Strength in  Courage

Deuteronomy 31:6“Be strong  and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he  it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Joshua 1:7-9 “Only be thou  strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the  law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand  or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of  the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day  and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written  therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have  good success. Have not I commanded thee? 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.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 “And  David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear  not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will  not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the  service of the house of the LORD.”

Psalm 31:24 “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen  your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”

Isaiah 41:10-13 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be  not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;  yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.Behold, all they  that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be  as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them,  and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war  against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the LORD thy  God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help  thee.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be  ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as  ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,  quit you like men, be strong.”

Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the  Lord, and in the power of his might.”

Courageous and Unafraid

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I  walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff  they comfort me.”

Psalm 27:1 “The LORD is my  light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life;  of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 56:3-4 “What time I  am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have  put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”

Isaiah 54:4 “Fear not; for  thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put  to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember  the reproach of thy widowhood any more.”

Matthew 10:28 “And fear not  them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him  which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of  fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 “Let your conversation be without  covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I  will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is  my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

1 Peter 3:14-16 “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But  sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to  every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and  fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of  evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in  Christ.”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love  casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect  in love.”

Courage  brings Freedom & Peace

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the  world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be  afraid.”

Romans 8:15 “For ye have  not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the  Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Philippians 1:12-14 “But I  would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me  have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in  Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the  brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak  the word without fear.”

The Study

Courage, do you possess it?

“A truth I have come to realize is that God does not care who you are, man or woman—or where you are, rural town or urban city—when He puts His call out to you. He expects an answer, followed up with perseverance and courage; for the rewards He has planned for you are unimaginable. My reward was excellence in my life in an abundance of ways,”                                                                                                                                            JENNY A. LIABENOW, Major, USAF

When obedient to God’s call, we can be assured that it leads us many times to unfamiliar where courage is required of us. In my life, I have experienced the unfamiliar. It was a place way out of my comfort zone.

We all love comfortable: sitting in the same pew on Sundays, having coffee with the same friends, vacationing in the same location, staying in the same job, volunteering in the same position…but it’s not always the best of us so God expands our horizons and leads us out of familiar to unfamiliar.

Because I made a commitment to be obedient to the task God put before me, I chose to step out of comfortable.  Even though I had done my part to be well prepared for the task, I was sure that I would fail. Lacking confidence in myself and in my ability I walked into the unfamilar and  was welcomed to a wonderful truth. God is faithful and He shows up.

In these scary moments, we have an increased awareness of needing Him. It’s a desperate need. But it is here that God blesses us with His presence, His Words and His anointing.

I like to think that embracing the challenges of the unfamiliar is God’s promotion, an opportunity to grow and to be bold for Him. As a woman of faith of 51 years, I have been so blessed to have had enough of a taste of the majesty of God to want more. More of  His love, His guidance, His strength, and His protection. It is in the unfamiliar, that leap of faith that we take, because we know it’s right, that leads us to the purpose we are meant to find; that leads us to the realization of the God-given dreams in our hearts. It is here that we see God work in a Huge way. But it requires courage.

Read the story of Esther.

This is story of a woman who possessed remarkable courage.  Her courage is even more remarkable when we consider that the name of God is not mentioned in the book of Esther. This is the author’s way of depicting the hidden hand of providence; the Lord’s sustaining power, divine guidance, and care; working in ways that are not immediately discernible to us. Esther trusted this providence even when she had no idea how things would turn out.

Complete pages 77-81 in Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study.

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“Do not be afraid, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Blessing

“You’re blessed when you stay the course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.”