You know the inner voice: “You’re not going to make it financially…you’re not qualified to be a parent…you won’t live to be 50…you are not educated enough for the technology you are dealing with…”
Courage is in short supply right now. You don’t know how to get a “fill up” on courage.
Let Me Give You Some “En–Couraging” Thoughts If Your “C” Meter Is On “E”:
Courage is “spiritual” stubbornness.
Stubbornness that resists God’s will or good sense is wrong. “Spiritual” stubbornness means to be “stout, hard, and unmoveable.” When you are getting pushed around by the enemy, you have to draw a line in the sand: “Enough is enough.”I heard about a bully on the playground who kept a list of names. One day a little skinny, scrawny kid passed by and saw his name on the list.
“What’s that?” he said. “A list of everyone I can beat up” the bully replied.
“You CAN’T beat me up!” the little boy said.
The bully turned his pencil over and erased his name!
Courage is being willing to take a risk.
Foolishness is never clever. Risk-taking, however, can be the most courageous, gutsy, leap of faith move you ever conceived of doing.
- Like when I jumped from the high diving board as a kid.
- Like when I asked Melanie to marry me.
- Like when I agreed to pastor 1500 people at 30.
- Like when I knocked on the door of the Governor’s Mansion (at his invitation) for our first Bible study.
Looking back, life was a series of opportunities that demanded courage to “put my foot in the water.”
Peter did that and walked on water. Joshua did that and crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.
What is the risk staring you in the face?
Courage is relying on someone else to come through.
If someone kicks sand in my face on the beach, I may not have the size to take them on. When I disappear and reappear with my friend who can bench press 500 lbs., I have a strange smirk on my face.
What happened? “My courage came from relying on someone else.”
David’s courage against Goliath…Daniel’s courage to sleep in a den of lions…Peter’s courage to sleep the night before his beheading…all came from their trust in God’s mighty power.
Don’t look at the size of your enemy. Look up at WHO is standing beside you. He is UNCONQUERABLE!
I want to ENCOURAGE you.
You’ve been running away from your opportunities long enough.
You’ve been pushed around by sin, a sickness, a financial deficit, a thought of weakness long enough.
Rise up. Bolster yourself. Get stubborn. Get ruthless against your enemy.
Quote a promise of the Bible and call on the Lord to be by your side.
I FEEL YOUR COURAGE RISING.
DON’T LET YOUR ENEMY TALK YOU OUT OF IT.
“TAKE COURAGE.”
