You Make Me Brave

God makes us brave. What does it mean to be brave? Being brave is having the ability to do something without fear. It is to be courageous, it is to be bold. This is not to say that we would not experience fear but that we would overcome the fear with the truth of God's Word.

Fear is not of God. God is love and perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:17-18). Fear can hinder us from moving forward in the things of God. As a result, we will be unable to do the things He wants us to do because the fear will be overcoming us rather than we overcoming the fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We have power which is given from God, we have the love of Christ and we have the mind of Christ.

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

We are brave because God is with us. He said that He will never leave us or forsake us. The Lord says to be strong and courageous not because we can do it by ourselves but because He is the One that goes with us. He is the One that is with us in those situations where we feel that we cannot do it and where we think that we would not be good enough. God is the Omnipresent God who is with always even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). When we feel afraid, we have to remember that God is with us. He is right by our side, He is right on the inside.

Before Jesus left the disciples, He promised them that He will give them another comforter. He promised that He will send the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18). In verse 18 of John 14, Jesus told them that He will not leave them comfortless, that He will come to them.We have been given the Holy Spirit, the comforter who dwells in us.

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31(NKJV)

We become bold through the Holy Spirit. After the people were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4, they spoke the Word of God with boldness. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to do the things we thought we could never do. It is He who gives us the strength and the courage to do it. We can do nothing without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing without God. It is through God that we live, move and have our being.

"The wicked flee when no one pursues but the righteous are bold as a lion." Proverbs 28:1 (NKJV)

 As the children of God, we were never called to be cowards. We were never called to be afraid but we were called to be bold. The righteous are as bold as a lion. A lion is not afraid. He takes up territory and he claims what is his. We are heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. We are called to be brave!

Heavenly Father, I ask that You would give us a spirit of boldness and of courage. We recognize that we can only be brave through You. Only through You, can we do it. I pray that we would not have a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind. Let us be ones who are bold for You. In Jesus' name, Amen!

What Passion 4 Jesus Means To Me

Passion for Jesus, what does it mean? What does it mean to really be passionate for Jesus? Passion is an intense desire for something or someone. It is a fervour that cannot be quenched, many waters cannot quench this love. It continually wants more and does whatever until it gets that more. Having a passion for Jesus is setting Him at the forefront of your mind and giving the first place in your life. It is where you desire Him and where that desire drives you for more of Him.

One thing I have desired of the Lord that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

Jesus is that one thing that is to be desired.  David was a man after God's own heart and his one desire was to seek and to know God. It was his desire to dwell within the house of the Lord, to make that his dwelling place and to behold the beauty of the Lord. God's beauty is beyond words and beyond description and there is so much more to be discovered. The place of desire is where we long to encounter the beauty of Jesus, where we seek to know His person and where we are thirsty and hungry for more.

Having a passion for Jesus should be more than our passion for food or for sports. This passion is one that overtakes our minds and where all we can say is that we want more. More of You, Lord and less of me!!

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)

Passion is love and love is passion. When we truly love God with all of our hearts and everything that we are, we will be passionate for Him. When our love is greater than anything else, we would have a fervent passion that we would strive to encounter Him and even with one encounter, we would not be satisfied. Have we truly encountered the God that we serve? Do we truly love Him? Is He the apple of our eye, do we long after Him just as the deer pants after the water brook? Passion, Passion, Passion!!!

As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longs after You. You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship You. I want You more than gold or silver, only You can satisfy.You alone are the real joy giver and the apple of my eye. This is just some of the words of a song that we know very well. Let these words truly be the words of our hearts.

Heavenly Father, I ask that You will give us a passion for You, that You will set Your seal upon our hearts and that the flame of love will not go out but we would continually desire You. Help us to keep our gaze upon You and that truly You would be our One Thing. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Seasons of Weariness

There are times in our lives where we feel tired and weary, where we feel like we just can't go on and we don't have the strength to. In these seasons of weariness, we must remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is in these times, that we learn to lean on God rather than on ourselves and we realize that we can do nothing without Him. We can't do anything in our own strength.

This weariness is only for a time and a season in your life. To every thing in life, there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Though it may seem as though it is going to last forever, it will not. These are the times where God is molding and shaping us to the person He wants us to be and into the character of Jesus Christ. It is where we are forced to say "God, I can't do it without You!" and we begin to trust God and believe in His Word because everything is working for our good.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV)

God is the all powerful One who does not faint neither does He get weary. He is the Almighty One who is able to give us the strength that we need. In the verses above, it says that He will give power to the weak and to those who have no might, He increases strength. God is a merciful God who will help us in times of need. He will not abandon us but He will be our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalms 46:1).

Those who wait upon the Lord, their strength shall be renewed. You will be strengthened to do what the Lord has called you to do. We will mount up with wings as eagles, we will run and not be weary and we will walk and not faint. When God is our strength, when we lean on Him, we would not get weary.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. When we have the joy of Christ, we are strengthened. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). In His presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalms 16:11). Let the joy of the Lord be upon your life.

So in those times where you feel weary, remember that God is the One who can strengthen you and you can't do it by yourself. His joy is our strength!!