Take Courage // Monday E-Devotion

“So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the LORD!” Psalms 31:24 (NLT)

It is not arrogance. It has nothing to do with pride. It has everything to do with knowing God. The world may say that courage is something that comes from personal fortitude, but I believe courage comes from knowing and believing and following God.

A person who has and uses courage is a person who can be and must be a great leader. Jesus had courage. Would you agree? His courage came from the fact that He was God, but what demonstrated His greatest courage was the fact that He never disconnected from where real courage comes from. It comes from God.

“So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.” Hebrews 6:18 (NLT)

Here are some thoughts for people who desire to have and demonstrate what it is to take courage: (notes from John Maxwell and his book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader and from personal notes from me)

1. courage begins with an inner battle … letting God have and rule your heart.

2. courage makes things right .. choices and decisions and more to line up with God’s word.

3. courage inspires commitment from others … lead people to act in the best possible ways.

4. courage can expand your life … believe and live what God says.

“I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Comments

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog