Month: January 2020

Goodnight.

“Hear me when I call,

O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me,

and hear my prayer.

How long,

O you sons of men,

Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood?

Selah

But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;

The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed,

and be still.

Selah

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in the LORD.

There are many who say

“Who will show us any good?”

LORD,

lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

You have put gladness in my heart,

More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

I will both lie down in peace,

and sleep;

For You alone,

O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭4:1-8‬ ‭

goodnight-sleep-tight-brooklyn-and-norah-jan-2020.m4a

Finding ways to comfort my little co sleepers, as they transition to sleeping on their own,

We came up with this lullaby, or maybe I heard it, I don’t know but I like to sing it to them before they go to bed, and I hope they can always sleep in peace knowing that God will be there. ❤️

Good night,

Sleep tight,

Go to sleep little babies,

Close your eyes,

Say a prayer,

And know that God will be there.

Click the link above to hear their cute little voices sing it!

goodnight

❤️

Honesty

Sometimes the thought of being honest scares me like no other…

So you may know from either my Instagram, or recent blog posts, or maybe you don’t know at all but I have decided to challenge myself in 2020 to be more BOLD. 

So far I have been working on keeping up with blog posts once a week, sharing truth in my life as well as being more intentional about knowing it myself…

so with that being said I must share this next word that comes to mind as I dive into, this “Boldness” that like I said before is way out of my comfort zone (see take courage post) 

Honesty, 

I don’t think honesty comes without courage at times, unless your a 3 year old telling your mom how her cooking is, or how her hair looks in the morning ( I may or may not know this from experience) kids they are maybe a little too honest, is that even a thing? 

When we think of honesty, most of us would say it would be a quality that we would like in a spouse, friend, some of us really enjoy being around our family because, they are honest (or maybe it’s the other way around, we dislike the honesty) but when we have honest relationships with others we can be ourselves.

We are being who we are, without that feeling that we need to hide behind a mask which is really something to cherish! 

But does honesty always come as a positive, or does honesty at times bring about conflict, tension, and sometimes maybe even break relationships, how should we use this very powerful tool within ourselves…. 

Let me first start by being honest with you…

Every time I get ready to post a blog post, or instagram post, and in the past Facebook (which I got off of because I was getting overwhelmed with the amount in information that was feeding into my brain, and it was making me feel very anxious) but I get really nervous! I think about my friends and fellow readers, or followers,  people that have decided to read what I have to say.  I want to say the right things so that nobody gets offended, or hurt feelings because of something I may have said, that maybe people think I’m directing my posts at them which is not the case what I write is from a broad observation, of time, expierence, research, listening, study, and my own life, I don’t ever direct any posts to a particular person, but I pray that maybe they would help someone.  Honestly I mostly write because it helps me. 

When I take the time to research and share information I really try hard to make sure I myself am practicing what I share, before you hear about it, and I know I am not perfect… I can always do and be better, I don’t ever want to be put on a pedestal…I get easily embarrassed when there is attention put on me… so honestly, I share because, I care… I spend so much of my time throughout the week in thoughts about how I can help others understand, how I can be a better Christian, wife, mother, friend, neighbor, the list goes on and on, and there are times where, I just feel like I have failed, it’s easy to get discouraged over that but I have to constantly remind myself that I am trying to grow, and that there may be times that growth comes with some hard truths, that feel painful, and difficult to swallow because there are times where, I too don’t want the truth (but I need to hear it)…

Which leads me too this topic of honesty! 

When Jesus speaks parables unto multitudes of people he would often say 

“And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!””

Mark 4:9

This phrase is found a few times in the New Testament, why do you think we need to be told to hear? 

Multitudes listened but only few heard, I mean it should be an obvious thing if we have ears, we can hear right?

But you have heard the statement in one ear and out the other? 

How many of us actually listen to what is being said to us?

Honesty is something that starts within ourselves, honesty starts within the heart and it starts with the individual, can you make anyone be honest with you? 

and is it possible to become unaware of the fact that we may not be honest with ourselves?

in my last post (The Jesus Trend)

I touched on this idea,

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? Matthew 7:1-4 

its very easy to notice the flaws in each other, before we see our own.  WE BECOME BLINDED. Dishonest with our own hearts.  The word of God must be read from our hearts, applied to our hearts, and first change us before we start challenging others.

I find it interesting when I read and see how Jesus often uses that phrase “he who has an ear let him hear”

many heard this, but many walked away assuming nothing was wrong, maybe it crossed their minds as an interesting thought, but never did they stop and really listen to the truth that was being spoken to them.

But some did, Jesus disciples wanted to know more, wanted to know why? they had ears and they heard, they had eyes and they perceived..

