Skip to main content

“It’s no surprise that courage often fuels our ability to endure tests and overcome obstacles.”

A thought by Chris Hodge from his book, The Daniel Dilemma: How to Stand Firm and Love Well in a Culture of Compromise (Kindle Locations 1194). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Courage is another good word to look at here at the beginning of 2018.  It is something we need and will need in the living of this new year.

Chris says, “Courage is the condition of your heart that allows you to believe you’ll succeed without knowing how you’ll succeed.”  That is what it is.

Chris then says, “But where does courage come from? The origins of the word itself reveal the way courage is forged in the depths of our souls. The English word courage evolved from cour, the Middle English word meaning ‘the heart,’ the seat of one’s deepest feelings. This usage evolved from Old French, corage, and originally from the Latin word for ‘heart,’ cor.”

He goes on, “Notice the way core and courage both come from this word for the heart. This makes sense because our hearts are the battleground between our trials and our convictions. They square off in a showdown to determine what remains and stays true in our hearts. When culture challenges our convictions, we must exercise courage—a deep-seated strength of heart—and resist the temptation to conform or compromise. Courage fuels our ability to carry out our convictions.”

Later in the book, Chris says, “… courage doesn’t try to figure out all the answers and refuse to act until it understands. Courage comes from the heart. Like love, courage requires a commitment of unbreakable trust. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do, and not allowing fear to rule your decisions. Simply put, courage looks up, stands up, and speaks up.”

I’m not sure how this thought, this word fits with your life at this time but I felt led to share it with you. 

Chris also said, “Even when I don’t like it, God’s Word tells me the truth. Sometimes it makes me miserable as it confronts areas of my heart and life that need to change. But if I submit myself to God’s truth, it sets me free. Surrendering to God’s truth strengthens our convictions and fuels our courage, providing confidence in the face of the storm.”

God’s Word tells us the truth, it sets us free and it fuels our courage. 


And that is a good place to start.  So would you open your heart up to God and to his Word?  Would you?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference.   You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...