My Daily Dose of Courage

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)   We all lack wisdom at times, so this instruction is for every believer. James simply wants us to recognize the fact that we are desperately in need the Lord's counsel, and he directs us to simply come to Him and confidently ask for it.   Those who do not walk by faith will ask and still doubt. They do not know the Lord well enough to trust Him. James calls those who ask and still doubt God "double-minded," or “double-souled.” They keep their feet on both sides of the line, worldly-minded while claiming to have the mind of Christ, who confuse soul-ties with fellowship, taking one step fo...

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”  (Mark 14:3-9)   One of the hardest things for a Christian worker to do is to keep the focus on Jesus and off the world and the ...

Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore, I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do." Then Samuel said: "Why then do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy?"  (1 Samuel 28:15-16)   Saul could no longer go to God in prayer. After years of refusing to walk uprightly, the Lord had withdrawn from him, and he was left to his own devices and the consequences of his sin. Saul took drastic measures to save himself, but he would not be able to cover the tracks of decades of recklessness and pride. He saw the end coming, and he could do nothing to stop it, because God refused the repentance he looked for, though he sought it with tears. How sad!   Note how many Christians are like Saul –...

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  (John 15:5)   When Jesus says we can do "nothing" without Him, He's not suggesting we are unable to do things, just nothing of eternal or spiritual significance. It is quite possible for us to set and reach goals, to make names for ourselves, or even to become successful without God. Empires, nations, fortunes, and great legacies have been built by folks who have never taken a second to acknowledge the Lord. Many magnanimous feats have been done without a single prayer lifted to heaven.   Jesus, though, is looking toward the day when our works and words will be judged according to God’s holy standard — and His standard is Christ. Nothing short of perfection will withstand His white-hot scrutiny. The sharp two-edged sword that proceeds from His mouth will separate the worthy from the worthless — and separate the things He did in us ...

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  (John 5:19)   "It's not about me!" These are some of the most important words I speak to myself. Once I realize the world does not revolve around me, what I think, and what others think of me, I am ready to receive the life and perspective of the Lord. Once my feelings and my agenda are set aside, and I find myself at the feet of Jesus, the Lord can have an honest conversation with me — a conversation that will change my perspective from an earthly one to a heavenly one.   When I wake up tomorrow, I must start the entire process again, "It's not about me!" — because my flesh and my pride will never relent as long as I live. Dying to myself is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment, conversation-by-conversation thing, and so is coming alive in Christ! That is where I...

Let love be without hypocrisy. (Hebrews 13:1)   God is love, and we cannot love apart from Him. His love is unique and unfathomably profound. It is beyond what we can give or appreciate, and it is fully expressed  in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our love must mirror His love, or we are merely hypocrites — bad actors.   Love embraces good and rejects evil. Love is kind, generous, consistent, durable, and humble. Love overcomes obstacles, and manifests in service to others. Love gives more than it takes. Love is alive, pure, and without agenda. We must love freely, and withholding love is not an option — it is not ours to withhold.   The Father knows the difference between love and everything else. True love looks like Jesus, it harkens to Jesus, it honors and glorifies Jesus, it worships Jesus, and it imitates Jesus. It is not religious, not carnal, not formal, nor is it cold, calculated, or carefully measured out. God has love...