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  Matthew 13:10-23 

They were listening with honest hearts wanting to know the truth about Jesus teachings, what do we do with this information.  Not simply being there to “hear” the message in one ear out the other but really listening with an honest heart.

Lets read of the parable again from Lukes account of the Gospel of Christ.

Luke 8:4-15

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Hearing the word, Hold it Fast (That is to remember it a remind ourselves of it daily) in and HONEST and good heart, we will ….WITH PATIENCE, Bear fruit!

If we look back to Matthews account,  Jesus tells His disciples ( Followers of Jesus)

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.   Matthew 13:17

The prophets, and righteous men before Jesus only spoke of these mysteries that were to come. Jesus, who was The mystery revealed, was standing before their eyes answering their questions, teaching them.

Some of us say, well if I had Jesus standing before my eyes, I would be asking so many questions….Really?….would you?

WE HAVE THE BIBLE!

the before, the present, and the what is to come with Jesus….

The Old Testament, before Jesus, You can read and see our human nature, our failures, Gods patience, Gods guidance, Gods Love, But also Gods seriousness. When He says it He means it.

The Prophets spoke on behalf of God of things to come.  The righteous men were followers of God…But even the prophets and righteous men made mistakes.  Sometimes they questioned their purpose in life and sometimes they even failed.

But Jesus, came knowing His purpose, and did not fail, despite the difficulties that it came with, where most of us would just give up…

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

 Isaiah 6:8-11 (prophecy about Jesus)

Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, teach all truth, and complete the Word of God… If I could help you understand all of it I would but I am not capable on this type of platform, nor would I want to do it because I can not perfect it anymore for you than it has already been done, and Im still growing in it, THE BIBLE, has it and we are all capable of learning from it but you must open it and read it with and honest heart, I do not wish to add or take away any of that.

Now if you see the Old Testament, was before Jesus,  the New Testament, is after Jesus, That is after Jesus Died on the cross, and rose again.  The Gospel accounts, are the present Jesus, His life here on this earth MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN.  Each one is the same time period, pretty much the same stories just from different perspectives, the perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.   When Jesus died on the cross The law that was physical to so many, became a law that was spiritual a law to be obeyed first and foremost with in our hearts, “fruits” are produced when you are obedient to the truth.  Honest with yourself is the only way you can get down and cultivate that soil, trees don’t produce fruit, overnight, usually it takes time and maturity and strong roots.  From the Gospels, we have the establishing of the Church (Acts) and the letters to the either the churches in the different areas, or letters written to individuals, the Teach them the truth, to help them stay strong, and be encouraged to continue on following Christ, Because the enemy works very hard to take that away (with lies)

So I ask, how do you read the Bible, Is Jesus just a story? or is His message Truth? and what do you do with that?  Being Honest with yourself is the first step towards a much better life, both now and forever.

Be thankful for the honest relationships in your life, be thankful for the truth even when it may be difficult to hear, and don’t be afraid to ask difficult, honest hearted questions, that will lead you to the truth.

Thank you as always for reading, I hope and pray that this would help you look closer into the word of God, to search for the truth, and to wholeheartedly seek after knowing it and follow it.

If I can help in any way please let me know.

Beverly

 

 

 

 

The Jesus Trend

We are seeing Jesus lovers popping up all over the internet,

I just can’t help but notice,

And please don’t get me wrong I love Jesus too, and I don’t think we should ever be ashamed to tell others about Him.

But I just can’t help but question the truth behind the matter of some,

And I wonder is this a trend or is this for real,

I am all for spreading the good news of Jesus, I’m all for encouragement, I’m all for helping others Find God!

But I just can’t help but think of the sermon on the mount, the words from Jesus himself, for 3 chapters of the Book of Matthew we have the greatest sermon ever preached, please understand one thing as you read the Word,

The chapters in the books were mans adding not Gods, when you read the sermon on the mount don’t pull this verse out and use it the way you want it…

““Judge not, that you be not judged.”

Matthew 7:1 read the entire sermon preached by Jesus….

Understand why it’s there, what it’s purpose was, and the context of the entire message.

This message is for you not for you to throw in someone else’s face, if someone is trying to help you because they see you going down a not so good path, please grab their hand as they are trying to pull you from destruction and thank them….

I would post the whole sermon but instead, I would greatly encourage you to open your Bible and read it for yourself from start to finish starting in Matthew chapter 5. Jesus didn’t stop preaching at the end of chapter 5 and pick up where he left off a day later, he preached continuously from chapter 5 through to chapter 7, It’s an important message!

““Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM M E, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Matthew 7:13-29 NASB

It hurts a little to see the mass amount of people proclaiming Jesus, how much they love Him and The message of grace…backed by such worldly lifestyles!

