My Daily Dose of Courage

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”  (John 20:24)   The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not given to angels to communicate and spread. The Lord chose the apostles and the power of their testimony to carry the message all of creation longs to hear — "Jesus is alive!" These are the most significant words ever spoken — spoken by those who were there, who saw Him, touched Him, spoke with Him after His resurrection, and declared it to us. By faith and faith alone, we believe and receive their witness some 2000 years later.   But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)   No effort to discredit the resurrection (and there have been many a furious effort) has succeeded in dampening the fervor of the faithful, even those w...

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”   (John 20:26-27)   While it some say a smart person learns best from experience, it is better said that a wise person learns best from the experience of others! So it was for Thomas, and so it is for us. Thomas would not believe in the Resurrection simply because he was unwilling to accept the testimony of his fellow disciples. Yet, that is exactly how the Lord intended the truth be communicated; not simply by seeing for ourselves, but by the word of faith from those who came before us. Thanks be to God for the powerful testimony of those who have seen the risen Christ. That is how the truth about Go...

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)   “Unless I see . . . I will not believe.”   This is the test of every man and woman as it pertains to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thomas had eyes, but he could not see, because he would not see. We may have sight, but spiritually speaking, we will never see until the Lord opens the eyes of our heart. Even then, we must be willing to receive this sight according to what God reveals, and He always reveals His Son — nothing and no one else.   Nothing else that matters, except we see Jesus — not miracles, victories, prosperity, healings, etc. None of those things matter to one who has seen the Lord, for all those things and more are ours in Hi...

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (2 Corinthians 2:1-5)   The Lord does not respect what we throw up at Him, but what we lay down before Him. He is not impressed by our talents and gifts, because they are not ours in the first place, but His. Paul understood this, and he refused to minister in a way that left any impression of himself, only that of Jesus.   The Lord allowed the type of suffering and shame in Paul’s life that would have left most men in abject discouragement. But he humbled himself under the mighty hand of the Lord, and...

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (Matthew 19:21-22)   God's idea of living well is 180 degrees from ours. We most often judge our success by earthly possession, fame, influence, and comfort. But the Lord judges the heart! The worldly man is owned by his possessions, and a man filled with the pleasures and bounty of the world has little or no place for a God who asks us to lay down our lives. Jesus saved us that He might help Himself to our bodies, our minds, and our days! So, we must be sure not to crowd Him out with busy schedules and hearts set on self; and let us not frustrate the life of the Spirit with a pre-occupation with worldly pleasures.   We are all rich in one way or another because we all have free will. What will we do when Jesus brings us to the point of deci...

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)   Jesus tells us His words are spirit and life – much more than syllables and sounds, but they are alive, living, and able to carry out God’s purpose. There are no idle words spoken from the mouth of our Lord, and as we mature, there will be fewer from us.   . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)   When our hearts are right with God, gossip, slander, cursing, harshness, crassness, lying, and cynicism will no longer be in our words; but the Holy Spirit will speak encouragement and grace through us that blesses and edifies the hearer.   So, listen closely to your words today, and they will reveal the condition of your heart. Then, take your heart, give it to Jesus anew, and ask Him to purify it like only He can. He will do as you ask, and from that point forward, you will hear it in your speech; pure words that pour ...

In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . (Matthew 6:9-10)   These words are the baseline for every prayer the disciple prays. God is our Heavenly Father who loves us, gives us every good and perfect gift, and whose name is to be praised now and forevermore.   The very mention of God evokes power and fuels the forces of the universe in both the spiritual and natural realm. His kingdom is a present reality for His children, not just an after-death experience.   God rules in the hearts of His people, and we recognize His sovereignty over all things. He is King, the universe is His territory, and we are His people. It is our deepest desire to see His will unopposed in our lives and in our world. We prove the superiority of His will over ours, and we work and pray to that end.   "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in this world as it is in heaven." ...

“O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”  (Matthew 26:42) When we say yes to the Lord’s call, the life we enter into is nothing like we thought. No one can predict what the Lord is going to do with or through them. No one knows where our obedience will take us, and we would be wise to count the personal cost. That is because devotion to Christ is an exquisite thing, and it will test every fiber of our being; but in return, it will gain us more than we can imagine, if we endure to the end. Our journey only begins when we pick up our cross and follow Him. This is much more than a "decision" for Christ (remember, you did not choose Him, He chose you); but a daily commitment to laying down our lives, and a refusal to ever take them up again. There is no other way to live for Christ and to serve Him acceptably.    "Lord, Your will be done."   We begin a new and profoundly beautiful life as we learn to trust and obey,...

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.   (Jonah 3:10)   The Lord sent Jonah to do what he did not want to do – to preach repentance to the hated Assyrians. It was a ministry of mercy, and so is the message God sends us to preach today. He will send us where we would not go, to speak to a people we naturally care nothing about, and to do what can only be done by our strict obedience to His commands. And when people are saved, we will marvel at God's mercy and the powerful simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – not our gifting, or programs, or presentations – but the Gospel alone!   Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  (John 4:9)   Jesus came to preach the Good News, and He was not going to be held back by any r...

But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.   (Jonah 1:3)   Many of us heard the story of "Jonah and the Whale" as children, and we never forgot the image of a man in the belly of a big fish. But this is not a tale about an ancient prophet gone astray; it is  our  story, because there is at least a little "Jonah" in each of us. Who among us has not done the opposite of what we knew was right? Who has not rebelled against the Lord's clearly expressed will and run the other way? Who is without sin? Yes, the Book of Jonah is about us; and it is a gift to us, if we will receive it.   We may see Jonah’s disobedience as an extreme case of rebellion, but is it really that rare among Christians? No, it is not! We must obey at once, or we too will experience the firm hand of God's discipline as Jonah did. Many saints today are in the "belly of the fish,” so to speak. Even small degrees of disobedience are drastic in the Lord’s sight,...

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you . (James 4:7)   Humility is the most aggressive posture we can take against the wily tactics of Satan. Lowliness is a most formidable spiritual weapon, and the devil has no answer for it, because he cannot humble himself. The saint who submits to Christ cannot be touched by the lies of the accuser, the lust of the flesh, nor the lures of the world. When we fall to our knees and humble ourselves a decisive blow is delivered to the forces of hell around us. Down at His feet is the highest place!   Satan will offer you a vast number of options, but none of them will involve humility. He will convince you to offer lip service without truly serving others – to feel sorry for your actions yet fall short of repentance — to embark on our own mission and call it ministry - to follow our agenda and call it obedience. Yet, the Lord tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of God and men, because He resists th...

Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. (Hebrew 2:1)   The Bible is God's love letter to His children, and it is the revelation and counsel of the Lord given exclusively to His church, for we alone hear Him and believe Him at His Word. We are complete in Christ, and our identity is rooted in Him. We are His and He is ours.   When we allow the Word of God to shape our thoughts, we are no longer defenseless against the onslaught of the world's mindset, its aimlessness, confusion, or futility; but we put on the complete armor of God and no weapon formed against us will ever defeat us.   By His Word, we come to know His love, and we are perfected in that love. Even in our weakness, He is strong, and where we fall, He lifts us up. No one can successfully prosecute a charge against God's elect, for it is God who justifies us. This is the blessed assurance of believers — the Word of God. Jesus is that Word. Hear Him....