Happy almost October sweet friends!
The scripture writing plan topic this month is over something we all need:
BRAVERY
Back in April, while quarantined at home, some sweet friends and I did a devotional by Annie F Downs titled 100 Days to Brave, which I highly recommend. Each morning one of us would read the devotion for the day on Marco Polo and it was truly the perfect book for such a scary time. It was such a weird, uncertain time and none of us felt brave- not at all. What I loved about it is that in the insanity of the world we were living in, it helped us focus on the ONLY thing we can be sure of and can always, always, always, count on- God.
I love Annie’s description of brave:
Courage is doing things even when you’re scared. Being brave isn’t something that happens when you’re not scared anymore. Brave people don’t stop hearing the whispers of fear. They hear the whispers but take action anyway. Being brave is hearing that voice of fear in your head, but saying, “Okay, but the truth is, God made me on purpose and for a purpose.”
I’ve been doing a study on Joshua (whom I adore) and I have been in awe of how crazy brave He was! Think about it…. Joshua is following behind Moses (who was an amazing leader) and both Moses and God keep telling him to “Be brave and courageous!”. That fact alone would have had me shaking in my sandals because I know that if someone tells me something over and over again, it’s probably for a very good reason. Being told over and over again to be brave means you are going to be in some situations that require you to be brave! He’s got thousands and thousands of families looking to him to lead them across the Jordan River and into this new, unknown land. He had to feel unqualified and unprepared and was most likely doubting his abilities. But, the good thing is that Joshua knew that he didn’t have to have the answers or have it all together. God had promised him that He, God of the Universe, had it all taken care of and Joshua didn’t need to worry a bit. (If you need to be encouraged, go read Joshua because it’s full of stories where God followed through on His promises and took incredible care of His people).
Bravery requires trusting God and stepping out in faith, even when you are scared- just like Joshua. But bravery isn’t always doing something crazy (bungee jumping or skydiving) or bold but often is doing something that makes you uncomfortable and is out of your comfort zone. Bravery is living your life according to what God alone tells you to do-putting your faith in Him and putting His plans above all other plans, even your own. It doesn’t always look heroic and sometimes it’s full of silence and waiting. Bravery isn’t about us, it’s about God and out trust in Him.
I love that God’s word is full of reminders to be brave because God knew it would be something we would struggle with. Let’s spend the next month digging into what God has to say about bravery.
FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with
all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-
not just the month I write them for.