My Daily Dose of Courage

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!  (Psalms 27:13-14) These words were spoken by a man who knew what it was like to be put into hopeless situations. David experienced great hardships, difficult seasons, deep disappointments, personal attacks, and unfair treatment. Yet, without question he was God's man, anointed and chosen, a warrior and commander, a prophet and psalmist, a man after God's own heart. We might think he would be protected from the things he suffered because he was God's chosen, but he was exposed all the more. Sometimes it's hard to see what God is after in what He allows, and it was hard for David —very hard. But our Lord is always taking us higher, and the Good Shepherd is leading, even through the valley of the shadow. The only question is, will we take His hand and follow w...

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) I’ve spoken to many Christians over the years who expressed the desire to be “used” by God, to do significant works, to exert wide-r...

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.   (Psalm 133)   For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.   (Ephesians 5:30)   Unity   - as one (not one, but “as” one), existing and operating as a unit, united, in agreement, accountable and accounted for. (My definition)   Believers, collectively, comprise the church of Jesus Christ, and individually, we are members of His body. As such, we are the expression of our Lord on the earth, and our fellowship is to reflect the perfection and unity of the Holy Trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They express oneness in all they are and all they do, and so must we, if we are ch...

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.   Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance . . .   Surely, as the Word says, we enter the Kingdom of God through many trials and much tribulation. That is because the forces of darkness are set against the children of light at every turn. As long as we are on earth and until Jesus returns, that will be so, and we must be prepared. Satan is relentless, but our God reigns supreme, and we are more than conquerors in Him. Therefore, we are given wisdom and strength to endure every trial and pass every test, and to do so joyfully. Truly, the battle is the Lord’s, and the victory is ours in Him. So, Jesus expects us to be of good cheer, for He has already overcome every obstacle we will ever face. Let's be found in Him, and in His presence is fullness of joy!   How far so many have fallen from the str...

“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”   (Luke 7:48-50) The singular truth of the New Testament is Jesus came to save sinners — not black sinners, white sinners, brown sinners, yellow sinners, or red sinners. There is no skin color in the kingdom. There are no good sinners and bad sinners — no cultured sinners ...

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."  (Luke 10:21-23) Coming into the knowledge of God is not an intellectual achievement, nor is it a matter of merit, but one of privilege — the sovereign choice of God to reveal Himself as He sees fit and to whom He wills. No amount of effort or study can prepare you for this gift, no amount...

"And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."  (Luke 2:12) What a strange place to stash a priceless, extravagant Gift — a barn, an animal stall in the dark of night! I’m sure it wasn’t heated or air conditioned, it didn’t smell so good, and there   were no beds, linens, or even a bathroom. And how do you think Mary and Joseph felt when the promises of God led them on a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in the ninth month of her strange and inexplicable pregnancy? Yet the fulfillment of all God’s promises could not be found in the palaces, treasuries, or museums of the world — but in a manger.  Look to the manger.      If God wanted the world to receive the Gift of Jesus Christ, why would He hide Him where most of us were sure not to find Him? And how do we find our way there? The manger can only be found by students of the Word following the ways of God, and when we seek Him with  all...

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more,  just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3a) Every believer has a desire to know the will of God for his or her life. The Holy Spirit places the longing to know and be close to the Father deep within us, and as we grow in Christ, that longing only increases. God has made His will for us plain and simple; that we love and obey Him and receive His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then, the will of God becomes clearer to us as we walk in the simplicity of childlike faith. As we realize that God wants us to know Him as He knows us, we will find the clear path to understanding He offers us in Jesus. Things only become complicated as we lean to our own understanding; but the moment we turn...

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My 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.”  (Matthew 26:6-13)   The Church is  not  a community organization, a cultural awareness club, a relief organization, or a group of activists doing good deeds. The true Church has no agenda but worship and obedience to God through...

