Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Courage.  Maybe you think of it as the stuff of heroes who live extraordinary lives.  But living in this world of uncertainty and living life as a follower of Jesus, takes courage!

Pastor John Beeman points out that we need courage to grow through what we go through in life.[1]  It takes courage to trust that God is present in your circumstances as he says He is (Psalm 16:8, 10:1), when everything in our lives has gone wrong.

It also takes courage to find your identity in what God says, instead of what others say. The pull of the desire to be approved of by others is difficult to defeat without constantly looking to God’s Word for reminders of who He says you are (John 1:12, 15:15, Ephesians 1:7).

Perhaps most difficult, it takes courage to be who you should be when you are not where you want to be.  Are you unmarried, but want to be married?  It takes courage to live God’s way until He meets that desire.  Unemployed and need a job?  It takes courage not to dishonestly embellish your resume.

At times it can seem so difficult for God to get you to the place He wants you.  He is at work in you and wants to supply you with strength and courage.

Here’s His message to you today: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified… for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

 

Resource reading: Acts 27:1-27

 

[1] Beeman, John, Unhindered Courage, January 2, 2022, www.stonecreek.org