God Provides You with Courage

The power of God is at your finger tips!

Last week we took a journey to accepting this power of God brought to us by the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Acts 1:8 tells us that we will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. It is here! I hope you were able to meditate and really think about that fact. If you did not remember, no worries ladies, simply start now. It is never too late to start any meditation that God gives us in these studies or any studies.

In The Busy Woman’s Bible Study lessons you are never behind and need to catch up. You can go at any pace and start at any time. There is no pressure to complete a study by any timetable. God designed this study for busy women. He gives you these lessons to read or listen to them when you can and at your own pace. This series is free and all the studies can be found on the blog. I will create an eBook for the series once God has finished giving me the words.

The studies will also always be easy and quick! Ask the Holy Spirit to manage your time for God’s Word. He is your Personal Assistant and very capable! Also reminders are the best remedy for the lack of meditation. Our studies have very short meditation verses or declarations. They are not difficult to ponder during the day. Sometimes it is a challenge remembering to meditate while your mind is swirling with all your day’s goals and activities. I am working to find solutions I can offer you to help in this area. So keep a look out for them soon. This will include an email or text message reminder weekly or even daily if wanted.

Now to this week’s study. It is a great one! One of the properties of God’s power that is available to us is COURAGE.

courage – the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear

Consider the spirit, opposed to the mind, which enables you to face difficulties without fear this week. Acts 1:8 distinctly states that we will receive power and ability from God as believers. A big piece of this power is courage. You have received courage from God when the Holy Spirit came upon you at your salvation moment. Does it feel like you have gained courage from the Holy Spirit? Maybe not. Probably not. The way you feel does not devoid the truth that you have indeed been given courage by God.

The problem may lie in the fact that you are not aware of this gift from God. It could be you experience a sense of courage from another source occasionally, but quickly forget that it came from your Creator and your Helper. Well today I am going to dispel any notion you have that you tells you courage has not been given to you by God. So watch out Satan and naysayers. You, my dear reader, are about to start walking boldly and fearlessly with this lesson from God.

We will plant this truth first with these words from Jesus, your Savior in John 16:33. He saved you and gave you courage. Part of being rescued and saved by your God includes receiving ingredients of God’s power. Yes I will continue to convince you over and over again that the Holy Spirit has given you power. It is not your power; it is the power of the Almighty Creator. I want this truth to reach your heart and mind.

Jesus said:

John 16:33 NIV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

You have probably heard that you are an overcomer of trouble in this world through Jesus. But do you know that you have resources in addition to prayer in this overcoming? Jesus says you may have peace despite the struggles in this world. He says to take heart because he has overcome the world. See your heart needs to get involved ladies. That is why we continually meditate to put God’s Word in our hearts. That wonderful heart of yours is essential to trust in God.

Now here is the verse that will take you to a new level in your Godly courage! You will rise above troubles with this in your heart!

Psalm 112:7 NIV

He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

God revealed this particular verse to me very recently. I began to confess the words aloud more and more. They were especially a friend to me when trouble or bad news arrived. Just as we learned in a previous study, my Helper, the Holy Spirit, reminded me of the verse often.

My personal little story:

So the day came this week when a new set of bad news arrived from the dentist. Can you receive good news from the dentist? I am not sure. Lol. Is this particular dentist news for me earth shaking bad news? No. But it hit me hard emotionally for some reason. They want to pull out two of my teeth! What? No way. I cried on the way home and poured out my sorrows to my sister. She immediately informed me it will all be ok. They are not the front teeth at least, but one is close to the front. I will need costly implants that take some time to receive.

Ladies I admit that I went on quite the rant about it to her and the air in my car after we hung up. I knew there were many worse things that could happen, but my emotions were winning this one. With my emotional state in full swing, I proceeded to bluster to God about everything lacking in my life and why I deserve to at least keep these two teeth. It is very comical now when I look back at it. As I pointed out to my Creator all my woes and showed a good taste of anger to him, I would intermittently ask for forgiveness for my bad behavior and then start again with my pity party.

Now this heated jabber did not end when I arrived home to an empty house. The last bit of annoyance I found was a sign on the way home. I must tell you this story to reach the happy ending of courage. Plus I find it so ridiculous and entertaining now. The sign in a yard advertised “Singing Valentines.” Keep in mind my reaction is coming from a divorced single woman of more years than I wish. This was the last straw for me.

Conversation with God:

(Completely one-sided – I am the mouthpiece.)

Truly: A singing Valentine! Who wants that? Are you kidding me? Valentine’s is a silly holiday. Who came up with this day of celebration anyway and why sing about it? (Don’t be offended Valentine’s Day fans. I am single and on a silly rampage.)

Truly: (again, now in the quiet house): Can I at least keep my darn teeth God? Come on! I deserve teeth. Don’t I? I will let you delay the arrival of a husband and even more income if I can just not have my two teeth pulled. That is a great sacrifice I am willing to make! And why do dentist have to deliver bad news all the time? What is up with that? Even when you are cavity free they insist on scolding you for not flossing 50 times a day. (See funny ranting. I totally appreciate dentists everyone.)

Truly: (this type of venting and emotional unleashing continued just a few minutes more until laughter arrived and could not be stopped. Even Satan could not interrupt my laughing at this absurd behavior.)

That was about how it went. Have you been there? Have you just let the emotions fly because it makes you feel some control? Do you feel that you deserve the right to rant and rave so to just let it out of your body? I did. And I think it is normal at times. Look at King David’s words in Psalms. He certainly understands this action. However, he learned to praise God quickly after his one-sided chats with his Maker.

Here is the good news!

After the laughter and more apologizing to God for my absurd human conduct,

Guess who arrived?

Please just guess?

If you have been reading this series from God you should have a clue.

My Helper arrived in the nick of time to direct this course of irrational attitude coming from a child of God. I love the Holy Spirit and his timing. He let me be human first to later show me my peace comes only from Jesus. My Helper indulged this human emotion-driven bout so that I could receive peace from Jesus in the spiritual world. To let me experience my physical reaction to bad news, it allowed me to see the difference in the power of a spiritual reaction to bad news. Love it!

The Holy Spirit, our Helper and Reminder, brought a verse to my heart and mind. This verse took over my conversation and disposition. It was these words that completely changed the course of my day from discouragement to victory! You heard me. I said victory.

Psalm 112:7 NIV

He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

I began a whole new roar and cry. I said from the Word of God:

“I have no fear of bad news;

My heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”

These words of God became my new song and declaration to the atmosphere! Psalm 40:3 says “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” That is exactly what happened. God put a new song in my mouth and it went like this: “I have no fear of bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD!”

The more often I speak this verse in present tense, the stronger my conviction in the words. My confidence in my courage grows stronger with each confession of it, especially if I announce it aloud to the world. I really take pleasure in sounding off this information to Satan.

I want you to accept the courage of God in a new song. To say “I have no fear of bad news” is to express courage. To say “I have no fear of bad news because my heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD” is to express the power of God available to you!

Now it is your turn to have some fun!

When bad news arrives say, declare, confess and announce:

“I have no fear of bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”

Throughout your day meditate on these words or the exact verse of origin. This prepares your heart and mind for upcoming trouble. It provides you with the peace of Jesus to overcome difficulties and really makes you happy knowing you are courageous!

You are courageous!

Celebrate and meditate with these words:

Psalm 112:7 NIV

He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

“I have no fear of bad news;

my heart is steadfast,

trusting in the LORD.”