Courage.....

.................. Be strong and courageous!!        WOW!!      Does anyone other that myself suffer from fear on a regular basis?     I am fixin' to get brutally honest again with y'all.     I suffer with fear greatly!!     In all areas of life, but mainly with people.      My people handling skills just ain't as powerful as they should be, and I’m pretty sure that is the reason for a lot of my fear.

The reason that I started talking about fear is because it is the opposite of being strong and courageous. When God told Joshua , “ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; Be not afraid, neither be ye dismayed: For the Lord thy God is with you where ever you go.”

Fear Not,..............Appears in the Bible 365 times. Now,.......We can look at that one a day for a year, or 365 times day,..............Like I do!!      I really need to look at it in that light, because I have a lot of trouble with fear.

That scripture has a lot going on in it.      It's really simple to understand.      It say's what it means, and it means what it say's. …................So,...................Why is it that I have so much trouble with it? It's a command to be strong, and of good courage.     It's a command not to have fear, or to be dismayed.    (Dismayed in the Strong's Concordance means to be shattered, broken, or abolished.)

I can say for a fact that my level of fear is a lot lower than it used to be. When I used to drink, and get high I was afraid of everything. My level of fear was at an all time high. That is why Satan was keeping me in that bondage.     Man,........If I would have told the truth about how many nights that I actually cried myself tearless out of great fear!!     I had no hope of anything better;..............And then Jesus..............

That's all I have to say about that!!      And then Jesus!!      That's a phrase that stands on it's own!!        I have learned what to do when Satan is trying to get me to do something that I've been set free from:...........I say, “ Lord Jesus,...........Satan is telling lies on you again!!” That is all that it usually takes to get that old bugger on the run!!

I do have a problem with fear, but it's minor compared to the way that it used to be.    I'm not the most courageous man at least not like the Word states that I should be.   I am growing in the Lord, and I am a work in progress.

I found a little something that I would like to share with you:

Courage is the strength to stand up
When it's easier to fall down and lose hold.

It is the conviction to explore new horizons
When it's easier to believe what we've been told.

Courage is the desire to maintain our integrity
When it's easier to look the other way.

It is feeling happy and alive, and moving forward
When it's easier to feel sorry for ourselves and stay.

Courage is the will to shape our world
When it's easier to let someone else do it for us.

It is the recognition that none of us are perfect
When it's easier to criticize others and fuss.

Courage is the power to step forward and lead
When it's easier to follow the crowd; their pleas resound.

It is the spirit that places you on top of the mountain
When it's easier to never leave the ground.

The foundation of courage is solid,
The rock that doesn't roll.

Courage is the freedom
Of our mind, body, and soul!

~~ Author Unknown ~~

…................Much Love