Its seems more like confusion than a message of truth to me,

Jesus came to save us from this world that we want to participate in while holding on to the Jesus diamond cross around our neck,

he died on that cross for you,

and you get to wear it,

Does that not seem backwards to you!

(I’m not saying that everyone does this but this is just an example)

He told us to carry our crosses not flaunt them

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:27 NASB

Go and find out what this means.

And I don’t share this out of hate or judgment but care and concern because the fruits of our life will always speak so much louder than the words that come out of our mouths,

Or in this case, the posts of our social media accounts.

This is an avenue that I try to be cautious of because it is so easy to show the world a different you, it’s easy to be a “Jesus lover” or “saved by grace” On the internet, but who are we at home to our families, friends, spouses, who are we to our co-workers or neighbors, and most importantly who are we to God?

What kind of fruits are you displaying in public, or private, how do you yield to temptations? (self-control)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Galatians 5:19-26 NKJV

Each one of those fruits should be dissected in our lives, they are hard to master, but not impossible, we have an example and we must follow it everyday especially as we proclaim to be His followers, we must be different from the world.

Let us not be conceited…

Provoking one another…

Envying one another!

Social Media has to be the largest outlet for this kind of behavior, provoking (look at me)and envying (look at them)…

What is your purpose to show Gods glory or yours? trust me I know it’s easy to get caught up in attention…but is it worth your soul or someone you may be affecting as they watch your example.

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. S ee how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

James 3:1-18 NASB

This is hard to share, I’m not trying to exalt myself above anyone else by any means,

Please take this with a sincere love from me and for the truth.

And thank you for taking the time to read, with love,

Beverly

I was in a rut a few years back wondering why things just didn’t feel like they matched, I thought I was doing everything right…this sermon really helped me put things into perspective. Please take the time to listen, I pray it would help you as it did me!

Take courage

I remember the first time I ever called My husband,

We were in high school and I had a major crush, I was so shy, apparently he liked me but he couldn’t tell I liked him (I wonder why)

So anyways we didn’t end up dating then but I always knew I wanted to marry him, and of course we did end up getting married and I’m very blessed to be his wife…

But that call…

He messaged me once on MySpace and gave me his number, and I sat there in my room for about an hour trying to work up the nerve to call him, I needed to do it….

But for me this wasn’t easy at all I didn’t know what to say, what were we gonna talk about? he probably just thinks I’m weird, why would he want to talk to me? he probably doesn’t even like me, I’m gonna ruin it, but I have to call, because I really like him…

How!?

I was so scared…

I wasn’t the type to call up my friends for advise, or ask my mom, or even my sisters, I didn’t want anyone to know I liked him this much and I didn’t know what to do…

This song kind of became my song, because, of all the things that helped me work up the nerve it was this song….

I hope you dance,

I had to replay it about 10 times before I decided to call.

I wasted about an hour in worry, but it happened I talked to the love of my life..

But this is not a post about our love story this is a post about comfort zones, and EXIT-ing them, because we all know that there is so much more behind that door that we fear to open ,about finding strength and courage when you feel like you don’t know how or why or what, this is a study I did a few years back and I hope that maybe you could gain something from it:

Let’s start with courage, What is this word anyways and what does it really even mean?

Courage is the quality of mind that enables a person to face the uncomfortable feelings, difficulty, danger, pain, or maybe even love, without fear…bravery

We can find many bible stories in both the Old and New Testament with stories of acts of courage! Courage was not a lacking quality in our bible hero’s, those who set an example for us to see that when you take your faith and trust in God and mix it with some courage, and remove the fear of man that stops you from action…you have yourself an unstoppable man or woman of God!

Now quite the contrary, you can’t help but relate this to that little place we all hold within us called our comfort zone,

How many of us actually really like it there?

I think if we were all actually honest with ourselves we wouldn’t even call it comfortable, I think we would call it the place where we settle, because we are too afraid of change, and a possible uncomfortable situation that might come when we exit. That exit door labeled: courage.

Now let’s take a look a Jesus and His use of courage in teaching others, and this may actually surprise you…

And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well. Matthew 9:22

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here. ” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Mark 10:49

“Take courage”

…the healing stories of Jesus, most of us focus on the fact that these people had such great faith that they were made well by Jesus, but what I notice is what Jesus tells these newly healed people

“take courage”

Now Why do you think take courage is the first thing Jesus told these people who were healed? …I wonder if it was maybe because they were entering a place that was suddenly new to them, a paralytic walking, a sick woman made well, a blind man seeing. Sure, this was a happy time for them but it had to be scary too the person they thought they were had suddenly been changed by their faith yes, their choice, yes, but changed and now that they were a new person, they were about to face new challenges, I’m sure new obstacles and they had a responsibility to take courage, as they entered this new life,

this obviously better new life.

