to Him, we
know He's got our back, and wetell Him what we need.
(08:10):
We can know that He's going tohelp take care of that, and we
don't have to worry about it.
We can just dismiss it from ourmind and let God's peace invade
our hearts.
1 Peter 5.7 says to "cast allyour anxiety on Him because He
cares for you." And that's whatwe get to do.
(08:36):
The fifth strategy is to focuson God's character rather than
the circumstances.
For this point, we're going togo to the book of Isaiah,
chapter 40, verse 31.
It's a very famous passage.
(08:57):
"Those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength.
They will soar on wings likeeagles.
They will run and not growweary.
They will walk and not befaint."
This scripture from Isaiahpromises that those who hope in
the Lord will will renew theirstrength.
(09:19):
That is a promise you can beton.
You can take that to the bank.
The Bible consistently pointsto how God's power, his
faithfulness, and his love isthe foundation for our courage.
And that allows us to rely onhim rather than having to stand
(09:42):
in our own human strength alone.
You see, God is bigger than anyadversity we will ever face.
And what a comfort that is.
It has been to me.
I know that no matter whatcomes my way, He's not
surprised.
He knows what was coming myway.
(10:04):
And He already has madeprovision for helping me through
that adversity and to come outthe other side a stronger person
because I was able to know thatGod had my back.
I can do this.
I can do all things throughChrist who strengthens me.
(10:27):
And that brings me to the sixthpoint.
When you're going throughadversity in particular, it's
important to surround yourselfwith strong, like-minded people,
with an encouraging community.
There's a scripture inEcclesiastes, chapter 4, verse
12, that says,"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." When
(10:54):
we stand together, we arestronger.
We can encourage each other.
We don't have to do everythingall by ourselves.
If you don't have a team, it'sa good time to find one.
Find people who can stand withyou, who will be able to
encourage you when you're down.
(11:16):
Hebrews 10:24-25says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
This scripture encouragesbelievers to spur one another
(11:43):
towards love and good deeds,rather than to go our own way
and be on our own and do thelone wolf thing, but to stand
together stronger.
There's two sides to this coinalso.
Not just that you're relying onothers, but that you are there
(12:05):
for other people, that you'rethere looking to encourage your
friends in the community to givestrength to them as well.
So we see according to theseprinciples and these scriptures
that I've laid out today, thatin the Bible, true courage comes
(12:26):
not from self-reliance, butfrom anchoring yourself in God's
unchanging character and in hispromises for you.
And that is where you can findtrue courage today and you can
do what Joshua did and be strongand courageous, knowing that
(12:52):
God's got your back.
And if this blessed you, I wannashare one more resource with
you.
I still have available myWarrior Queen book bundle to
help you thrive and have couragein these chaotic times.
There's a link in the shownotes, I've put together a very
(13:13):
special bundle with a reallysteep discount so that you can
get the paperback book, thepaperback study guide that goes
with it of Be the Warrior Queen,which is full of practical
Christian strategies to help youstand strong.
You also get the audiobook.
(13:33):
And there's some other bonusesin there that I have for you
that I think will help you andbless you.
So look for that in the shownotes.
And until next time, be strongand courageous.
Know that God's got your back.
You got this.
Love you guys.
Bye-bye.
(13:56):
If you loved this, please giveit a like or thumbs up or leave
a comment with your thoughts.
I love to hear from you andyour comments help me to know
what topics you'd like to see mecover.
For more information on mybooks and other projects, visit
my website at DonaWatson.com ormy Substack at
DonaWatson.substack.com.
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