Courage Over FearSample

Courage To Believe

I grew up with three older brothers and one younger sister in the streets of Wichita, Kansas. I am a self-proclaimed "tomboy." I loved nothing more than to play a good game of “tackle the man” with the football in my mom's living room. This game consisted of a ball (a sock rolled up with rubber bands) tossed in the air and retrieved by the one who wanted to be tackled. Growing up, I often played basketball, baseball, and other sports with my brothers.

My being a tomboy was not what my mom had envisioned for her firstborn daughter. I am sure she had visions of passing down her excellent sewing skills, cooking, cleaning, and other "dainty" things to me. But that was not me; I had to be outside with my brothers. I, however, did pick up a love for baking. To this day, I love baking cakes, cookies, and pies.

I must have been about 12 years old when my love for baking flourished. I had an issue in that I was too impatient and wanted, at the same time, to bake and play a basketball game on the two traffic signs (a stop sign and a school crossing sign) posted outside our house. While making a chocolate Betty Crocker cake, I read the instructions on the back of the box and decided to alter them for convenience. I turned up the oven a few degrees so the cake would bake faster, allowing me to continue my outdoor activities. This was not the first time I decided not to follow the instructions of a recipe printed on the back of the box. The outcome was not in my favor about 70 to 80% of the time. My desserts would come out runny, not done in the middle, hard, burnt, or just plain wrong. After wasting groceries and seeing my frustration as to why my attempts at making desserts were unsuccessful, my mom felt that I had been through enough—or she wanted me to stop wasting her money.

In her sanctified voice (soft but firm), my mom explained to me, "Kendria, don't you know that Betty Crocker has staff members who have cooked this cake hundreds of times to get the time, temperature, and order of the recipe correct?" She told me that the workers at Betty Crocker had done the hard work for me. “You don't have to guess, experiment, or change anything. If you follow the recipe, the cake will come out perfect every time.” Ouch!

This story brings to mind the story of David in 1 Chronicles 14, in which the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all of Israel. The Bible says that the Philistines went looking for him in full force. When David heard they were looking for him, he went out to meet them. Then David asked God, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" God responded with a “yes” on both accounts. So, David and his men defeated the Philistines. According to verse 13, the Philistines came up against David again. Once more, David inquired of the Lord. This time, God gave different instructions to David. He told David to go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. God told David to wait until he heard marching in the tops of the trees; then, it would be time to go to battle. God told David that he had gone out before him to strike down the army of the Philistines. The Bible then says (unlike me with my baking) that David did exactly what God had instructed.

We live in a "do you, boo" society, and everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. This mentality should not be named among believers, as we must seek the face of Jesus for direction. We must trust God's specific divine plan for our lives daily. Following directions when it comes to God is vital. You can't circumvent his plan and expect things to work out for your good. Sometimes we don't understand what God is doing, and frequently it just doesn't make sense. But understand that God has gone before you to clear your pathway to defeat your enemies. We often take matters into our own hands because we are unclear, fearful, or don't like God's plan. We don't see how God's plan will make us happy.

Confidence in our amazing God and his plan for you will make your life much easier. We often say we believe in God, but our actions and words speak differently. There comes a time in every believer's life when you must acknowledge and confess that you either do or don't trust God. Don't live in denial any longer. If you do some soul searching and find that what you have is not total confidence in God, ask him to change your heart. This is the most significant step in your relationship with him. How can you obey him if you don't trust him?

Dear Lord,

I must admit that there are areas in my life where I lean to my own devices and understanding. I make decisions about my life based on my feelings and what I hear and see. I have not consulted you about this season of my life. I am often fearful of the answer you will give me. Your responses or plan don’t always align with my desires and wants. I know that you have my best interest at heart. Please renew my mind today. I pray for total confidence in you and your plans for my life.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen