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Let
me be……COURAGEOUS!
“Being
courageous is being willing to sacrifice my fear on the alter of obedience.”
Are
you afraid? Are you overwhelmed? Does fear steal the joy and confidence that
the Lord wants you to be filled with?
There
are many situations in life that challenge us to step out and be brave even
when we are afraid. This takes courage. But, also we are called to a life of
courage. Courage that helps keep our hearts pure, to choose right and godly
choices in the midst of everyday decisions.
“Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,
for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.”
-Joshua 1:9
“Be strong, and let
your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”
–Psalms 31:24
When
I was 12, I had the opportunity to join a group of girls that were in the “popular” crowd for a movie. I wasn’t usually a part of that certain group, but because my parents were
at one of their houses visiting with their parents, I was asked to go. The movie
was cleared through my parents and we were dropped off.
When we got to the front of the line, we were told that the movie only
had seats in the very front available. So the girls all around me started to
make a plan to get the ticket then head into another movie that happened to be
an “R” rated thriller. I was faced with a choice. Do I go along to fit in, or be
courageous and call my folks to pick me up? I chose to call my folks. However, the girl I went with also got picked up and I was treated terribly from
then on out by this group of girls. This choice marked my life in many ways. What seemed like a small step of courage in a difficult situation helped distance me from that same group who would later suffer consequences of their rebellion. But for me, it helped to keep my heart
tender to choose the way in which I would go then, and still today 26 years later. I am thankful that I had the choice that day to stand and show courage, the same courage I still need to have time and time again in difficult decisions.
Is
it always easy to stand up for what is right? No. Is it always convenient to
flee temptation? Sometimes. And other times we must cast off whatever might entangle us(like
Joseph and his garmet) and flee. God provides a way, but we must be courageous
enough to take it.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common
to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your
ability, but with the temptation he
will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
-1 Cor. 10:13
How are
you being asked to be courageous? Is Jesus asking you to step out and start a
conversation with a neighbor you don’t know yet? Is he asking you to change the
topic when you hear gossip, or to stand up and walk away? Is he giving you
opportunities to trust him when it’s not easy and it requires courage? What
does it look like in your life?
“for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for
my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I
will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” -Phil.
1:19-21
Courage is asking you to lean in and TRUST that Jesus is
faithful. He is the only one who can fill you so that it is HIM in you being
strong. “Being courageous to do what is right doesn’t make me ‘better’, but
simply becomeing less of myself and more of Him(Jesus).”
When I look back at all the times I have had to step out and
be courageous, it is always being willing to trust the outcome to Jesus. I have
never been disappointed when I see how those courageous moments have shaped me, because those moments have given me purpose and fellowship with him.
“I have said these
things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
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