To take courage, not be afraid of the things ahead of them, to move forward with an understanding that Jesus saved me I have a new life and an opportunity now so take courage!

I kind of know what that feels like, being defined a certain way for so many years of your life, I always thought I forever would be a “shy” person. My negative self talk was loud, and I let the fear of what I assumed others might think of me controlled my own voice! Physically I was not sick but mentally there were days that it would eat me up inside.

But what if it doesn’t work, what if people don’t like what I have to say, what if people make fun of me, what if they think I’m weird or don’t like me…those were always my worst fears…

I do believe we all, as humans desire to be approved of, to be accepted, to be liked and loved, and there are very few people who surround us who probably know us for who we really are!

But God knows you…

He actually knows exactly who you are, who you are meant to be, and everything you are capable of becoming.

He sent no better example than His very own son, to lead you through this life, and fulfill every desire of your self and more than I think you or I can fathom. But to get there it, takes courage,

It’s quite scary to open the door that so few will go through, it’s scary to go against the grain, separate your self from what you have known, and or been, or have been surrounded by for your entire life.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Revelation 3:20-21

The path where very few will go has always been narrow because not many are willing to trust and obey, we want to pretend to be “Christian” for the likable benefits of Christianity, but when we become possibly “unlikeable” or things get a little tough, scary, or just maybe out of our comfort zone, we exit that door as quickly as we can, and let me tell you I don’t want to hear these words one day…

“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM M E, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.””

Luke 13:24-30

We fear God the way we want but not the way He would have us to, because the way He would have us to, pushes us beyond our personal safety nets and boundaries, outside of our comfort zones, and humbles us to where we must fully depend on God for Love and support and let me tell you he won’t let go of you there! But it requires courage, because surrounding us we don’t have many that will hold our hands through what we are about to enter. The spiritual battle grounds are rough, we have an attacker the devil who is the biggest liar on the planet, all those comments you tell your self about how you will never be good enough, they don’t come from a good place, pretty much anything he can think to twist he will, which has led this world into such a dark place of pain and sorrow which we have gotten quite good at masking as a society.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH

Ephesians 6:10-14

Now how about taking courage with Truth?

Preparing yourself with truth to step out of your comfort zone, pulling up your comfortable tunic preparing to step into battle, stepping into battle with Gods word, with truth. With every piece of His word. His truth!

What do you think would happen if they went into battle without girding up their loins? They would most likely trip and fall because they were not prepared.

But what if it doesn’t work, what if people don’t like what I have to say, what if people make fun of me, what if they think I’m weird or don’t like me…

well let’s see what what happened to Paul and Timothy

“Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

Philippians 1:12-14

Well It looks like people didn’t like what they had to say….Sending them to prison!….oh but what about those that did though?

so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

Philippians 1:14

When we are working for the Lord to better our lives for him, to grow closer to Him, to know Him and to understand His word, and to have a hope of eternal life with Him we must understand that in order to have growth we need to have challenges. Whether we challenge ourselves out of our comfort zone or we are challenged by someone else out of our comfort zone to practice Gods word it is important to take that courage. Not to be scared, but to understand that God will work through you as you face every challenge as long as you follow Him.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

John 16:33

Follow the lead of Jesus who has overcome the world!

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

Psalms 27:14

Be strong and let you heart take courage…. it takes the strength with in us to act courageously, with all of the verses found within the Bible we can find many verses about courage that first say be strong, clearly courage is something that takes strength…

I want to go back to Ephesians 6

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”

Ephesians 6:10

The very first verse tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:10-17

He gives us all the tools but the first thing He asks is that we be strong in Him…

Strength Is built up, strength gets stronger through exercise, but first strength takes commitment. To be strong means to first have the strength to start, and then continue.

True strength can only comes from God. So I will conclude with these verses

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””

Joshua 1:8-9 NASB

What an encouraging verse!

Encourage to infuse courage into our souls!

“Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

2 Corinthians 5:5-10

My friend if you have made it to the end of my long blog post I thank dearly for reading! My goal is to help and I pray that it may help someone somewhere, I’m very thankful for the internet and the ability to share Gods word and my thoughts. If you have read this and don’t own a bible I would love to help, if you have read this and own a bible but not sure where to go from here I would also love to help. Please do let me know… I know from experience, because I still have a difficult time asking for help, which is why this was so important to me because taking courage may also mean to ask for help..Or if you have read this and have been encouraged, I pray that you would continue on, strong and courageous!

Thank you as always,

Beverly