Music Composed By: Mike Outland
Episode Transcript
Thank you for joining us today as we get ready
for our devotion time this morning, the Lord wants to
speak a very specific message to, if not all of us,
at least some of us who wake up today. Maybe
you're facing something today, You've got to face it early
this morning, and you're a little fearful about it. Maybe
you're a little anxious about it. Maybe you just don't
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want to go through the process of having to deal
with it. But whatever it is, God's got a word
for you this morning that it's going to take courage
and you're going to need strength, but by His grace
you will be able to make it through it. And
then once you face it, once you deal with it,
once you tackle it the way the Lord wants you to,
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you will come out better on the other side for it.
It will now no longer be a wait that tries
to hold you down. It will not be something that
occupies your mind morning, noon, and night. You will subdue it.
You will bring it into captivity and you will be
able to handle this situation. And it will not only
make your life better, it's going to make people's life
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around you better. I'm reminded of a word this morning
in Joshua one and verse number nine. I'd like to
share that with you this morning, that says the Lord
said to Joshua. Have not I commanded thee. Notice he said,
commanded THEE be strong and of a good courage. Be
not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, For the Lord Die.
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God is with THEE. Wheresoever thou goest, pay attention to
that this morning. The Lord, your God is with you
wherever you go, even into situations you don't want to
deal with sometimes. See the story of Joshua is one
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of the most inspiring parts of the Bible if you
really think about it, because it showcases the courage and
strength that God instilled in him. Not the courage and
strength he had just naturally, but the courage and strength
that God put inside of him. And when God passed
the mantle of moses leadership to Joshua, he reassured him
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with a powerful message that said, be strong and of
a good courage. I want you to imagine stepping into
such a shadow as Moses, the shadow that Moses cast,
Joshua had to be a little anxious about taking on
that role leading a nation into the Promised Land. Joshua
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faced many challenges, from crossing the Jordan River to battling
fierce enemies, but I want you to notice that his
faith in God's promise is what led him forward. And
in a world where we live in where uncertainties and
challenges try to weigh us down, maybe the one that's
trying to weigh you down today, it's easy to feel anxious. However,
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as believers, we have a beautiful source of courage and
strength in Jesus Christ, the Lord. His love and grace
empower us to face life trials with a joyful heart
and an unshakable faith. So it's important for us to
recognize that our strength does not come from our own abilities,
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comes from our relationship with Jesus. Remember what it said
in Philmbia's thirteen. He said I can do all things,
but then he qualifies it through Christ, which strengthens me.
This verse is a powerful reminder that no matter the
challenges we face in life, be it personal struggles, be
it health issues, or just daily goals and tasks, Christ
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is our cornerstone, and when we lean on him, Praise
the Lord, we can find a courage to lead us forward. See,
courage is not the absence of fear. You've heard that before.
It's the resolve to move forward in spite of the fear,
and Jesus encourages us to be courageous. He assures us
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so that in John chapter sixteen and verse thirty three,
I won't you listen to what it says. These things
have I spoken unto you that in me you might
have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but
be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. This
promise tells me this morning that I can face my fears,
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whether they are related to relationships, work, or even spiritual battles,
because we have the ultimate victory already in Jesus Christ.
One of the most beautiful parts of our faith is
that our weakness can be our greatest strength. That's hard
for people to realize, but writes about it in the
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Second Corinthians, chapter twelve and verse number nine. He writes,
My grace is sufficient for you, says the Lord, and
MY power is made perfect in your weakness. This means
that when you feel like you can't go on, that
is the precise moment that Jesus's power can shine the
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brightest in your life. You can approach your struggles, knowing
that your difficulties are merely opportunities for His strength to
be revealed in your life today. So how do you
maintain courage and strength in your daily life? Well, this morning,
I need to tell you it starts with prayer, immersing
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yourself in God's word, and seeking his presence in every situation,
even the one you've got to face today. When you
can focus on the goodness of God and the blessings
that are in your life, you develop a sense of
peace that can fuel your courage and your strength in
every situation. So today remember to put your faith in Jesus,
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not in yourself. That your courage and strength comes from
who dwells inside of you, the power of the Holy Spirit,
not from your own abilities and attributes. He is your
source of strength and the only one that gives us
the courage to face the day that's before us. So
today you be safe, you be strong, and you be blessed,
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and you be the person today that says I may
not want to deal with this, but by the grace
of God, I will stand in his courage and in
his strength, and I will have the victory. You have
a great and wonderful day,
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