My Daily Dose of Courage

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:21-23) It is hard for those with great possession, great talents or skills, great appeal, or profound influence to walk through the narrow gate that only the "poor in spirit" can enter. The words of Jesus cut through every good intention, every ounce of human goodness, every effort at self-justification, and they point to the need in each of us — He is everything we need.   To receive Jesus, there must first be the realization that we can do nothing apart from Him — nothing spiritual, nothing of any eternal consequence, and nothing holy. We can o...

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  (James 5:16)   There is lifesaving and life-changing power in confession. Confession unleashes the dynamic power of the truth, as we agree with God about our words and actions. When we confess, we bring light and freedom to bear on things that would otherwise remain in the dark. Our faults and sins wield power over us as long as we keep silent about them. That is why James encourages us to release those things and receive God's forgiveness and comfort in exchange — to confess. The sins we commit are not our greatest problem, but the sins we hide. Millions are in pain and bondage today because of unconfessed sin — and once we have hidden sin longer than we should, we become blind and numb to its corroding effect. This is why every Christians must be on guard against the devastating effects of unconfessed sin.   Find...

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever . . .  (Matthew 6:13)   Do not be distressed over the challenging times in which we live. Jesus is preparing and encouraging us, so we do not panic or respond fearfully when things are hard. He is teaching us to respond to trouble and tragedy with prayer. We pray without ceasing, and that is spiritual wisdom and faith in action. Therefore, we enjoy an unshakeable peace because we have placed every care at His feet.   That is our lifestyle; prayer, worship, and the confidence that God has the entire world in His hands. Remember, Jesus is not going to overcome the world — He already has.   Let's Pray  -  Dear Lord, teach me to walk faithfully, even in exceedingly tough times. I have the deepest confidence that You see all and know all, and You will make all things good in time. Thank you, Father. Amen.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14)   Jesus quickly forgave and forgot when men offended Him. He found no need to be right or defend Himself when He was wrongly accused or attacked. He reconciled all things in the light of His Father’s sovereign will.   Therefore, let us do what Jesus modeled for us – forgetting, letting go, and pressing forward toward the vision of glory the Father places in our hearts. There is no time in our fleeting lives for mourning missed opportunities, outdated relationships, mistakes, and misunderstandings. While we all experience hardships and disappointments, the Lord offers us a new day and season, if we will just look up!   What we see has everything to do with our focus and our perspective. If we w...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.  (James 1:17-18)   James tells us that every good and perfect gift comes to believers from above. In James' mind, nothing good rises to God from the earth. If it is good, it is of God and comes down from God, and there are no exceptions.   Every suitable work we do in the service of God is born of the Spirit dwelling in us. James speaks of this as  "the meekness of wisdom,"  which is quite different from the forceful and strident spirit some display. James calls worldly wisdom earthly, sensual, and demonic. The tell-tale signs of this type of spirit are envy, selfishness, confusion, and every other evil thing. God has called us to something much better. He has called us to Himself in Jesus, and He...

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  (Romans 12:1) We need not become experts in religion or ministry, but in exclusivity — that is, taking ourselves back from the world and from ourselves, that we might be able to offer our lives to God exclusively, which is the only reasonable thing for us to do.   Therefore, we must first deny ourselves and lay down our rights before we have anything to offer the Lord at all. Truth is, some of us have so little to give, for our hearts and time are committed to a myriad of folks, causes, activities, affinities, and affections. And even so, we can convince ourselves that we are living for God. Help us, Lord!   God has called us to live consecrated lives. A consecrated life is not an isolated life or a petted life, but a life set apart for the Lord's purpose. The Holy Spirit gives us the focus and discipli...

So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.  (Exodus 34:30)   Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house.  (Numbers 12:7)   You know a man who has seen the Lord, because he is different than he was, and he is distinct from other men. His face shines, as it were, and most men stand apart from him, because the light he shines exposes their darkness. He is separated unto God, and the things of this world do not interest him any longer.   Christians who have seen the Lord are like Moses not common. The Lord has drawn them into His confidence more so than most, and He is able to invest Himself in them more deeply. God shares His heart and thoughts with them, and like Moses, He can trust them to minister holy things to His children without selfishness or agenda. The light they have seen makes them humble, not haughty or proud. The Lord will never reveal Hims...

