I’d like to imagine that God has millions of memory reels that have our names on them. Caked-dust blankets their worn tin covers, and they line the attic stairs leading up to an unfinished ceiling.
Held within their weathered shells are significant moments of our lives. Each memory is kept preciously tucked within the chambers in the heart of God. Some I wish He’d leave sealed and never reopen, for I’m too embarrassed to relive those moments. Others, I wish He would put on display for all to see—proud and thankful that He gave me the grace and strength to respond the way I did in that moment.
Still more reels are meant for just Him and I. Reserved for a special viewing with just the two of us. A night where He and I make our way up to the attic, white cheddar popcorn in hand, and watch reels of memories. Reminiscing with grateful hearts as we recall precious moments together.
And yet there are other reels that remain unopened because they haven’t happened yet. The reels of my present and my future. Reels for which I pray that God gives me the ability to respond in complete belief and faith.
For believing, my sweet friends, is where courage begins.
Get snuggled in your favorite cozy blanket. Make yourself a delicious snack. Snatch your journal and pen off your dusty bookshelf and get ready to be challenged.
Write this down: Believing God is the first step you and I can take towards living a truly courageous life.
For many of you, believing God might look like a full-on body hug from Jesus. The kind where you mutually embrace each other. We’ve all had moments when we’ve declined God’s love. It’s as if our arms are hanging down at our sides limply lifeless while He’s got us in a tenderly firm embrace. But today is the day your arms raise and return God’s embrace once again. Fully accepting the fact that He loves you and He’s got your best interest at heart.
Or maybe this is the very first time you’ve ever made a conscious decision to embrace Jesus. The decision to finally accept that He is real. That He died on the cross for your sins and that He is alive and wants a relationship with you. If that’s you, my heart is brimming over with joy for you. This is the best decision you could ever make.
A relationship with God is what we were created for.
For others who have known Jesus for years, believing God might mean putting down that self-help book and picking up your looks-like-new, never-been-read Bible—realizing that it alone has the power to change a life. It might mean finally practicing what you’ve been saying you believe for the past decade but never actually did anything about. Today is your day, sweet friend. God will transform your life as you seek Him.
Or maybe you’re like me and you just need to tell God “I believe You” one more time and start taking steps towards obedience.
You know what He’s spoken to you, yet deep down you are trying to ignore it because it just doesn’t make sense. Today is the day to dig up that word from God and start agreeing with what He said, both publicly and privately. To throw reasoning to the side. To rest in the safety and surety of a loving Father who always has your best interest at heart.
As I journey with God, I find that I have barely scratched the surface of getting to know Him. My little tiny brain can’t wrap itself around the greatness of God. I stand in awe.
I also find that many times God asks me to do things that are beyond my ability, even impossible. Get used to it—this is just the way God works. God works in the realm of impossibilities.
When He asks us to do things that seem utterly impossible, what He is really asking is for us to believe that He can do it. He’s not asking us to physically do it; we know it’s something that only He can do. We need to muster up faith on our end—that He can and will do what He has promised.
This is where true courage begins—in the ability to see past the impossibility of what He is asking and believe Him implicitly.
I am convinced that our ability to see God do the miraculous is not dependent on whether or not God can do the miraculous; it’s dependent on our belief that He can do it, and our ability to quickly cultivate an active response of obedience to that belief.
"I pray that God grants you the heart to quickly believe what He's asking to you do and be in this season of your life."
Photo Credit: Andrey Merkulev from pexels.com
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