"See that I command you to make an effort and be brave; do not fear or faint. Because Jehovah your God will be with you wherever you go "Joshua 1: 7
In the book of Joshua, when the people of Israel were preparing for the conquest of Canaan, and enter the promised land, God promises Joshua that he will never forsake him and requires of him two indispensable virtues, effort and courage. God has not changed today and requires that his children stand up in the face of adversity.
To strive means to continue forward, it is one more step, the extra mile that we must walk before the final victory. People who succeed never look back. The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is the extra effort. Successful men and women are those who do the things that ordinary people do not want to do.
"Brethren, I myself do not pretend to have reached it, but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, and extending to what is before me, I press on to the goal, to the prize of the supreme calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3 : 13-14
Being brave does not mean absence of fear, all men have felt fear at some time. Courage is the ability to continue despite fears. The best way to be brave is to face what we fear. It is better to do things with fear than not to do them because we fear. God has not given us the spirit of cowardice, but of power, love, and self-control.
"God is our refuge and strength, our early help in the tribulations, therefore, we will not fear, although the earth is removed, and the mountains are transferred to the heart of the sea; though their waters are shaken and trembled, and the mountains tremble because of their violence. "Psalm 46: 2
Do not faint Fainting means losing strength. It is very easy to faint when we do things with our arm of flesh. The best way to avoid fainting is to do things God's way and in God's time.
"He gives effort to the weary, and multiplies the strength to which he has none. The boys get tired and tired, the young people weaken and fall; but those who wait for Jehovah will have new strength: they will raise wings like eagles; they will run, and they will not get tired; they will walk and not faint. "Isaiah 40: 29-31.