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”  (Isaiah 6:5) We do not truly know ourselves until we know God, for only God can show us who we really are. The Lord created us, and only He has the intimate knowledge of every facet of our humanity — our essence, our origin, our present, and our destiny. Isaiah discovered this truth when saw the Lord, and he at once confessed his low moral estate in the presence of a holy God —  "I am a man of unclean lips ." He saw God, then realized the helpless sinner he was.   Lord, open our eyes like You opened Isaiah's!   " Woe is me, for I am undone!"   Isaiah saw the truth about God and himself, and now he was ready to see everyone and everything in the light of that truth. Now he was able to judge all people and all things as God judges them. That is the true meaning of "...

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  (1 John 1:8-10) Our Lord is determined to set His children be free from the bondage of sin and death, and He has prescribed the Blood of Jesus as the only power able to carry out His desire. The weight of sin on humanity was so awful and pervasive, that the Father had to send His Son to pay the price and lift the burden of judgment and damnation off the shoulders of every man, woman, and child who would simply believe.   You see, there is nothing unholy or unclean in heaven, nor shall there ever be. So, the Lord made provision for us in His Son, imputing His righteousness and holiness to us in exchange for our sin and sadness. Now, heaven lives in us, and we will one day live in heaven.   We...

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  ( James 1:4)   Before the Lord can use us as change agents, He must first change us. God is doing a new thing in you, and “new” means something that has  never  been done before. The life of this new creature is not learned overnight. It is a beautiful and demanding work that only the Lord can carry out, and He does that work according to His will, His Spirit, and His timing. So, be still and trust Him. Let Him have His way with you. He knows what He is doing, and He knows when to do it. The saint who  "lacks nothing"  is one who is filled with the Holy Spirit and the wisdom that prepares him or her for every situation and conversation. This preparation is a sovereign work of God that is not done according to human efforts or desire; but the Lord employs times and seasons to do His work as He sees fit.   We suppose God will move according to...

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.  (James 3:1) We live in a day where many Christians have taken it upon themselves to speak in the name of the Lord. Some even call themselves apostles and prophets.  Many follow these voices, and far too often end up damaged and shipwrecked due to their lack of discernment and discipline.   The Bible warns us to be careful and to judge these men and women by their fruit. If we are filled with the Word, we will recognize the presence or absence of the Word in their teaching. If we are full of good works, we will recognize and rightly discern theirs. Every Christian must be able to wisely discern what we see and hear. Thank God for His Holy Spirit!   "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me,...

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  (Romans 14:10) Are your words kind and gracious, or are they harsh and judgmental?   The first thing God must change in us is a judgmental attitude. Are we more interested in being right than glorifying God? We can easily convince ourselves we  are  glorifying Him when we are grieving Him by demanding our rights and defending our point of view.   Truthfully, we only hear God clearly when we humble ourselves and stop insisting on winning the argument and having things our way.   Forgive us, Lord, and teach us to show others the grace You have shown us.   Let's Pray  -  Dear Lord, please forgive me for judging others and misrepresenting You. Give me Your heart for my fellow man and help me to see them as You see them. Amen.

So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead . . . (Genesis 31:25) Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. (Genesis 32:6-7)   Have you ever felt like Jacob, trapped between a rock and a hard place? And when you looked honestly at the situation, did you realize this was a bed of your own making? You cannot go back, because you have burned that bridge — and you cannot go forward, because you burned that bridge, too. This is the time when God’s man or woman finally comes to realize the folly of meddling with the steps ordained for him or her, and that our agenda has brought so much more difficulty into our lives than there had to be. ...

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”  (Isaiah 6:8)   This is the holy pattern for God’s ministers. We must not simply go but be sent – for we cannot reveal the true and living God to others until we ourselves have seen Him and receive His approval. We must not send ourselves, for it is not our interest we are standing for, but His. Isaiah understood this, and he responded with a sincere purpose to go and to glorify the God he had just seen. May it be the same for every one of us who wish to be known as servants of God. May we wait until we have seen, heard, and commissioned by the Lord before we go.   There are three witnesses of every man or woman called to the ministry — the Lord Himself, the minster himself or herself, and the elders of the church. This is the pattern in the New Testament, and it is the third requirement that is most likely to be neglected. Many are convinced th...