What does courage look like in my life?  What does it look like for you?

What do I need courage for?  What is God asking me to do that’s scary and out of my comfort zone?

I know God is challenging both you and me – it’s his nature.  As our Good Father, he wants us to grow and develop a strong, courageous character.  So he provides opportunities for us to be stretched.

Where does he want to stretch you?  If you can’t think of any place he is trying to help you grow, I recommend spending several hours with him as you read and meditate and listen to him speak to you through his Word.  You will come away from that time challenged by something – I guarantee it.

God presented Joshua with a huge challenge by giving him leadership of the Israelite nation after Moses was ‘gathered to his people’.  The Israelites were finally ready to enter the Promised Land and they were facing the daunting task of conquering the land.

There seemed to be a lot of valid reasons for Joshua to be fearful and worried – except God was in control.  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”  Joshua 1:9.

Nothing is impossible for God – there was no reason to be afraid.

Have you ever had a situation that was big and challenging like this where you knew you didn’t need to be afraid because it was all in God’s hands? 

I have experienced this several times. A year ago God told me to write a book about my journey of grief and faith after my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty on May 18, 2016. A book! I write two blogs – this one and a different one about my son and my experiences since his death. But I have never written a book. It’s a big project, lots of challenges. I was not worried – God told me to do it and I knew, if I did my part, he would make the rest happen.

And He did.

I recently published it on Amazon – “Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love”. Check it out and let me know what you think!

While I was writing the book, I experienced another situation where I needed courage and faith. Last June, my husband passed out at a pickle ball tournament and was rushed to the hospital where they called a ‘code’ on him in the emergency room.  Every available medical staff member came running.  They saved his life that day and he had emergency by-pass surgery two days later.  After 6 months of more procedures and tests, he is finally feeling well again.

As I made my way to the emergency room that day after my husband called me to tell me where he was, God kept speaking into my mind that He was in control, that He loved my husband, and that he everything was going to work out according to His plan. So I was not worried, I was not anxious when I walked into that emergency room and saw my husband hooked up to a bunch of machines.

God was in charge – there was no reason to be afraid.  My being worried or scared of what was happening would not have made the situation better- it would have made it worse.  After the doctor told me what happened and how serious the situation was, I still didn’t feel afraid. God has already decided when our last days are here on earth.  If this had been my husband’s last day, nothing the doctors could have done for him would have changed that.  God is in total control.

It was a truly amazing experience to watch – once again- the reality of God’s infinite power play out right before my  eyes.

So I have recent knowledge of how Joshua must have felt when God told him that he had to lead the way in conquering the Promised Land and God would give him victory.  Joshua was going to have to wake up every day and courageously show up to do his part, but God was going to be with him, making it all happen.

Where is God challenging you?  If he’s asking you to do something, he will be right there beside you helping you accomplish it.

Be strong and courageous.  Experience the power of God in your life today.

What does courage look like in my life?  What does it look like for you?

What do I need courage for?  What is God asking me to do that’s a little scary and out of my comfort zone?

I know God is challenging both you and me – it’s his nature.  As our Good Father, he wants us to grow and develop a strong, courageous character.  So he provides opportunities for us to be stretched.

Where does he want to stretch you?  If you can’t think of any place he is trying to help you grow, I recommend spending several hours with him as you read and meditate and listen to him speak to you through his Word.  You will come away from that time challenged by something – I guarantee it.

God presented Joshua with a huge challenge by giving him leadership of the Israelite nation after Moses was ‘gathered to his people’.  The Israelites were finally ready to enter the Promised Land and they were facing the daunting task of conquering the land and taking control.

There seemed to be a lot of  valid reasons for Joshua to be fearful and worried – except God had already declared victory.  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”  Joshua 1:9.

God was in total control – there was no reason to be afraid.

Have you ever had a situation like this where you knew you didn’t need to be afraid because God had already declared victory?

I had a major experience like this several years ago when I thought I had just caught a weird respiratory virus on a trip to the Midwest but then found out, when I finally went to the doctor and then the emergency room ending up in ICU, that I had a dozen blood clots in my lungs.  While the doctor in ER was explaining to me that this was a life-threatening situation, God spoke into my mind.  He told me that he had already taken care of this – I was not going to die from it.  I was going to have to go through all the tests and days in the hospital and months of blood thinners but God was going to walk beside me, every step of the way.  I felt a blanket of peace come down over me and I was not afraid.  God had it all under his control.

My doctor was amazed at my attitude – she kept reminding me that I was going through a life-threatening experience.  I guess I wasn’t acting worried enough.  Four other doctors told me that this should have killed me within an hour of when it happened – they were afraid for me.

God had already declared victory – there was no reason to be afraid.  I obviously didn’t die from it and I realized that God had given me a new story to share about his faithfulness and love and care.  He is still doing miracles today!  I am here because it wasn’t the day he has already decided will be my last day here on earth.  He’s in absolute total control and I have proof.

It was a truly amazing experience to watch God’s victory play out in my life right before my eyes.

So I have some knowledge of how Joshua must have felt when God told him that he had to lead the way in conquering the Promised Land and God would give him victory.  Joshua was going to have to wake up every day and show up to do his part, but God was going to be with him, making it all happen.

Where is God challenging you?  If he’s asking you to do something, he will be right there beside you helping you accomplish it.

Be strong and courageous.  Experience God’s victory in your life today.

Thank you, Abba Father, for the miracles you are doing right now in our lives.

What does courage look like in my life?

What does it look like for you?

What do I need courage for?  What is God asking me to do that a little scary and out of my comfort zone?

I know God is challenging both you and me – it’s his nature.  As our Good Father, he wants us to grow and develop a strong, courageous character.  So he provides opportunities for us to be stretched.

Where is he stretching you?  If you don’t think he is, I recommend spending several hours with him as you read and meditate and listen to him speak to you through his Word.  You will come away from that time challenged by something – I guarantee it.

God gave Joshua a huge challenge by giving him leadership of the Israelite nation after Moses was ‘gathered to his people’.  They were finally ready to enter the Promised Land.  And they were facing the daunting task of conquering the land and taking control.

There seemed to be a lot of  valid reasons to be fearful and worried – except God had already declared victory.  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”

God was in total control – there was no reason to be afraid.

Have you ever experienced a situation like this where you knew you didn’t need to be afraid because God had already declared victory?

I had a major experience like this several years ago when I thought I had just caught a weird respiratory bug on a trip to the Midwest but then found out, when I finally went to the doctor and then the emergency room ending up in ICU, that I had a dozen blood clots in my lungs.  While the doctor in ER was explaining to me that this was a life-threatening situation, God spoke into my mind.  He told me that he had already taken care of this – I was not going to die from it.  I was going to have to go through all the tests and months of blood thinners and days in the hospital but God was going to go with me, every step of the way.

I was not afraid.  My doctor was amazed at my attitude – she kept reminding me that I was going through a life-threatening experience.  Four other doctors told me that this should have killed me – they were afraid for me.

God had already declared victory – there was no reason to be afraid.  I obviously didn’t die from it and I realized that God had given me a new story to share about his faithfulness and love and care.  He is still doing miracles today!

It was a truly amazing experience to watch God’s victory play out in my life right before my eyes.

So I have some knowledge of how Joshua must have felt when God told him that he had to lead the way in conquering the Promised Land and God would give him victory.  Joshua was going to have to wake up every day and show up, but God was going to be with him, making it all happen.

Where is God challenging you?  If he’s asking you to do something, he will be right there beside you helping you accomplish it.

Be strong and courageous.  Experience God’s victory in your life today.

Thank you, Abba Father, for the miracles you are doing right now in our lives.