Frances Roberts wrote, “The coward seeks release from pressure. The courageous pray for strength.” Where do you and I need to pray for strength and fresh courage take? I can think of four possibilities. ❒ Step out in faith. When the Holy Spirit nudges you toward something or someone, you do what God wants you to do . . . say what God wants you to say . . . go where God wants you to go. Take courage. Step out in faith. Obey

If there was ever a season in which we need courage, we certainly need it now! God wants his people to rise up in the face of all the challenges we face and be Christ followers who are marked by a courageous spirit. The dictionary defines courage as the “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” From a Christian perspective, courage is an exercise of faith. Courage is the ability to be, say, and do all

During the last three weeks, I’ve been writing about forgiving others. In this final devotional for this series, I’m listing all eight steps together. Step One: Acknowledge. In your journey to forgive someone, acknowledge that you have been hurt and express it to God. Step Two: Admit. Admit that you are angry toward or resent the person who has wounded you. Step Three: Accept. Stop blaming others and accept responsibility for your own attitude and behavior. Step Four: Ask. Ask for forgiveness appropriate to

A final step in forgiving others is praying God’s blessing on those who mistreated you – affirm. Jesus instructed us, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). Old Testament Job was a righteous, wise, wealthy, respected leader in his community. Yet calamity struck his herds, house, and family. Then he himself was struck down with a painful illness. He further suffered from his friends who were more like critics. They supposedly came to comfort him and

Forgiveness can be an ongoing process. When we have forgiven someone for an offense, sometimes our feelings return. A wound from the past can remain sensitive. I’ve noticed three ways for handling lingering forgiveness issues and learning to abide in my forgiveness – the place of the will, a lie of the devil, and a supernatural enabling. (1) Repeatedly I may have to say to God: “Father, I don’t want to hold onto these feelings of anger or resentment. I have surrendered