You know you should do a certain action, but you are hesitant to move forward. Perhaps you need to apologize to a friend that you hurt or interact with your Christian peers while you are with them or jump off a high rock that everyone else is jumping off or you are unsure about how God is going to move in your life. You know that you should involve yourself with the action at hand, but you are nervous and uncomfortable. What do you need to take a step forward? Last time you heard from me, I mentioned how I was going to be a junior counselor for Sequoia Brigade Camp, and there, I discovered the answer to that question.
When I was at precamp, we went to a couple different places near Arnold, CA. The first place was a small lake called White Pines Lake at which I had been a year ago at a camp called Morning Star. First, we swam across, and even though I knew how to swim, I didn’t feel comfortable swimming across the lake. However, Drake, our intern this year, encouraged me to swim across. After feeling exhausted from that swim, my mentor Dave told me that I needed to swim across the river behind the lake and jump off the wall that was behind the creek and that I couldn’t be last. Throughout that time, I felt nervous and a bit scared because I didn’t know if I could make it, and I didn’t like jumping from such a high place. Afterwards, I felt accomplished, tired, and sore.
The second place that we visited was the Natural Bridges, to which I had been almost four years ago at science camp with my school. At science camp, I was given the opportunity to swim through the river under the cave or natural bridge and back. I submerged myself in the water to get myself used to it, but being cold, I gave up. This month, when we arrived, Dave pulled me into the water, and Drake again encouraged me to swim to the rest of group. While I didn’t swim all the way through, I swam to where everyone else was instead of staying back.
God brought me back to two places to which I had been before to give me the courage to go beyond my comfort zone and be able to help the campers when they needed to go beyond their comfort zones too. While I haven’t had to go with any of the campers to jump off a wall protected by a gate with sharp blades, I have certainly needed the courage to be able to do beyond what the campers could do.
Courage, according to Christian Service Brigade’s Valor Magazine[1], is having the “strength of mind [that] enables him to overcome any fear of danger.” I was nervous and scared to swim across the lake and felt uncomfortable to swim through the Natural Bridges. While this was important regarding those scenarios, how does this relate to other areas in life? When you share and live out the gospel, your friends and society could reject and outcast you for being a true Christian. God might tell you to act, and you have no idea about why He is telling you to move. Perhaps, you know that you must make amends to a hurt relationship, and you feel nervous and uncomfortable about going to that person. In such cases, you need the supernatural courage to do what you must. Remember that God is always with you as long as you trust in Him and obey His commandments.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV)
Paul had a thorn in his side or some struggle, and he asked God to remove it. In response, God said that His grace was sufficient for Paul. Yes, life is at times going to be tough to persevere through every day, but pray to God and ask Him to give you the strength to be neither afraid nor dismayed. Jesus said that whatever you ask the Father in the name of Jesus would be given to you. If you need supernatural courage, ask for it, and I guarantee that God will come through if you stay committed to Him but not necessarily in the way that you expect.
Remember that you must receive your courage from the Father through Holy Spirit through the name of Jesus. This can come in two ways; all other ways are from these two specific practices. The first is reading the Word of God. The Bible is God-breathed, which means that when you read it, you will hear directly from God, and He will use that to bring you encouragement, whether that is from a story like Joshua and the battle of Jericho or a specific verse like Proverbs 3:5-6. The second way is prayer, which is communion with God. When you pray, God will hear you because He will never leave you nor forsake you. As I just stated, God will give you whatever you ask according to His will, and God wants you to have the courage to walk in His grace. You also show your reliance on God when you go to Him with your struggles.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14
When you are afraid that you won’t make it through life or that some circumstance will become a disaster, trust that God has your back. He is always with you, and no matter what happens, you will survive spiritually and often physically as you call upon the Lord. Fear gets the best of all of us at times, but when you catch yourself in a time of anxiety, get on your knees and pray for boldness to stand firm in your commitment to Him.
COMMITTING TO GOD’S GRACE AND LOVE,
Jeremiah Yonemura
[1] “The Seven Points of Valor.” Valor Parent Magazine, valormagazine.csbministries.org/seven-points-of-valor/.