Courage to Do Right By Paul Chappell Monday, Jul 14, 2014 “That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.” Judges 6:8–10 The Children of Israel failed in their assigned task to drive out all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They made progress during the days of Joshua and those who knew him, but once that generation was gone, they settled into an uneasy coexistence with the Canaanites. When God rebuked them for their failure, He revealed that Israel had a misplaced fear. Rather than fearing God and trusting Him, they were fearing the gods worshiped by their neighbors. As a result, they refused to obey God and claim the victory that He had promised to deliver into their hands. When we fear the wrong thing, wrong actions are certain to follow. It may seem counter-intuitive, but fearing God actually makes us more courageous. “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). That is because the fear of God places us in a position of obedience that leads to a place of safety and blessing. When we fear men or circumstances more than we fear God, we are on a path of trouble. However, if our faith is strong, our courage will be as well, and our obedience will place us on the path to victory. Today’s Renewal Principle: If we view God as He really is, it will not be hard for us to find the courage to obey Him.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:01:31 +0000
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