Courage of Your Faith

 Joshua 1:9

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

The enemy is camped all around us. Satan is using people given to their lust and selfish desires to fight against those who have the courage to stand up for truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ. For too long, those who mock God and deny that Jesus is the truth and the way have controlled the culture of this world. Evil is called good and good is called evil. They have rejected the word of God, and have refused to acknowledge that He is Lord. They have become reprobates and haters of God, being deluded by their corruption that they believe their own lie. In the face of this type of opposition, God says to be of good courage and don’t back down from their accusation. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Charlie Kirk was a man who demonstrated courage for his faith and for the word of God. That is what he desired to be known for, his courage to defend and persuade others to give their lives over to Christ. To believe that Jesus could bring them out of their sins. Much has been said since his assassination on September 10th and his courage has been passed on to thousands of believers. Don’t be afraid of what the enemy can do to you. Like Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Today is the time to let our voices be heard, the cry of the Lion of Judah, and roar it across our land. Jesus is Lord and is the answer to our world’s sinful condition. Be courageous and fearless in this present world. God has promised to be with us.

Be Not Afraid

 John 6:20
He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

After a busy day with Jesus feeding 5,000 men, the disciple left for Capernaum. Heading home for the day. The quickest way to get to Capernaum was to take a boat and sail across the Sea of Galilee. Because of the lower elevation of the Sea of Galilee, the water is warm. The cold air that comes off the surrounding hills causes a weather storm front that creates strong winds. This strong wind causes the sea to billow and makes the sea very turbulent. Such was the case as the disciples transverse their boat across the sea. What started out as a calm ride, they were only about 5 miles into the sea when the waters started to rock the boat. Like the disciples, we don’t know what the day will hold. Our day may start out calm, but by midday, our lifeboat may start to rock. A sudden life storm hits us unaware. Our natural reaction is to fret and worry. It is more than we can handle. Our little boat can’t handle the storm. But Jesus, who cares for His own, appears. He is found in the midst of the storm. He is the one who can calm the waves that trouble our lifeboat. His words bring comfort to our hearts, “Be not afraid.” Circumstances in our life are often out of our control, and there is nothing we can do except trust in the one who can calm the sea and take us to the other side.

Be Not Afraid

 Luke 2:10
 …“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”
Being afraid is a natural instinct of humanity. Fear is an emotion that kicks in when we sense danger. We are not safe and there is a possibility that we are in harm's way. I have seen inscriptions on hats and T-shirts with the words “Fearless”. The message implies that they are not afraid of anything. The reality is that we have an element of fear that God puts in us. The shepherds in the field were not chastised for their fear. Who would not be afraid if angels all of a sudden appeared all around you and a supernatural light glowed all around them. The comfort comes when we are assured that God is in control and putting our trust in Him means that we do not have to fear. When God says, “do not fear”, we can believe that He knows where we are and what we are going through. We no longer have to hold on to our insecurities and fear the unknown. We can let go and rest in the knowledge that God is good and has our back. 

He is Our Refuge- Fear Not

Psalm 46 2,3, 10 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea…Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof… Be still, and know that I am God…

How quickly life can change. In a moment of time, catastrophe can happen. Fear grips the heart when the ground begins to shake and the flood waters of sorrow begin to fill our happy place. Being fearless in the face of calamity and the devastation of loss is easier said than done. Our hope is built on knowing that God is our refuge and He is there to take us through. He is our strength and knows what we are going through. We need to stop and take a breath and be still before Him. Acknowledge His power and love for us. He says, “Fear not, I’m with you”. We don’t need to be afraid as long as we stay still and let Him take control of our situation. Yes, fear and sorrow will come, but we know that all things will work together for good to them that love Him and our doing His will. Breath, and let God fill your heart with His love, for His love will cast out fear.

The Fear of the Lord

Psalm 34:4, 7 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears...The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”

Fear is a nature instinct of human nature. We become afraid when we sense that our lives are in danger. Confronting a stranger(s) that appear to have ill motives in mind is cause for us to run and hide. We like to be safe and secure in our home and places we go. The sound of strange noises in our home in the middle of the night will wake us up and our hearts become fearful that someone is in our home. We grab a bat, a gun, anything that will protect us from the intruder. Such response is natural and God given. But then there is fear that Satan binds us with. Fear of the unknown, fear that God does not care, fear that we are all alone to fight the battle of life on our own. This fear is born from our inability to trust God to take care of us and deliver us from these thoughts. David, the psalmist sought God to remove these thoughts from his mind. He wanted the peace of mind that God was in control and that He would protect him from bad things happening. Fearing God is not to be afraid of Him, but to recognized that God is great and mighty, He is holy and able to do anything. We serve a God who created us in His image and as our Creator we fear Him. We fall down before Him is awe and adoration knowing He is God and He is able to surround us with His presence. To know God is to fear God, for in our fear of Him, we have surrender our lives into His care. 

Piercing the Darkness

Psalm 91:5,6 “ Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night... nor of the pestilence that walketh in darkness...”- 

There is something about the darkness that causes us all to be afraid. Not knowing what may lurk in the shadows or what unforeseen terror we may encounter. In the darkness, we fear the unknown and are consumed by the possibility that it may destroy us. Physical darkness, not being able to see what is in front of us can be disconcerting, especially if we are walking in a place that we are unfamiliar with. When we know that we are going somewhere where it is dark, we take with us some sort of light. We take comfort in knowing that the darkness can be dispelled by the flick of a switch or a push of a button. It reveals the hidden things that our imagination feared. Satan is the prince of darkness, He is the master of instilling fear and causing us to be afraid of the unknown. As Christians, we do not walk in darkness, but we often must walk through darkness. The valley of the shadow of death are real experiences that can bring terror and cause us to despair. But we our the children of the Light, and He will pierce the darkness and cause a light to shine before us to guide us through all our fears and the “what if’s ” of life. We don’t have to be afraid of the sin and wickedness that surrounds us, we our followers of the one that shine the light into the world to set men free from darkness. Thank God for the light of the Holy Spirit that can lead us into the right path. We don’t have to fear, if we walk in the Light.