Heavenly Father, please give us the courage to walk confidently onto the stage of what you have called us to. Release all worries. In this season of favor, help us to let go and trust You.
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.
For the most part, God’s hand of providence remains hidden, and we do not always know how things will turn out for us. Trusting Him and doing the right thing even if we know it might cost us; is not an easy feat. But I do know for certainty that God is ever working for our good and His glory. God’s protection and favor is available to us just as it was for Esther. Esther’s courage resulted in the deliverance of God’s people.
Have courage and answer His call.
Bonnie Liabenow 