Be Courageous

 By: Joanne Viola

 

Courage, as it is seen in the lives of people, is an admired quality. It is the mental and/or moral strength which will get a person through a challenging time or situation.

After Moses’ death, God spoke to Joshua telling him the manner he was to take the people into the land which God was giving to them.

God knew it would take courage for Joshua to do so. God addressed the need for courage three times as He spoke with Joshua:

• “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6, NASB)
• “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7, NASB)
• “ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NASB) 

Joshua is going to step into shoes which would be big and difficult to fill. God knows Joshua is the one to lead His people into the land, but is fully aware Joshua has hesitations.

And so we read the command to “Be courageous.” Why?

Then I began to wonder – Is there a difference between being courageous and being brave? Why didn’t God tell Joshua to be brave?

Much to my surprise, I found there is a difference between these two words.

Being brave, or bravery, is a quick act, usually in the moment. Courage is a conscious choice, a deeper choice, it is purpose driven and often requires perseverance.

Life will demand that we be courageous at times. We will need to be courageous and find our strength in the Lord in order to navigate the challenges.

We will need to know and obey God’s Word, being confident in what He has spoken.

Tucked in between the above three verses, we find one more command which God gave to Joshua:

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, 
but you shall meditate on it day and night, 
so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; 
for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
 (verse 8, NASB) 

God commanded Joshua to think on, speak out, and live by God’s Word. Meditation means repeating the precepts of Scripture, talking about them while we ponder how to best apply those very precepts effectively to our lives.

It will take courage to live out our purposes.
We will need to meditate on and obey His Word,
“Be courageous.”

 

Reflection:
What are your thoughts on courage? How do you find courage when facing the challenges of life?

 

Photo by Micah & Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash

 

 

 

Mindset Shifts for 2026

 By: Lauren Thomas 

How are your New Year’s resolutions coming? Personally, I love goal setting for a new year, but despise resolutions. Resolutions necessitate abundant will power… And usually end in disappointment. Goals work better than resolutions. But creating successful goals requires that we think differently about what we have done in the past – or even how we are in the present – so that we can change our behaviors moving forward.

Transformation comes by two things working together – the Spirit of God working in us and the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2). We have to change our thinking to change our behaviors. Here are some mindset shifts I’m taking into the new year. I hope they inspire renewed thinking for you!

 

Burden to Blessing

 

It can be easy to view responsibilities, obligations, and even the people around us as burdens. Let’s shift from seeing these things as inconveniences and instead, see them as opportunities. Instead of thinking I have-to, think I GET to. That demanding job? Blessing. The messy home? Blessing. The kids asking for a snack for the 30^th time that day? Blessing.

 

Even Proverbs highlights the flaw in our thinking when responsibilities feel like burdens instead of blessings:

 

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

Proverbs 14:4 ESV

 

Scarcity to Abundance

 

In the last few years, I got into a bad habit of saying, “I just don’t have margin for that.” And while that was sometimes true, it became an excuse. This year, instead of thinking there’s not enough time, energy, or resources, I want to think about what I do have capacity for, choose it intentionally, and go all in. Instead of thinking about what I don’t have, I’m thinking about what I do have. What I do have, I want to steward well. This is a shift from scarcity to abundance, from margin to capacity.

 

After all, Jesus gives us abundant life (John 10:10), and God has more than enough to supply for what I need.

 

And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

 

Consuming to Creating

 

God made us to create, to bring order, to have dominion over his creation. That can look like organizing a closet, cooking a meal, and leading a family. It can look like crafting and decorating and creating art. It can look like managing a team. If I spend more time consuming content (social media, podcasts, books, music, etc.), than creating order and beauty around me, that’s a problem. God has created me for good works. He has prepared those works for me to do. If I am too distracted with other people’s works that I don’t have time for God’s works, that’s a problem.

 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

 

Reflection:

What mindset shifts will you take into this new year?

How do the above mindset shifts relate to your life? Could they be helpful for you?

Joyful Suffering

 By: Grace Metzger

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I was reading through Philippians and stumbled upon this verse. This really impacted me as I couldn’t imagine going through what Paul was going through and still trying to encourage other believers. Paul was in prison, writing about how his suffering wasn’t in vain and that it was being used to advance the gospel. If that was me in that situation, I think I would be too busy whining and complaining to even think about how God could be using this for His glory. 