"You are the light of the world . . ."  (Matthew 5:14)   No, this wasn’t someone speaking to Jesus. This was Jesus speaking to  us , the people of God. What a charge! We are called to light up the world and illuminate the path to God for all men to see. Though none of us are sufficient in ourselves for such a task, we have been given the pure light of the Holy Spirit to enable us. God does not  need  us, but He  chose  us — and we should be eternally grateful for the unspeakable honor of beings witnesses to our Lord. Hallelujah!   With this grace comes a sobering reality. We must choose to live in such a way keeps us available to house the presence of a holy God, and allow Him to employ us as “lamps” that chase the gloom and darkness of the world around us. We must fight every thought or action that veils the light, and we must make the moment-by-moment decisions that promote and protect the purpose of the Savior. When we ...

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  (Luke 15:13)   But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." And he arose and came to his father.  (Luke 15:17-20a)   The prodigal (wasteful) lifestyle is an unfortunate choice driven by many false notions about life. The son in Jesus’ story reminds us all too often of many young lives we witness today — a false sense of immortality, entitlement, carelessness, and a disdain for any type of rule or authority. These traits are often passed off as youthful indiscretion or “sowing wild oats." But some fail to realize we r...

“His lord said to him, ‘Well  done,  good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”  (Matthew 25:23)   God loves nothing more than relationship. This is proven by the fact that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us all that we might become His children and have relationship with Him. An essential earmark of that relationship is trust. God is trustworthy, and we must become so. Trust means the parties involved can depend on the other’s faithfulness, truthfulness, and loyalty. Trust allows us to expect righteous dealings from one another, and we share a mutual understanding of acceptable behavior and agreed upon standards. Trust means each party does its best to keep up its end of the bargain and to honor the other without fail. Marriages, families, churches, and governments function poorly or fail altogether without trust. May we all become trustworthy in our Lor...

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.  (1 John 4:17-19)   John the Beloved teaches us that God  is  love. When we love as He loves, we are actually manifesting the true and living God in the world, so they are without excuse because of our witness. God’s love is undeniable and unmistakable, as it is of a higher order than the world’s love, and no other love can be compared to it. God’s love is without manipulation or agenda, it gives its all and expects nothing in return – it is not exhausted nor frustrated, because God is neither exhausted nor frustrated. Therefore, when we abide in Him and He abides in us, we enjoy the perfect union that casts out all fears of failure, inadequacies, and short...

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”  (Luke 7:36-39) In the passage I cited above, you will see the love of Jesus clearly portrayed. The woman who came to Him was a known sinner. Her lifestyle was sad and tragic, and the expectation of those around Jesus was that He would dismiss her, because she was unclean, craven, and unworthy of being in the presence...

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.  (1 John 2:7-11)     The Christian life is the progressive life, and we are to grow from faith to faith. In other words, God intends that we never stop growing in grace and love as long as we are on this earth — and that is a good thing. John is not contradicting himself as he writes of the “old” and “new” commandments being...

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.   (1 John 1:5)    There is no duplicity in God when it comes to His essence and His moral makeup —  and there should be none in us, either.  If we say we are saved, we must walk in the light of truth as expressed in the scriptures . In fact, the confirmation of our salvation is we practice the Word of God in every area of our lives. If we are truly His, He will not relent until He has washed us clean and made us holy. Unholy behavior is a sign that we are not saved, nor are we truly members of His body, for Jesus is returning for a bride without spot or wrinkle. This is a difficult and fearful truth for a relativistic and compromising Christian culture. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)   There were (and still are) heretics who teach that sin is an illusion and not a fact ...

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.  (Hebrews 13:17)   As ministers of the New Covenant, we work exclusively for the Lord and His interests in the lives of His sheep and His church. We do not work for men, or boards, or denominations, but for God. Wherever there is any battle for our allegiance, we must remove ourselves from the fray and re-establish the pre-eminence of Christ at once — and that without regard to the consequences. Therein is the difference between a son and a hireling. The message we preach and the life we live will make men and women uncomfortable, but that is to be expected — it is simply the friction between the spirit and the flesh. It is a holy discomfort that drives some men to their knees to seek the Lord, while others run to and fro looking for a shepherd who will cater to their flesh and ma...

