Everyone has a story to tell. Some have a story of peace, some a story of pain, but we have all been through something for which we needed courage. In fact, we need courage to live in this crazy world.
Life can often be hard, but we are all created to overcome. God has placed resilience in us.
For me, life has been full of ups and downs, but God has been showing me who I am as His daughter. He said I was born to stand tall and tell the world of my story. That will make HIS-STORY – Jesus, the One who came to seek and save the lost. He picked me up off the ground and is mending my heart, which had been broken in a million pieces, and my wings, which had been clipped.
This book is about courage, right?
Even as I write this section of the book, I am kicking fear in the face, being courageous and pulling down the strongholds of my mind – the thoughts in my head that tell me, “You are not a writer. All the others are writers. They are more educated than you. What will people think of this section of the book? It will be a let-down.”
Well, shut up, head, because I was born to be an overcomer!
As I kick the lies into submission, and as I feel the fear and do it anyway, I know I was created for courage. Who said I was no good, anyway? Who said I can’t? It certainly wasn’t God. He said, “You are beautiful. I love you with an everlasting love. You have something to give and something to say – something that people want to hear.”
What things are holding you back?
Life can be tough at times, like walking through treacle. What hurdles do you need to overcome? We have the overcomer, Jesus, living inside of us, as we take a hold of Him and what He says and pull down every other mindset that says differently.
Who does God say that you are?
Are your thoughts lining up with what God says about you? Do you know that, in Genesis 1:26, it says you are made in God’s image? In His very likeness! He does not make mistakes.
He has given us authority over our own thoughts. It starts with us. We must choose to walk as the man or woman of God He created us to be. We must choose to agree with how He sees us. Why did Jesus go to the cross? He did it so we could be set free.
We need to revisit the Garden, where everything He created was good. He didn’t say, “It’s okay,” or, “It will do.” He said, “It is good.”
What voice are you listening to?
Are we trusting our God, the Perfect One Who knows all things – the One Who loves us with an everlasting love? Are we living as new creations? Or are we listening to the lies of the Devil that tell us we are no good, that others are better than us, that we can’t, we shouldn’t, what if . . . ?
What if we believed? Really believed, not just said we believed. What if we took hold of who God said we are? We could conquer the world.
Who do you think you are?
The Bible says, if you believe, you are a child of God. You are an overcomer. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You are never alone. God is for you, not against you. You are the head, not the tail; above, not beneath. He knows the very hairs on your head – so if you are losing a few, He knows how many you have left!
All joking aside, even these things can get us down – the way we look, etcetera. We live in an image-conscious world. Maybe we don’t look the same as we did twenty years ago, or we’ve gained a few pounds, or maybe you are young and feel you don’t know enough. Remember that His thoughts towards you are more countless than the grains of sand on the seashore. Wow! How amazing.
I am blessed to live by the sea. I love to walk in nature, especially by the sea, watching the waves crash against the breakers and the sun going down. I love to walk and talk with Jesus. It opens my spirit and makes me feel alive. It often inspires me to write poems and stories, and I love to create art, too. I pick up driftwood and shells and add them to my creations.
As I walked along the other day, I looked at the sand and remembered Psalm 139. All those tiny grains of sand, yet He thinks of us more. When you consider how vast the ocean is and how many grains of sand there are, that is a moment to stop – a “selah” moment. He’s so big, and He holds us in the palm of His hand.
Did you know you were born for purpose?
Spend a few moments thinking about your life and your purpose on earth. First and foremost, we were created to be in relationship with God. He wanted us. He wanted relationship. We are his sons and daughters.
But He also has a purpose for us. Do you know what are you created for? What is in your heart? What do you really love to do? What brings you alive? That is usually an indicator of your purpose. Who could you reach to pass on what you have learned in your life? What do you want to say? Maybe you could write a book, or a blog. We all have something to give, and people want to hear what you have to say. You are unique. We must not compare ourselves to others or pull ourselves down.
I will leave it there. Have some think-time. Live as if you are valuable to God. Live in the fullness of who you were created to be. Be courageous!
Here is a prayer and declaration you can pray over your life, print it out and declare it daily.
Dear God,
Thank you for saving me and for always being there for me,
I love you, you are my Lord, my King my everything.
You are the one who gives me hope and life,
Thank you that you took me out of the miry clay
At times when I felt I was sinking, you pulled me up, and you held me up
I stand by your grace with your power and your love inside of me,
You showed me you have a plan and purpose for my life,
I believe you, and I walk in that plan and will do all you set me out to do.
you said all you made is good,
You are my teacher, I follow you as you lead me, and I hear your voice,
I have accepted you and have now become a new creation,
I have the mind of Christ, I think as you think, and I see as you see
Even though you say your thoughts are higher than ours,
I pray that any thought that does not line up with yours
I bring it into submission unto you
You are the one who knows all things
And that every day I go deeper in knowing you and loving you
I have become all you created me to be before the foundation of the world
I was created for courage and I am an overcomer, born for such a time as this.
You turn all things to good and use everything I have been through for your glory
And to help others
As I speak for you and create with you in all I do.
The anointing is upon me in Jesus mighty name
With Love from your daughter/Son
Amen
Article by Louise Marie Jones