After spending some time really looking at what love is--patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not self-seeking, keeping no record of wrongs among others--I came across this. And this truly is how we can DO love. We must be on our guard, otherwise all those self-seeking attributes tend to pop up and we think, speak and act in an unloving manner. I must tell you that when I write about something I have an enemy who lets me know how far I must go to live up to what scripture says. I begin to see how easily I fail. So I know that I must keep on guard otherwise I might slip down the slippery slope and just keep on going.
Keeping my guard up and being ready for the battlefield that plays in my mind helps me stand firm in the faith. It reminds me where my strength comes from. It reminds me Who my strength comes from. Which of course leads to one of my very favorite verses (Eph. 1:19,20) which says that the power we, as believers have is the very strength God exerted when He raised Christ from the dead. That's the strength I have access to!
Keeping my guard up, standing firm in the faith enables me to be courageous. What does courageous look like? It can certainly take on many forms. Soldiers must be courageous in battle if they want to come out alive. What enables them to be courageous? Oftentimes, they will point to loved ones at home. Mothers must be courageous. Why? Raising a child takes courage--we mothers must be fearless in the battle for our children. God gave us a special charge when He entrusted these young lives into our care.
What circumstance are you facing that calls for courage? You can do this! You can overcome. You can succeed. You can be the lion or lioness and roar to that thing that wants to trip you up. If you are living the life of a believer in Christ you have access to that very great power. Is there something that you need to call from the dead? Is there something that you need God to breathe life into again? Don't try to be courageous in and of yourself. Be courageous because you have God fighting your battles.
Be strong! I am so glad I don't have to face things in my own strength. I'm pretty puny. I'm a wimp. I'm a weakling. But I have a BIG BROTHER, Jesus standing behind me that causes the enemy to back up and run away. I can be strong because I know Who has my back.
Then it all wraps back up in love. My standing firm, being courageous, being strong isn't supposed to come off as "stay away from her, she's tough!" It should look more like, "Come stand next to her, she's tough!"
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