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.   (Hebrews 11:1) Our faith is the shield that armors us against the storms of spiritual attacks. It steadies us when sorrows crush our emotions, and when disappointments threaten to steal our hope. Faith assures us of God's care and presence when the winds and rain threaten to destroy our possessions, unsettle our minds, and steal our peace. Faith keeps us walking righteously, and we trust in God when others fall into despair and sin. Thank God for faith.   Every difficulty is an opportunity to believe God and exercising our faith in Him is the greatest work of all. Even a mustard seed of faith is greater than mighty works, and a small measure of faith is greater than a lifetime of labor. God sent His Son, that He might become the center of our hope and joy, and that we might put all our trust in His love and power. That was and will always be the Father's will, that we trust in Jesus as...

And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself,  just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.  And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.  (1 John 3:3-9)  The Lord has a “zero-tolerance policy” for sin in the life of His children. The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this — He has set us free from the dominating power of sin and Satan. By continuing in s...

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, "Repent . . ."  (Acts 2:37-38a)   Could it be that the Gospel is a great deal simpler than some preachers have made it? Peter spoke the indisputable truth — Jesus the Messiah came to the children of Israel, he loved them, taught them, healed them, fed them, raised their dead, gave many infallible proofs, was rejected by His people, crucified, rose on the third day, showed Himself to hundreds, ascended to heaven, and He still wasn't done! He sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and those who were in the temple heard and saw it! Once Peter explained to them what they were witnessing, the asked the question that was begging to be asked —  "What now!"    Simply put, this is how things work in the Kingdom. God confronts us with truth and our response is determined by the condition of our hearts. ...

Be anxious for nothing . . .  (Philippians 4:6)   The level of anxiety we routinely carry about is the sign that we have not yet won the battle for our peace, the simple and imperturbable belief that our Lord is Who He says He is and will do what He promised to do. The prevalence of fear in our hearts is the sure sign that we do not have enough experience with God, and He is constantly working to bring us to a simple and childlike faith that seeks His face and obeys His voice all the time.    One sign that we still have far to come in this area is the desire for more, bigger, greater, and higher things here on earth. Contentment rooted in a heaven-ward focus is a lost virtue in a church that is obsessed with herself, her image, and her agenda. The church is to be completely pre-occupied with her Husband/Savior, Jesus Christ — not His blessings, but His Person and character, His Word and His will, His Cross and His crown. We are not to be so concerned about principles...

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.  (1 John 2:1-6) Sin is the one and only thing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Therefore, the Father sent Jesus Himself as the answer to our hellish dilemma, and all who believe in Him are instantly received into God’s blessed family with all the benefits of heaven placed within us, and victory is given over all things around us! The sacrific...

"Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?"  (John 3:9-10) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)   Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate correction of the Father for us all. He is the light of the world, and everything (and everyone) is lost in darkness without Him. That is the message Jesus was conveying to Nicodemus, and that is the message He is speaking to us. As long as we look for answers from God, we are missing the Answer He has already given, and there will be no other word than what has been spoken — Jesus Christ. Efforts to solve men's problems, deal effectively with the issues and ailments all around us, to "make a difference," or to make the world a better place are foolish and futile in the light of God's revelation in Jesu...

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  (1 Corinthians 1:10)   Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!  (Psalm 133:1)   Paul does not mean that saints should not be free to think for themselves, or that we should agree on each and everything as it pertains to the faith. We are not all the same, and we do not tall respond or feel the same about the world around us. When Paul speaks of divisions, he is not speaking of a problem with us as individuals, but  individualism . That spirit will always seek to set itself apart from and above other believers, and it wars against the spirit of unity and accountability God desires among those in His church.   We must wage a fierce fight against the temptation we will face to strike out in ...

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (Matthew 4:17)   . . . and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.  (Matthew 4:22)   I am convinced that the repentance is among the most awesome privileges any man or woman will ever have — it is a gift of God. Repentance is more the determination to stop sinning, and it is more than feeling sorry for our sins, no matter how sincere we are. Repentance is the decision to turn from our ways and to follow Jesus. That is when He gives us a new life, and that new life takes divine energy to live. Repentance is an unfathomably rich and gracious opportunity to position ourselves to see and receive the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? It is the life and perspective He gives us when we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receive His Holy Spirit. No one will see the Kingdom of God without repentance.   Kingdom life dictates an ever-cha...

