“When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his coat on and threw himself into the sea” John 21:7

Impetuous, wonderful, daring, loving, repentant Simon Peter is determined not to miss this meeting with his risen Lord. He quickly dons his coat and plunges into the water. The distance to the shore with its charcoal fire and forgiving Lord are but a few oar strokes away for his muscled arms. It would have made more sense to stay with the ship; they all would have reached shore eventually. He certainly gained no dignity by his impetuous act. But Peter acts on the small vision he possesses, meets his Master and hears a message meant especially for his aching heart.

Lord, help me act on my Spirit-guided whims instead of staying safely in the boat.  Help me know when you call from the shore, then give me courage to plunge in and swim toward you in spite of the derisive comments of onlookers. Only then will I feel the warmth of your fire and clearly hear your voice.

by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Courage to Speak the Truth

Be Strong and Courageous

Become a Brave-Heart Disciple

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The post Swimming to the Savior appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world– the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

In light of recent events, I have wanted to think about where I am before God and what He expects of me.

So I went down the imaginary stairs of my consciousness, to the inner store-cupboard of my being.

I made my way past the previously opened boxes, piled in a heap on one side. For now I was keen to find the box I hoped would still be there, so I pressed on and opened the cupboard.

Yes, there it was, the box labelled, “In the need for faith, open“. Its container was somewhat battered and torn by past frequent use and abuse but lately it had become dusty. I struggled with the box as I carried it from the cupboard to a waiting table. There, in the light of the room, I rummaged inside the box and pulled out a cassette entitled “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego“. Its tale can also be found in Daniel chapter 3.

I placed it in the player on the table. It told of three God-fearing people who, by an attitude of faith, were blessed. They built a bridge of trust with God between a time of imminent painful death in a fiery furnace by order of the king, and a time where they were to find themselves coming out of the furnace untouched. With either outcome in mind they had been prepared to face the fear of death because they loved God more than this life.

It is a reminder I re-play to myself time and again. It tells of faithfulness expected and rewarded. I believe it speaks of daring courage, self-sacrifice, in the face of a painful torture. How could they do it? They believed their life would be kept safe in God’s hands, even through death itself.

“ for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way“. Daniel 3:29b (ESV)

LORD, in your mercy hear our prayers for our world today. LORD, for those in positions of oversight faced with the impossible, unbearable, overwhelming or ceaseless, bring to their hearts and minds your Wisdom, Peace, Hope and your deliverance from dissipation.

LORD, in our time stem the tide of fear. Show us the way You wish us to go in Your Kingdom and grant us the courage to remain faithful wherever that may lead us. Give us eyes that see the need, ears that hear the call and a spirit that is willing to serve, to the praise of Your Name. Amen.

By Rod Marshall
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Forgiveness – Yourself and  Others
•  Going Deeper with God

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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Courage feels like a big word. By definition, courage is mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. (merriam-webster.com)

Sometimes, courage is loud and obvious like when David fought Goliath. Right there in the action, everyone around saw how he defeated the giant. And those not there to see it definitely heard about it.

But courage isn’t always showy. Sometimes it’s quiet. You might see it but not be able to identify it at the time. But it’s courage nonetheless.

I think of Mary who probably heard the whispering of others as she walked by and Joseph who took Mary as his wife, even though she was already pregnant. Although the angel confirmed what the Lord wanted them to do, I imagine they still faced the town’s gossip and rumors. And they had to have had courage to face what others said without starting to doubt themselves and maybe even what they heard the angel say.

But what about us? What does it look like to be courageous?

I don’t know what you’re going through, but I know sometimes it’s hard to feel courage within ourselves. Disappointments and setbacks make us feel like courage is something for other people and that our lack of courage is too great.

But don’t be fooled. Even when we can’t see our own courage, others can see it in us.

What does courage look like in our everyday lives?

* Courage is getting back up when we feel like we keep getting knocked down

* Courage is trying again when nothing is working out or we don’t know what to expect.

* Sometimes courage is just getting up again in the morning and facing the day. Maybe it will be just as hard as yesterday was. Maybe it won’t. But we won’t know if we don’t keep trying.

* Courage is persevering when we don’t like our circumstances. It’s looking at the hard day ahead and putting one foot in front of the other to keep moving forward. It’s saying, I don’t want to do this, but I have to, and I know I’m not alone—God is walking with me.

* Courage is knowing what we can’t do alone, we can do in God’s strength.

* Courage is crawling out of bed to face the day when we’d rather stay buried under the covers.

* Courage is making the decisions we don’t want to make and taking that next step we don’t want to take.

* Courage is sitting with someone in their difficult, heart-breaking circumstances so they won’t have to sit alone.

* Courage is continuing to dream when our dreams seem unrealistic or someone says they can’t happen. Courage is finding a way around the doubt.

* Courage is walking through the known and the unknown with eyes focused on Jesus.

* Courage doesn’t look one specific way. It’s different for every individual and every situation.

And sometimes we don’t even know what our own courage looks like until we can see it in hindsight. Then we look back and wonder how we made it through a particular season of life.

There’s no shortage of verses about courage in the Bible, but here are a few to think about.

“Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.” Job 11:18

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalms 27:14

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!”  Psalms 31:24

“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

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:13

By Laura Rath
used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Courage to Speak the Truth –  by Charles Stanley
• 6 Verses When You need to be Brave | by Laura Rath
• True Courage – by Max Lucado
• Be Strong and Courageous – by Charles Spurgeon

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The post Quiet Courage appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Thought – Is there a specific fear or doubt that has been grabbing hold of you recently?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1

It takes courage to face the truth about yourself — your fears, doubts, and insecurities.
·
It takes courage to admit you are wrong when you have hurt someone.
·
It takes courage to stand up for righteousness in the midst of what is popular and accepted.
·
It takes courage not to defend yourself when you know you are innocent.
·
It takes courage to love those that spitefully use and abuse you.
·
It takes courage to forgive others so that you can be forgiven.
·
It takes courage to believe in a God you can’t see.
·
It takes courage to trust that God is in total control when everything around you is in total chaos.

When we walk by faith, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. They walked the same walk before us.
Many of them did not get to see the promises of God fulfilled on this side of Heaven. They died still believing that what God promised would be theirs.

These men and women of God faced major challenges because of what they believed, but they still believed. Their lives were shared with us in the scriptures to encourage and inspire us not to quit in tough times. Let us therefore strip off every weight and every sin that so easily distracts us. Let us lay down our will and become heroes of faith for those that will follow
us.

Father, we desire to do your will in the midst of tough situations that we face daily. We want so much to live a life that is pleasing to you. We desire to follow the example of so many others that have gone before us. Their faith walk showed us how courageous they were as they stood for what they believed. May we walk in that same courage as we continue in our journey before you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Thought – Is there a specific fear or doubt that has been grabbing hold of you recently? Bring it to Jesus and pray for His courage to fill your heart today

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Going Deeper with God

• There is Nothing Beyond Your Reach – by Mark Doyle

•  Salvation Explained

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The post Courageous Living appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (ERV)

Father, I so long to be bold and courageous as You have called me. I understand that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind but I still often shutter at the thought of change and a lack of consistency in my life. May I recount Your promises daily to help me walk out the path that You have shown me. Just as Abraham was considered a friend of God because He believed and trusted in You regardless to his situation, I want to also walk forward in the unknown knowing that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to recall that you hold me in the palm of Your hand and no enemy can snatch me out. Help me to remember that You are my hiding place, my secret shelter, I can run to Your arms of safety when I am afraid. Help me to walk in the light that You have provided through Your love letter to me. Help me to recall that I can do all things through Christ who infuses me with inner strength. Today, I recommit my life into Your trust believing that You will perfect all things that concern me. Today, I choose to walk boldly as You hold my hand through every trial, every temptation, every new path that I will face. Today, I choose to trust You Lord. In Jesus name Amen.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

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My late uncle Clifford once told me about a time when he was driving and came across a cardboard box in the middle of the road. He swerved around the box narrowly missing it. Looking back in his rear view mirror he saw a young child crawl out of the box. Shaking badly, he quickly stopped, picked up the child and took the child back to the mother who hadn’t realized that her child had left the yard and gone onto the road.

Sometimes we too need to get out of the box we are in to realize the danger around us… the danger of the loss of eternal life without a personal relationship with Jesus… the world is lost without him. Is there someone in your life that needs rescuing?

My prayer for you

“Our loving Creator God, praise be you, the God of our fathers, who put into the king’s heart the desire to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem and who extended his good favor to Ezra before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because your hand was on Ezra, he took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with him. In the same way please help us out of our little boxes so that we too can have your boldness and courage to reach out to others. In Jesus name, amen.”  Ezra 7:27,28

by Alec Niemi
Used by Permission

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“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.” James 4:8

It takes a special kind of courage to draw near to God. Yet the reward is amazing as His presence comes near to you. God’s presence is actually the very thing our hearts seek. It fills us and fulfills us all at the same time. It can completely change the mundane into the opportunity to see beauty and feel awe. Can you even remember the last time you felt awe at what God was doing in your ordinary life?

But what does that look like on a Monday morning as you rush off to another week chasing your job?

1.    Be Intentional: If you truly want to feel God’s presence and know His wisdom and peace then it takes setting aside even a few minutes to draw near to Him.

2.    How do you do that? Open your hands – actually do it – and ask God to take the things that interrupt His flow in your life. Ask Him to point them out. Listen. Actually do the motion of washing your hands while asking God to help you make changes.

3.    Offer your heart. Lift your clean hands now toward Heaven and offer God your heart, asking Him to fill it with His wisdom, peace, joy and presence.

4.    Be single minded in following Jesus. When we are double minded (one day seeking Him, the next day ignoring Him) we will find instability rocking our minds and emotions.

As you reach out to Him, He will reach back to you. It’s a promise. His presence will make all the difference in the stability and fulfillment of your life.

Father God, So many things distract me and You often seem far away in my day to day reality. Help me to use the exercise daily of opening my hands and having You show me what I need to wash out of my life. Then extending my arms to heaven to receive from You as You reach back to me with the fruit of Your Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faith, humility and self control Galatians 5:22).  Please help me to be intentional today in drawing near to You. In the strong name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

By Gail Rodgers

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