Tag Archives: courage

Low On Courage? Try These Six Ways Back To Confidence

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football-1005498_640I like those old football movies where the coach fires up his down-trodden players at halftime. The other team is up 73-0 but the coach, who resembles Ronald Reagan, restores their courage with a passionate speech.

“Win one for the Gipper!” (And everyone under 40 says, “Who is the Gipper?”)

Supercharged with energy from the speech the team explodes from the locker room and goes on to win the game 74-73.  (When you are Hollywood you can make it come out  however you want).

But, how do real-life people who love the Lord, get a refill of courage when they find themselves in a corner, trembling like a bucket of jelly?

Here are six more courage-givers.

1.         You tell yourself God’s truth over and over. Sometimes it seems all your enemies have united against you. Sickness, financial problems, relationship problems and depression cause you to want to run and hide.

But there is no place to hide. What to do?

Don’t be paralyzed by fear, Pray! Remind yourself of God’s promises, then act! You latch on to God’s word and hold on like the swordsman who grasps his sword and swings it until his hand is stuck to it.

2.         Praise God in the face of your enemies. It looked like old king Jehoshaphat was getting ready to bite the dust. His enemies united to attack him. These powerful armies threatened to destroy him. Continue reading →

God’s Powerful Source of Courage When You’re Afraid

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Sometimes we’re all lacking courage

When I’m facing something I dread, I don’t like to go to bed. Why is it that a courageous lion goes to sleep and a shivering puppy wakes up at 2:30 am? 

I’m not at my best in the middle of the night. Reason leaves and fear or anger or whatever my reaction du jour is, against whatever I’m facing, takes over.

My problem swells from a small stream to an uncrossable river.

Once I had to do something I dreaded. I don’t know why it bothered me so much because I had done similar things many times. This one scared me, though.

I began to wake up in the middle of the night with anguish attacks. I fought it. I prayed and cried out to God for help.

One night I woke up with a snatch of a song I didn’t know, running over and over in my spirit. I honestly believe the Holy Spirit was singing it inside me.

“You are faithful, God you are faithful.” Night after night when I woke up to the taunting of fear, this phrase from my song  repeated itself over and over. “You are faithful, God you are faithful.”

God took care of the situation and I lived (evidently). But what stuck with me was the fact that God gave me a song to replace my dread. 

I suspect I’m not the only one who ever dealt with night fears. Listen to the this testimony written over 2500 years ago.

“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.”  (Psalm 42:8)

Courage. So often I lose it. God is the fear fighter in my life, though. He gives me the promises of His Word. He strengthens my heart when I buck up to face my fear. He sings for me: “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah (Ps. 32:7, NKJV)  Continue reading →

When I Was Almost Mauled by a Ten-foot Tall Dog

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dog

Persecution? Trials? Hey, Buddy, Resist!

One night when I was in college, I was floating down the sidewalk, on the way back to my dormitory after having visited the love of my life. There was still a tiny glow of her presence inspiring me and my thoughts flew away to perfume and flowers and all the things you think about–before you’re married.

Suddenly I heard a sound that didn’t seem to be a love bird. Grrrrr!

Electricity ran up my back as I turned to see a ten-foot tall German Shepherd bounding towards me. His fangs were nine inches long, dripping slobber. (All these dimensions and certain impressions were estimations that I made at that moment and might not be completely correct. There was a German Shepherd anyway).

Coming after me!

I wanted to run but that would have been an enormous error. Fortunately I knew what to do because I had watched several Tarzan movies. Continue reading →

Four Plus One Can Be Much More Than Five

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Be What You Are-Not What Others Try to Make You

Jesse, when you tell him he's five

Jesse, when you tell him he’s five

My grandson Jesse just had his 4+1 birthday.

I know this sounds strange but Jesse refused to be five. He’s got his reasons, I guess, but neither bribery nor people reminding him of reality was able to change him.

“Jesse you’ll have a party if you’re five!” “I’m four.”

“You’ll get gifts.” “No.”

“You can go to Chucky Cheese’s to celebrate if you’re five.” “No.”

Finally he relented when he found that he could be 4 + 1 and still get all the goodies, so Jesse recently celebrated his 4 +1 birthday.

Jesse, you tell him he's 4+1

Jesse, you tell him he’s 4+1

Continue reading →