Power of Cheerful Courage

Key Scripture: “ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith-complete confidence-in God that it will be exactly as it was told me.” Acts 27:25

Power Point:

We have so many wonderful examples of courage in scripture. Paul is definitely one of my favorites.  In this passage Paul has been placed on a ship headed for Rome. The ship encounters every disaster imaginable. Everyone is terrified but Paul, who at this point is definitely the “low man on the totem pole”.  He’s a prisoner with no authority whatsoever- but he has a word from the Lord.  His word was: “Take courage Paul, for as you have born faithful witness concerning Me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” This word came “as the Lord stood beside him.” Whew! I guess that would give me new courage too. But I digress. The point is that God Himself had told Paul that he would be going to Rome. The circumstances looked anything but promising but Paul “took courage” from God’s word to him. If you think about it, he simply followed a couple of steps which we can follow too.

First of all he encountered God in an intimate place and God talked to him as an intimate friend, telling him things that were going to happen.

Secondly: every possible thing that could destroy his faith happened. If Paul had walked by what he was “seeing”, he would have jumped off that ship! Instead he reminded himself of God’s word to him and he believed it. In fact he himself says, “I have faith.”  He had complete confidence in God that it would be exactly as it was told him. 

His faith gave him courage and his courage ‘infected” the other passengers and they were all delivered safely to Malta.

When it says that Paul “took” courage, it means that he thought about it, made a decision to select it, picked it up and put it in his pocket and went on his way. When he needed it, he had it.

Actually, Paul had picked it up and put it in his pocket a few chapters back in Acts 4. In verse 31 he prays and asks that he would become even bolder in being able to talk about God’s goodness. The word for "boldness" means free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, and assurance.

Beloved you can be confident and bold because you know that you know that you know that God is on your side, that He is able to keep you and bless you and that He wants to!

That should give us all cheerful courage shouldn’t it?

Whatever He has given you in the past that applies to your present circumstance, refresh it in your heart and mind. Remember He is who He says He is and He will always do  what He has promised you He will do.

Power Point:

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”  Mary Ann Radmacher