“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait on the Lord.” (Psalms 27:14)
As each of us goes through life, there are those unavoidable times when we look in the mirror and think God can’t use us or that we have nothing to offer. Nothing could be farther from the truth to Him. We can’t lose sight of the fact that our courage and faith is not based on title, education, or possessions. In God’s eyes, it’s not who we are by virtue of what we have; rather, its whose we are by virtue of our relationship with God.
The best example I can think of is shown to us in Acts Chapter 4. Peter and John were battling the religious establishment and stood firm against the wrath of the leaders. We are shown how two ordinary, unschooled men were changed into life-changing representatives of our Lord. It wasn’t a title or possessions that made Peter and John so courageous. It was their time with Jesus and the relationship they had with Him that changed their lives and enabled them to touch the lives of others.
So, the question becomes, “how do we live our lives with the courage that Peter and John showed us in Acts, even if we feel like we have nothing to offer?” Peter and John didn’t dwell on what they didn’t have and they didn’t concentrate on their prior failings. It’s so easy to label ourselves, based on the past, and believe what we tell ourselves. “I’m a failure.” “I’m no good at this.” “I’m not a very strong person.” Once this label becomes part of you, then you begin to let that label control you. Realize that there isn’t anything wrong with you. You just need to decide how you want to be or what you want to do going forward and allow God to work in your life.
Don’t let your previous lack of courage become your present day reality.
Courage Thoughts for Today:
- How have I let my past failings control my present?
- What do I want to do or who do I want to be beginning today?
- What lies have I told myself that I will no longer believe starting today?
