A Different Commandment

Happy (Late) Easter! He is Risen!

Last week at a vantage point 5km south of our house. PC: Louise from Northern Ireland :)

Today’s post, as promised, brings you the points of my message that I gave to the Ebenezer apprentices around the last time I wrote. Sorry it’s taken me so long to write. Life with a newborn and a toddler is very uncharted territory!

I was asked to talk to the young apprentices about “Faith in Everyday Life When Dealing With Stress/Worry/Anxiety.” Simple topic, right? Not! Well, I set out to jot down some notes and find some Bible verses to share with them, and below you have a shortened version.

I am sharing what I told to some rural Zimbabwean young adults with you, my readers who are mostly not in Zimbabwe, because I am pretty sure that we all have worries and stresses no matter what country or situation or time we find ourselves in. And praise the Lord, the Bible speaks timelessly to these things.

I hope that this post either encourages you, convicts you, or lets you know you’re not alone. Watch out, the preacher is coming out!

Point #1: “Be Strong and Courageous” is a Command.

Do you realize that this is a commandment in Joshua 1:6,9?

He didn’t say “if you want you can be strong and courageous.” or “It’s better to be strong and courageous if you can.” It is in the command - the imperative - form of the verb. Which means that when he says “do not be afraid” he is saying that it’s a must.

So, when you choose to operate on the base of fear, you are sinning. WHAT!? Come again? You are choosing to tell God that you believe your fears are bigger than He is. And that he isn’t all-powerful. You are choosing to believe lies when you choose to be afraid.

Now this is a tall order, is it not? Being commanded to not be afraid, and to be strong, and to be courageous? Especially when the world is an ever-changing place?

But, that’s only half the story. The other side is that Jesus tells us that we can “take” courage from Him. He’s got all the courage we need and he’s offering it. We just have to take it, just like he told people to do in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. That’s how you can see Joshua saying “While I was afraid…” and at the same time he is winning battles and taking land for the Lord, doing incredibly intense and scary things. He is using a greater Source for his courage.

Point #2: Feelings and Reality

I heard a mind blowing idea a couple years ago, and I want you to read it out loud with me. It says, “Just because my feelings are real, doesn’t mean my feelings are my reality.” Maybe say it out loud again. And a third time. Go ahead.

To unpack this a bit, I want you to know we are justified in our emotions. God created us with feelings, reactions, and minds and hearts of our own. But, we can’t operate based on these feelings. We need to operate based on Truth. When unexpected situations arise, we need to know God’s truth and be grounded. We can’t be reacting to the world like a boat that moves about with every wave hitting from every side.

Know your feelings, be aware of your feelings, but bring them to God and choose to declare truths from the Bible instead of declaring shifting feelings.

This is a big one for me. I could choose to complain, I could choose to stress about the unknowns, and I could choose to focus on the ways I fall short - and I’m guilty of all of those. But I see how unhealthy and unproductive it is to stay there and dwell on those things. Rather, admit that you’re in a challenging situation that might stink, but then acknowledge God is with you. God will not forsake you. God is your provider. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter. Get some verses memorized that can be the truth you lean on when your feelings and situational craziness are hitting hard.

Point #3: Both Fear and Courage are Contagious

There are many examples of how fear is spread in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

-When 10 of the 12 spies going into the Promised Land refused to believe that their group could take on the giants, they all subconsciously convinced themselves that fear and hesitation were better than the faith and optimism that Caleb and Joshua had.

-When people who believed Jesus was the Messiah refused to stand against the crowds that yelled “Crucify!” because they were afraid of the masses.

-When Adam and Eve convinced each other to try to hide from God.

I’m sure there are more examples and I’m also sure you can think of your own personal examples of when the fear in one person is easily spread to the others in a group. (Think of a girls’ cabin at summer camp if someone yells, “snake!”)

There’s no doubt that fear is contagious, right? Well I’d like to place the same argument for courage- that it is also contagious. (Gee I think I’ve read that somewhere, like a blog name or something….)

But really, guys. Don’t you think that choosing to be brave can inspire someone else to be brave? Don’t you think you have an impact on the people around you? That if they see how you weathered your storm with prayer, that they might be able to do the same for theirs? I truly believe it is possible. I think that if YOU decide to be brave in one step, at one time, that you have the power to influence others for good. God will reward your testimony.

Do you have the courage to be different?

The courage to share the gospel?

The courage to not react at someone who cuts you off in traffic?

The courage to ask a stranger if they have a prayer request?

The courage to show your kids how to pray?

The courage to trust God has you where He wants you?

The courage to start a side hustle you’ve been dreaming about?

The courage to gift some of your monthly resources even when you don’t think you earn enough? The courage to do whatever it is that causes you worry?

Yes, dear friend, I believe you do have the courage. Because it’s not coming from courage inside you. It’s courage that Jesus gives to you. You my friend are courageous. And your courage is contagious.

I want to pause here a minute because I think some of you might have written off these previous sentences in bold as tacky or cliché. If that was you I want you to go back and read them again. I need you to believe that you can be strong and brave. Each and every one of you. We cannot afford for some of us to believe it and others to shake their head in disbelief. Sure you might not have been brave before, but today is a new day and God’s mercies are new. Declare it. Choose to believe it and operate in that belief. I’m not discounting you, and don’t discount yourself. It’s time to take courage! It's not an option!

I literally would not be writing to you if I didn’t believe this were true, since it’s the premise for this entire blog. Let God help you be contagiously courageous.

Growing in Courage,

Mackenzie

PS: Family and Chicken update coming at you within the week!