Life has a way of confronting you with situations that require more strength and courage than you feel capable of mustering. The diagnosis that terrifies you. The conversation that intimidates you. The decision that paralyzes you. The challenge that seems impossible. The loss that devastates you. In these moments, your natural reserves of strength run out, your courage fails, and you’re left feeling inadequate and afraid.
This is precisely where God meets His people. Throughout Scripture, when God calls someone to do something difficult or face something overwhelming, His consistent message is “be strong and courageous, for I am with you.” Biblical strength isn’t about mustering more willpower or pretending to be brave. It’s about drawing on God’s power when yours runs out and finding courage in His presence when fear threatens to overwhelm you.
These verses speak directly to the moments when you feel weak and afraid. They remind you that God is your strength, that His presence gives courage, and that you can face whatever lies ahead not because you’re capable but because He is with you and will sustain you through every challenge.
Bible Verses About Strength and Courage
1. Joshua 1:9 – Be Strong and Courageous
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
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2. Psalm 46:1 – God Is Our Refuge and Strength
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
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3. Isaiah 41:10 – I Will Strengthen You and Help You
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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4. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All This Through Him
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
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5. Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be Strong and Courageous
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
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6. 2 Timothy 1:7 – God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
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7. Ephesians 6:10 – Be Strong in the Lord
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
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8. Isaiah 40:29 – He Gives Strength to the Weary
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
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9. Psalm 28:7 – The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
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10. 1 Corinthians 16:13 – Be on Your Guard; Stand Firm
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
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11. Psalm 73:26 – God Is the Strength of My Heart
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
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12. Isaiah 40:31 – They Will Renew Their Strength
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
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13. Nehemiah 8:10 – The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength
Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
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14. 2 Corinthians 12:9 – My Grace Is Sufficient for You
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
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15. Psalm 18:32 – It Is God Who Arms Me With Strength
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
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16. 1 Chronicles 16:11 – Look to the Lord and His Strength
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
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17. Psalm 27:1 – The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
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18. 2 Samuel 22:33 – God Arms Me With Strength
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
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19. Habakkuk 3:19 – The Sovereign Lord Is My Strength
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
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20. Psalm 31:24 – Be Strong and Take Heart
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
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21. 1 Chronicles 28:20 – Be Strong and Courageous, and Do the Work
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”
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22. Isaiah 12:2 – God Is My Strength
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
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23. Psalm 118:14 – The Lord Is My Strength and My Defense
The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
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24. Romans 8:31 – If God Is for Us
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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25. Proverbs 24:10 – If You Falter in a Time of Trouble
If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!
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26. Psalm 138:3 – You Greatly Emboldened Me
When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
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27. Joel 3:10 – Let the Weakling Say, “I Am Strong”
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”
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28. Psalm 84:5 – Blessed Are Those Whose Strength Is in You
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
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29. 2 Chronicles 15:7 – Be Strong and Do Not Give Up
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
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30. Psalm 29:11 – The Lord Gives Strength to His People
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
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31. Isaiah 35:4 – Be Strong, Do Not Fear
Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
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32. Psalm 68:35 – God Gives Power and Strength
You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!
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33. 1 Peter 5:10 – Will Himself Restore You and Make You Strong
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
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34. Isaiah 26:4 – The Lord Is the Rock Eternal
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
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35. Colossians 1:11 – Being Strengthened With All Power
Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Strength and Courage
The consistent pattern throughout Scripture is that God commands His people to be strong and courageous immediately before or during impossible situations. He told Joshua this when facing the conquest of Canaan. He told David to be strong when passing leadership to Solomon. He tells us to be strong and courageous, not because we naturally possess these qualities but because His presence guarantees them. Biblical courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving forward despite fear because you trust God more than you trust your circumstances.
What’s crucial to understand is that strength and courage in Scripture are always connected to God’s presence and power. The command “be strong and courageous” is immediately followed by “for the Lord your God is with you.” It’s not “try harder” or “fake it until you make it.” It’s “draw on My strength because yours isn’t sufficient.” Paul says God’s power is made perfect in weakness, which means our inadequacy becomes the perfect opportunity for His adequacy to shine through.
The Bible also shows us that strength and courage aren’t personality traits some people have and others don’t. They’re spiritual resources available to everyone who trusts God. Gideon was hiding in a winepress when God called him a mighty warrior. Moses had a speech impediment when God sent him to confront Pharaoh. God specializes in using weak people to display His strength.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to You feeling weak and afraid. The challenges I face seem bigger than my capacity to handle them, and I’m tempted to give up or avoid what You’ve called me to do. Help me to remember that true strength comes from You, not from my own resources.
Give me the courage to face what intimidates me, knowing that You are with me wherever I go. When fear threatens to paralyze me, remind me that You have not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-discipline. When I feel inadequate, help me to draw on Your strength that is made perfect in my weakness.
Arm me with Your strength and keep my way secure. Make my feet like the feet of a deer so I can tread on the heights You’ve called me to. Let me trust that if You are for me, nothing that stands against me can ultimately prevail.
Help me to be strong and courageous, not in my own power but in Yours. Let Your presence be the source of my boldness and Your promises be the foundation of my confidence.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.