Thursday, July 21, 2011

Strong and Courageous


Have you ever had to believe for the impossible?   There's a few times in life that we come to the place where questions must be honestly answered:
Do I believe God?
Do I believe what God says?

When the stuff of life comes at us, when we face something that no one can fix, when we must make the choice to either have faith or make room for  fear, then, we discover what life with Christ is really about.  Living in Christ is not even close to the soft Christian stuff discussed on a nice sunny Sunday morning in a neat and tidy package, but about hard core take-a-leap-of-faith-kind-of-living.
The thing is . . . we must be turn away from weak faith which gets us no where . . . to live in Christ's peace, strength, and courage, flowing over and in us.  
I'm convinced God uses the stuff of life to form us into courageous Christ followers who believe, without doubt, all things are possible, who know God is the God of miracles, who stand firm, refusing to budge when the going gets tough.  But.  There's a sector of the people who want to believe, who hope what God says is true, but never discover the richness of living strong and courageously in Christ.  

Consider what God says:
 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NLT)

God makes it clear.  Faith, the kind that moves us forward, requires guts and determination.  There's not room for fear when it comes to immersing our life in the presence and power of God.  Fear is whatever turns our attention away from God.  It comes in all sizes and shapes, but it messes with us, making us feel powerless.

God has provided a pathway through Christ to live strong and courageously.
Christ does not give the spirit of fear, but gives power to the powerless, strength to the weak, and courage to the faint hearted.  In other words, through the indwelling presence of the Spirit, we can face all things and live in the realm of possibilities when it all seems impossible.  
Live in the realm of possibilities.
Be strong.
Be courageous.
Refuse fear and discouragement.
Remain in the presence and power of Christ.
Your God is with you wherever you go.

Learning to Kickstart the day strong and courageous,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)