With Courage

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear." In the world we're living in these days, it's so easy to let fear define us. Every time I launch a new product (like the brand new coffee table book Angels: The Collector's Edition) I feel the fear of whether it will succeed or fail. Will customers see my heart and God's glory through it? Maybe, for you, fear looks like where your kids will go to school, choosing a fertility treatment, which new career path to take, beginning life again without a spouse by your side. It's easy to fall into fear, but that isn't what God wants for us. In fact, fear cannot exist in the presence of our mighty King. He is too strong, too powerful, too good for it to stand a chance. We don't have to try and muster up courage in order to fight fear. Instead we find the courage in the sheer knowledge that the Lord is beside us, walking with us, fighting for us. It's that truth and that peace that is more important - and ultimately, more powerful - than the fear we face. Friends, let's let go of the fear together. Instead of holding the fear in the palm of your hand, release it and cling firmly to His hand instead to walk together through your season of worry and anxiety. He promises goodness and hope to all who walk with Him.