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. ‭

‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are so many stories in the Bible of people who suffered and God used that suffering for good. I think of Joseph, who was sold to slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. If that’s not suffering, I don’t know what is! But God used all of that to help Egypt through the famine, reconnect Joseph to his family, and made Joseph a powerful man in Egypt. All these amazing things happened but he had to suffer beforehand.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3

The Bible never promised us that we will be without suffering. What it did promise us is that God is good and He’s going to use every situation to help us grow strong in Him, we just have to allow God to do His work in us. I know that for many people reading that you might have to suffer in life is a bit depressing for them, trust me I understand! I struggled with this part too, but as I started reading more of the Bible and finding more stories of believers who suffered but were rewarded, I get a more hopeful view. Throughout each story there was a sense of joy and happiness no matter what was happening. Stories like Paul in prison, he wasn’t mad but he was joyful that God was using his story to help spread God’s word. 

I want God to use my suffering for good, I want to be used to help spread His word. But that can’t happen until I let go of my anger about my suffering and allow God to use my situation to work through me.  

Discussion Question! 

What helps you stay hopeful during tough situations?

One More Chance

By: Jenifer Metzger

Because of the Lord’s faithful

love we do not perish, for His

mercies never end. They are

new every morning; great is

Your faithfulness! I say, “The

Lord is my portion, therefore

I will put my hope in Him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 CSB

My five year old grandson is the oldest between he and his brother as well as the oldest among his cousins on both sides of his family. Because of this, he often thinks he knows best and is in charge. I'm an oldest child and grandchild so I get it. This morning his two year old cousin was doing something he shouldn't and while I was correcting him, big cousin jumped in and said, "Grammie, he gets another chance. God gives us one more chance." Well, how can I argue with that!?

The truth is, God doesn't just give us one more chance. God is so patient and kind with us, He is full of grace toward us, He gives us new mercies every single day.

What should we say then? Should

we continue in sin so that grace may

multiply? Absolutely not! How can

we who died to sin still live in it?

Romans 6:1-2 CSB 

Now, just because of God's kindness and grace, that doesn't mean we get to simply keep on sinning. We repent -we ask forgiveness and turn away from that sin- and strive to not continue in the sin. If we do mess up, if we do fall, we can be sure of God's forgiving grace and new mercies. But we once we repent, we die to that sin, and like Paul said, how can we die in it, yet keep doing it?

God gives us second chances out of His deep love for us and His desire that we live for Him. He doesn't keep on giving us chances so that we can keep on sinning. Sin has consequences and when we continue to live in sin, we will suffer the consequences. So we can be thankful for His mercies, His "one more chance" but still strive to live right with Him.

Let's praise God for His new mercies every day, for His gracious second chances, but let's work toward walking away from our sins and living in righteousness with God.

Discussion:
1. Think of a time you experienced God's second chances in your life.
2. Now think of something in your life that you have been leaning on those extra chances and need to fully repent from.

Names of God Series: Nourished by the Bread of Life

 By: Rebekah Hargraves 

Photo Courtesy of: James Coleman

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again."

~John 8:35

In our study of the names of God, we come next to another name Jesus ascribes to Himself - the name "The Bread of Life", singling for us the fact that Jesus provides us with spiritual nourishment and satisfies our deepest soul-level needs.

Just as we so often turn to junk food as opposed to good, nutrient-dense nourishing bread and wonder why it is we do not feel healthy or satisfied, so, too, we so often make it our habit to turn to anything and everything but Jesus for deep soul-satisfaction - Netflix, earthly relationships, social media, various addictions, etc. - and still wonder why we are not soul-satisfied at the deepest level.

 The reasoning is the same behind both ailments. There is a way of eating that truly nourishes our bodies, and there likewise is a way of looking to and relying on Jesus to meet our needs that truly satisfies our souls and spirits.

When we think about Jesus as being our Bread of Life and ponder the spiritual implications thereof, it can be helpful to first think of the implications for our bodies of eating nourishing bread.

Bread strengthens us. Without eating, our bodies perish. And even without eating just one meal or two here or there, we already begin to feel the effects. The same is true when we eat food that is less than healthy. We feel weak, lethargic, and exhausted. The same is true for us spiritual when we do not rely on Jesus to meet the needs of our spiritual life. We become weak, lethargic, complacent, spiritually tired, and unable to fight back against the attacks and temptations of the enemy.

Bread also nourishes us, providing us with the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy and full of vitality. Jesus, too, provides us with everything we need, in Himself, for us to be healthy and full of vitality spiritually. Peter attests to this in 2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

Do you need to be spiritually healthy, whole, and strong? Do you feel you are lacking something spiritually? Then turn to Jesus, your Bread of Life.

Reflection Questions:

1) What does it mean for you that Jesus is your Bread of Life?

2) What aspect of bread and its benefit to our bodies most stands out to you in terms of how Jesus Himself fills that need?

3) Have you been looking to Jesus to be your Bread of Life? Why or why not? How can you begin to do that today if you haven't made it a habit before?