Christmas Courage. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 John 16:33 I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world youll have trouble, but be courageous—Ive overcome the world! With Christmas only a day away there are those because of the events of this past year will be facing many challenges this Christmas. For many this is the first Christmas without a loved one. Some may be facing financial challenges or health challenges. Some will need to trust God just to make it through this week. But as I read the Scripture I believe God wants us to do more than just make it, he wants us to thrive. For some we cant see that right now. We must trust faith in God. We may not know what the New Year will bring. All we know is that we must take one day at a time, holding onto Gods unchanging hand. To do so will require a courage that only he can provide. We may not see it now but in faith we will experience the courage that only comes from God in the very moment we need it most. In the news a few days ago we heard that four children all under the age of 15 were beheaded by Isis because they would not renounce their faith in Jesus Christ and accept Islam. Wow! What courage these children had. This courage had to come from God. God wants us to experience the same supernatural courage these children displayed. We may not have to lay our life down like these did, but the courage we need is to face life in whatever challenges we have. And just as God gave these children the courage they needed he will give us what we need. I believe God is pleased when we believe His word and hold on to his promises. I want to please him myself. We read Hebrews chapter 10:32-39. It says “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side-by-side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So dont throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, He who is coming will come and not delay but my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” So my brothers and sisters take courage and dont shrink back. Together we will hold on to his word and he will be pleased with us. After all the true message of Christmas is that God provided everything we need. Because of this we rejoice and are exceedingly glad. Do you need Christmas courage? Call on the one who came to us 2000 years ago. He will be pleased to come to you again. God bless each of you and may you have a very blessed Christmas.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 18:55:02 +0000
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