Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
The other day, whilst driving to pick up our grandkids from school, a song on the radio with a strong beat and great lyrics caught my attention. I turned it up, but returned to my mindless driving, and continued planning the rest of that day’s activities in my head.
Somehow amongst the noise in my head the words of that song penetrated…
“The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us.”
(The Same Power by Jeremy Camp)
Hold up… We interrupt your busy schedule for a moment to remind you of Romans 8:11:
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
I sat there in awe. That’s huge, seriously huge.
The same power? Really?
What does it look like to have the same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead living in you? Giving life, to you?
I have more questions than answers, but I realised that we can easily live a weak and watered down faith. There are so many distractions – schedules, work, facebook, technology, phone calls, family, and you can add so many more. We can feel capable, able to do so many things well, but we run out of time, become weary and feel overloaded.
We become concerned about failing, letting others down, being less than what we expect of ourselves. God knew we would need help, that’s why He sent the Holy Spirit. The greatest Source of power and hope is living in me and you…so why do we struggle and fight, becoming weary and frustrated, thinking we can somehow do this on our own ignoring the very help God has given us.
Are you tired of a weak and watered down faith? I am. God has planned a full life for each of us that’s not only satisfying, its energising and exhilarating, and with the Holy Spirit we are able to accomplish all that our lives require for each day.
The only way to have that is by living life through God’s Word, not like a song that someone else sang, “I’ll do it my way.”
Here are 10 scriptures for a BRAVE and BOLD faith!
1. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
3. Ephesians 3:11-12 “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
4. 2 Corinthians 3: 4-5 “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
5. Hebrews 10: 23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
6. 1 Corinthians 16: 13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
7. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
8. Psalm 138: 3 “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.”
9. Isaiah 50:10 “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord.”
10. Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
I encourage you to take hold of these, print them, write them out. Keep them in your face and in your heart. Let’s boldly and bravely, standing firm in faith, live from His Truth.