Courage In The Midst Of Crisis

COURAGE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV) 6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

INTRODUCTION:

There is a story of a family whose house caught fire. As each parent tried to grab a few belongings and a child’s hand to get out of the house as quickly as possible, the little daughter who was holding the father’s hand, broke free from his grip and ran upstairs to get her teddy bear. However, when trying to come down again, she found that she was trapped by the enveloping flames. She therefore, ran to the upstairs window and shouted for her father’s help. The father shouted back to her ‘jump down honey, I will catch you’. However, since she couldn’t see her father clearly through the smoke, the little girl cried, ‘I’m scared to jump daddy, I can’t see you’. Her father replied, ‘don’t worry honey, you just jump. I’m right under you and I will catch you. Although you can’t see me, I can see you’.

Our heavenly Father sees us at all times. He will never desert us!

I wonder how many times you have been let down by someone? There are many people who promise us that they will stand by us, no matter what comes our way no matter the crisis. They say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be right behind you’. However, when the crisis hits, many of them are so far behind that you can’t see them, even with a telescope!

Listen, Today, I would like to share about a God who never deserts us no matter the crisis! He has said, Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) 5 … I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

In fact He does not say He will be right behind us, but He says I will go with thee, He will not fail thee nor forsake thee.

There are occasions when a person needs to be stirred to arise and carry out his duties. At times, the person needs strong encouragement. At other times, the same person needs a strong warning. He needs to be warned of the consequences of his behavior in order to stir him into action.

Are you a believer? Are you a soldier of the Cross? Are you willing to be delivered, strengthened, emboldened, and commanded? Are you willing to be strong and courageous? Are you willing to not be afraid or terrified? Are you willing to follow God’s Leader into and changing new era?

Certainly these are changing times. Filled with unprecedented happenings. We have never done this before. But neither had the children of Israel. We Need Courage In The Midst of Crisis!

WHAT IS COURAGE?

1. Courage is grace under pressure

2. Courage is fear that has said its prayers – Karl Barth

3. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are afraid. – Eddie Rickenbacker

4. Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. - John Wayne

Dictionary.com Unabridged - Cite This Source - cour•age - noun

1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

2. have the courage of one’s convictions, to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, esp. in spite of criticism.

Biblical Examples of Courage

1. Moses before the Pharaoh

2. David as he faced down Goliath

3. Abigail as she saved the entire household of Nabal

4. Esther when she went before the king to save the Jews

5. Peter and John as they stood before the Sanhedrin

Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. Asked why he hadn’t cut off the lion’s head, the man replied: “Someone had already done that.”

LET’S SET THE STAGE

The Israelites needed both the charge of encouragement and a strong warning. Moses, the dear servant of God, was aged—now 120 years old. He was soon to pass from the scene. These are the last days of his life upon earth.

The Israelites must be encouraged in their faith, encouraged to hang on to the hope of the promised land, to complete a journey none of them had ever been on before, to hang on to the wonderful inheritance to be given them by God. Moreover, there are some practical matters that the people must handle before Moses leaves them.

The mantle of leadership is to be passed on to Joshua, so a commissioning service must be held. Also, the "Book of the Law" needs to be entrusted into the hands of the nation's leadership. A special worship service also needs to be established for the reading and learning of the law. So much to be done in so little time.