Strength and Courage in Christ

Fear. It is a driving force in all of our lives. We are often controlled by our fear, whether that be fear of the law, or of our parents, or of poverty, or of injury, we are driven by fear. But I say to you, we must find strength and courage in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is an almighty God–capable of anything.

Revelations 12:11 says that “they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faces with death.”

Hebrews 10:35-39 tells us “therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. ‘For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back My soul has no pleasure in Him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

In Philippians 1:21-26, Paul starts by saying that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Ahhh! To have that kind of love for Jesus! That to die is gain because we get to go into heaven and be with Him. What do we have to fear, Christians? Not only is the living God on our side, but if they come at us with guns and blades, what can they do but send us to our Father in heaven?

Paul goes on to say that since Christ is doing a great work through him, he will remain among the people. God has us here for a purpose, do not doubt that. But have no fear, for if we do end up dying, we will only go to heaven.

This issue is not as pressing here in America as it is abroad. We are not persecuted to the point of death here. But a day will come when that may be true. And on that day: Have no fear! What do we have to lose? To live is Christ and to die is gain!

The Lord speaks to Joshua in Joshua 1:1-9. In that short passage, Joshua is commanded to be strong and courageous three times. That’s quite a bit of repetition for nine verses. For example, verse 9: “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.”

I know this may seem difficult to put into practice. But honestly? What do we have to fear? God Himself commanded us to be strong and courageous and not to tremble or be dismayed. He’s with us! Why in the world would we fear man? What can he do but destroy the flesh?

Matthew 10:28-32 reads as follows: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Do not fear. Be strong and courageous for the Lord is with you wherever you go.

Attributes of God

Attributes of God
Have you ever wondered about God’s true nature? A breakdown of His character, as revealed in the Bible, can be discovered.

The Meaning
God is a word that means different things to different people. What enters our minds when we think about God is considered to be the most important thing about us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without him was not one thing made that has come into being.” (Gospel of John 1:1-3)

Characteristics

Wisdom
“Wisdom is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve these ends by the most perfect means.” (Dr. Fred R. Johnson, Ph.D.)

Infinitude
Infinitude impacts all of the others, and since God is infinite, everything else about Him must also be infinite.

Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the application of His other attributes of being all-knowing and all-powerful. Sovereignty makes Him absolutely free to do what He knows to be best.

Holiness
Holiness is what sets God apart from all other created beings, which is pure and righteous in all the universe.

Trinity
The Trinity consists of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all called God, given worship as God, exist eternally, and are involved in doing things only God could do.

Omniscience
Omniscience means all-knowing, which means God knows everything, and His knowledge is infinite.

Faithfulness
God’s Faithfulness guarantees everything that He has promised will come to pass. His faithfulness guarantees this fact, which has Jesus confirmed.

A Continuing Study

Love
Love simply means that God holds the well-being of others as His primary concern.

Omnipotence
Omnipotence means all-powerful, and since God is infinite and possesses power, He possesses infinite power.

Self-Existence
Self-Existence means God has no beginning or end; He just exists. Nothing else in all the universe is self-caused.

Self-Sufficiency
God is Self-Sufficient. He does not need our help with anything, but because of His grace and love, He allows us to be a part of advancing His plan on earth and being a blessing to others. We are the ones who change, but never God.

Justice
The Bible says that God is just, but it is His character that defines what being just really is. His justice is needed to be satisfied, but He took care of it for all who will believe in Jesus.

Immutability
It is why the Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This simply means that God never changes.

Mercy
“Mercy is the attribute of God which disposes Him to be actively compassionate.” Since God’s justice is satisfied in Jesus, He is free to show mercy to all those who have chosen to follow Him.

Eternal
God always has been and will forever be, because God dwells in eternity. It is why God can see the end from the beginning, and why He is never surprised by anything.

Goodness
Goodness is why He bestows all the blessing He does on His followers. God’s actions define what goodness is, and we can easily see it in the way Jesus related to the people around Him.

Gracious
God enjoys giving great gifts to those who love Him, even when they do not deserve it.  Jesus Christ is the channel through which His grace moves.

Omnipresence
Omnipresence means “always present.” Since God is infinite, His being knows no boundaries. This is certainly a comforting truth for all who follow Jesus.

The Conclusion
By learning the attributes of God, you may praise God for who He really is and for how each of His attributes impacts your life in a positive way.