. . . and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."  (Matthew 18:3-6)   God’s economy is antithetical to the world’s. His values are higher, because they are spiritual, and His ways and wisdom are superior, because He is holy. God’s standards are strange to the casual observer, the casual Christian, and unbeliever alike. For example, the requirement that we become like children is ludicrous to the world, but essential for eternal purposes. Humility is the door God has provided for His “little ones.” Yet, in our efforts to be great and su...

And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.  (Exodus 4:24) In this passage, the love of God and the anger of God collide in a baffling way. Moses was God’s man going forward with God’s plan, with His commission and permission – then the same God who called Moses meets him on the way with the purpose of killing him! This should cause us to ask what habit, action, mindset, or sins are we carrying that is an offense to God? Where has Satan hitched a ride on our heaven-bound expressway? What old issues and attitudes are a hindrance to your new season? What is there about you or within you that needs to die? Where do you need to repent before moving forward? These are the questions we should ask ourselves before taking another step.   Let's Pray -  Father, open our eyes and show us the truth about ourselves. We desire to be righteous and blameless in Your sight, and that is only possible when the Holy Spirit shines His light...

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.  (Ephesians 2:8)   We all would agree that God is much more merciful and forgiving than we have any right to expect. Each of us has received the grace of God in ways that are beyond any reasonable explanation, and this is simply because God is the sweetest and most loving person there is. It is a beautiful reality that God loves and identifies Himself with us despite our undeserving state, giving us a perfect understanding of the timeless John Newton lyric: “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound,  That saved a wretch like me…”   Yet, a companion truth to God’s boundless mercy is His violent aversion to the sin He so graciously covers. If you have any doubt as to how He views sin, consider the Cross of Jesus Christ. Our Savior died the most gruesome death at the hands of sinners and the complicity of Satan for our sakes. He bore our sins, sickness, and grief while here on e...

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”  (Luke 18:8) Faith is the life blood of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a spiritual concept, born of God in heaven; and it takes a spiritual man or woman to grasp it, possess it, and walk in it. Faith is the simple belief that God exists, and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Oh, the rewards of the saint who forsakes selfish pursuits to seek out the One who has first sought him! Is your walk one of faith? Do you pray as one who knows God to be a God of His Word? Who is benefiting from your incessant trips to the prayer closet? Are you praying for others with purpose and diligence? Are your prayers less and less about you and your things, and more and more about the will of God and others? When the Lord comes to your prayer closet, will He find you there? And will He find faith? I sincerely hope He will!   Let's Pray  -  Dear Lord, since faith is the one thing that...

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."   (Matthew 7:6) When you speak of order to an undisciplined man, he will resent you, because he is childish in his ways and his thinking. It is foolish to discuss visions with a blind man or expect hard work from one who is lazy. A prideful man will disdain your good counsel, and an angry man is impossible to reason with. So, while we are to share God's Word and wisdom freely, we must also realize some do not have an ear to hear, eyes to see, or a heart to understand. It is important to be discerning, and we must know when and where to engage others or to be silent. Help us, Lord. We have all wasted our good words and resources, only to realize we were unwise to share them with those unwilling and unable to receive them. Even the right words spoken at the wrong time or place will be unprofitable for the hearer. Therein lies the da...

There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, "Get justice for me from my adversary." And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, "Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."   (Luke 18:2-6) You’ve heard the old saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil.” You may not, though, have understood the saying as a foundational principle of prayer. The path to the presence of God leads to the closet of prayer, and diligence is the virtue that stimulates the release of every good and perfect gift from on high. Understand, God is not looking for beggars, as much as He is desiring and responding to a relationship and a desire for communion with us. The fact that we humble ourselves and ask pleases our Father – and while He blesses us whether we ask or not (because He is g...