My Daily Dose of Courage

Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.  (Joshua 5:15) This is a picture of the simple and uncomplicated relationship God desires with His children. The Lord was telling Joshua to come out from behind any covering, any agenda, or anything of himself — to stand before Him on His holiness alone. This is the supernatural preparation the Lord requires for all those He commissions to serve. Everything God’s minister does must rest on His sovereignty, and nothing else. From this point forward, Joshua’s authority and success would be founded on holy ground — on Almighty God Himself. “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” God will unmask every one of us He calls, and we must lay down any sense of self-righteousness and the worldly knowledge some mistakenly call wisdom. As Joshua found out, God was not on His side, nor was He on the side of Israel an...

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”  (Job 40:3-5)   Be careful not to speak hastily about the things of God, because those things are spiritually discerned, and God may be working on a level we have not considered. There are times when we must lay our hand on our mouth like Job did and not speak until the Spirit gives utterance.   When Job saw God, he realized his error. He had reduced the Lord to a god of his own understanding, and that is no God at all! Like Job, we must come to see the Lord as He is, not how we imagine Him. When we do, He calls us friends, and then He can trust us with His Word and witness.   When Job finally saw God, all his complaints and self-justification melted away. When the Lord spoke to Job, He did not offer an explanation, apology, or any other words of clarification,...

So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.” (Genesis 29:25-27)   Sowing and reaping is an unbreakable spiritual law, and Laban’s act of deceiving Jacob was a classic example of that law working itself out in real time. By deception, Jacob wrestled the blessing and birthright from his brother Esau, and now he was deceived when he married Leah thinking he was marrying her younger sister Rachel.   Remember, God is not mocked. His Word is true, and it applies directly to the lives of men and women, particularly His children. The promises and blessings spoken over us do not remove us from the consequences of our ...

Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.  (Judges 16:1)                                                    Somewhere in Samson’s spiritual development, there was an interruption, and his maturity was the fatality. The result was an extended adolescence and careless behavior that complicated every effort God made to use him for His glory. Samson’s manhood was subverted by seduction, the archenemy of every man’s soul. Seduction is the tool Satan most often uses to derail men of God, and he is too often successful. Every man needs to heed God's call to wisdom, and men who sense that God wants to use them need to take heed even more intently. Let every man be sure to accept the challenge of manhood bestowed on us by Jesus Christ. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does ...

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  (1 John 4:7)   It is impossible to express true love apart from God, and that may be a difficult statement to accept for  some. But John presents a definition of love unlike any other; that love is strictly a God-thing, and anything that is not from God is something less than love.   Our feelings may be passionate, sincere, deeply felt, and lavishly expressed, but if they are not of God, it is not love. John says, everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. This statement takes love out of the realm of human thought and expression, and places it in the realm of the spirit. In other words, God is love, and only those born of God truly express love according to His Person and His measure.   . . . because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  (Romans 5:5)   If we can satisf...

Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.  (Judges 4:21)   So the woman said to Joab, “Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.  (2 Samuel 20:21b-22)   These two women showed the shrewdness we must note and emulate in our dealings with Satan and sin. They were not fearful, but bold and decisive. They were wise and calculating in the most forthright and effective manner. They were not willing to abide the danger Sisera and Sheba represented to them and their people, so they took it upon themselves to do what must be done — and the Lor...

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (Matthew 11:28)   In the Law of Moses, the Sabbath Day was not only an observance, but a message God was communicating to His children; they were to find their sustenance in Him, and not from the labor of their hands. God was their Provider, and He Himself was their Rest. All the promises of God were theirs as they believed, obeyed, and "entered in" to the fullness of His lovingkindness toward them. Sadly, they never came to understand what the Sabbath represented, because they did not hear or walk by faith. They preferred their ways over God's way, and we know where that led — death.   The same choice is before believers today. Have you chosen to surrender all to God in Jesus Christ, or are you still trying to earn God's love and favor? Truly, the Father has placed everything He cares for in the hands of His Son, and He is the only way to receive anything at all from heaven.  All our ...

The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces.  (Proverbs 30:28)   Our lives are to be a testament to the saving and sanctifying power of our God and Savior, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the dwelling place of the Highest, and He expects us to do all He instructs to keep our hearts clean and suitable for His habitation. Yet, even in the most pristine, elegantly appointed, and decorated rooms (hearts), one may find a spider on the ceiling or the wall. The spider is there without invitation, unwelcome, and dreaded indeed! But there it is, and we are wise and prudent to put away our dread and rid the room of the spider, whatever it takes.   This is a picture of the life and work of even the loveliest Christian. We must have a fierce and deadly attitude when it comes to dealing with the sin that seems insignificant and looks to go unnoticed, while dwelling comfortably among the beautiful furnishings appointed by God. ...

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  (James 2:5-10)   James is not saying it is a sin to be rich, but saints must first be rich toward God. Material wealth must never be our focal point or primary goal, nor does having earthly riches commend us to God. Our Father always looks at the heart, and our hearts must be filled with His Spirit of grace and kindness toward all — especially toward the poor and needy.  Understand clearly that the last will be first in the Kingdom. The forgotten w...

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?  (James 2:1-4) If we are prideful, it will manifest in our treatment of those we consider "other." The truth is revealed about us in how we treat those who are different and can do nothing tangible for us. Our treatment of those who may have or know less than we do is an exact test of our character. God will judge us if we judge others.   The beauty of the Church of Jesus Christ is that she is not obsessed with herself, her beauty, or her prosperity, but she is determin...

And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  (Luke 23:10-12)   The voices of evil look to shape the context of every conversation and to bring about their own version of reality. The voices of envy, jealousy, greed, ridicule, and hypocrisy still look to drown out the sweet sound of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Yet the answer is the same, "I Am."  Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and to do so, He paid the cost for our sins — and those of us who believe receive everlasting life in return for our faith.   So, we must stand with Him, even in our most difficult moments — for if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified together with Him (Romans 8:17). Let the voices shout,...

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.  (Mark 15:1-5)   Jesus committed Himself to the will of the Father, and He had no interest in defending or shielding Himself from the slanderous accusations of the Jews. He was fully reconciled to the plan of redemption and determined to take His place as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There was no need to plead His case or promote His cause, and He did not open His mouth even once to tell His side of the story. There was ...

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  (Psalms 46:10)   Stillness is a powerful tool in the hands of a believer. It is the temper of mind that allows God to perfect us in the wisdom that comes to those who wait on Him. While activities and busy-ness may gratify our souls for a moment, we are never truly satisfied until we are standing on the Rock of Ages, quiet and still in His presence.   The Psalmist says we are like trees planted by rivers of living water (Psalm 1). There we find the blessed assurance of His care for us and His sovereignty over all things concerning us. There at the feet of Jesus we find confidence and strength.   We must get to the point where we are sick and tired of ourselves and our own devices because God will not move until we are. He will only partner with a believer surrendered to His will. The instant we are the heavens are open to us.   Let us exalt God, not...