Word of the Week - COURAGE - 2/26/23

The Word of the Week

Definition:The choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
Scripture:
2nd Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Joshua 1:9 “Behold I command thee, take courage, and be strong. Fear not, and be not dismayed: because the Lord thy God is with thee in all things whatsoever thou shalt go to.”
Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Thought: To hear the audible version of this, please click here.
My favorite character in the Wizard of Oz was the cowardly lion. I had a connection with him because I, too, lacked courage.
As a girl I was constantly full of fear and doubt and I, like the cowardly lion, thought of myself as worthless and incapable because of my fear. I would sometimes get physically ill, when it was time to perform, or choose a team, or make simple announcements in front of the class. At an executive training session, I was so full of dread when it came time to introduce myself that my throat closed up. I could not speak. I could only point to my name banner that was sitting on the table in front of me.
My fear of public exposure or embarrassment was paralyzing. However, it seems that everyone else thought that I was quite capable of more than I understood or was willing to accept. I thank God for those people who saw more in me than I did. They kept putting me into those horribly uncomfortable situations. They forced me to push past my insecurities and doubt. I was forced to face my fears. As a result, I am a person that has been cultivated by facing the many situations where I perceived possible failure, embarrassment and rejection. It was the power of God that gave me courage. The images the enemy placed in my head were overcome by the blessing of strength that God provided through those experiences.
It is during times of transition that it becomes easy for us all to be overtaken by doubt, fear, negativity and other tricks of the enemy.
For example: It is when you are graduating High School to take on the challenges of adulthood, or when you are an employee preparing to go into business for yourself, or a healthy person facing the possibility of a debilitating illness that the enemy works overtime to turn your sound mind into one of chaos and negativity. It is while you are planning to move forward, that the mind becomes ripe with the imaginings of many possible outcomes, many of which are negative.
BEWARE! It is the job of the enemy to confuse and paralyze you so that you hesitate to take the first step toward the fulfillment of your God-ordained destiny.
As believers there are things that God has promised to His children that in our humanity we may forget: 1. God does not give us the spirit of fear. 2. If God is for you WHO or WHAT CAN BE AGAINST YOU! Do not allow doubt, fear, or uncertainty to rule or stop you from moving forward. God is with you in ALL THINGS!
COURAGE is a CHOICE. One has to choose to face the uncertainty, fear, doubt, or risk. Choose the Spirit of God. It is the spirit of God

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I am your host Orine Newton.

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