Tag: courage

All Eyes on You (The Terrifying Trio Pt.  2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Doubt”, click here.

Joshua was Moses’s successor. This was the same Moses parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), spoke with God face to face (Exodus 33:11), built God’s first earthly dwelling place (Exodus 40), and led the Israelite community for forty years. And it was this same Moses who was not able to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). Now Joshua was being called to complete the challenge his predecessor never could. With Moses dead, a million eyes now locked onto the son of Nun. And he must have been petrified!

The Fear That Freezes Us

The Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon defines fear as “dread, making one unfit for action.” We all know that feeling. Our heart races, our hands shake, and our knees tremble uncontrollably. In that grip of that powerful emotion, we find ourselves frozen, unable to save ourselves or anyone else. A fearful person will never make a good salesperson, spokesman, or soldier, let alone a good leader.

The Courage That Releases Us

That is why God commissioned Joshua with these famous words, “‘Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’” (Joshua 1:9).

With this powerful message, God released Joshua from the clutches of fear. Because He knows a truth that we need to internalize as well: our emotions are tied to what we fix our eyes on. If we fix them on the wrong target–waves too high for us to crest, burdens too heavy for us to bear, or forces too strong for us to fight–we’ll tremble in the shadow of that looming giant.. But when we fix our eyes on God, we can remember that He shushes the waves (Mark 4:39) ,shoulders our burdens (Matthew 11:28); and topples giants (1 Samuel 17)!

It was in the strength of this word that Joshua prophesied to the Israelites, “‘In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you’” (Joshua 1:11). And just as Joshua had promised, three days later, they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 3)!

Conclusion

We cannot live in fear and walk in God’s plan for our lives. We can only hold on to one or the other. We must let go of our fear of the future, of failure, and any other thing in this world that is not God if we want to conquer the Promised Land He has in store for us. Because entering the Promised Land is not the end of the journey; it’s only the beginning.

“‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.’”
(Isaiah 41:10)

Standing at the Crossroads of Logic and Faith

By Ife J. Ibitayo

When I say Ananias, your eyes might light up as you remember the dishonest landowner from the book of Acts and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). But there is another, lesser known Ananias.

On the road to Damascus, a brilliant white light blinded the religious terrorist known as Saul of Tarsus. Forced to his knees and rocked to his core, Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

Out of that light, a voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:5-6). The blinded terrorist was led by his friends into the city, where he remained for three days without food or water (Acts 9:9).

In that same city was a believer known as Ananias. In a vision, God commissioned him to go to Saul and heal him. But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name” (Acts 9:13).

But the Lord said, “Go! This man is My chosen instrument to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:14).

Ananias now stood at a crossroads: Would he believe the voice of sound wisdom, reliable logic, and eyewitness accounts, or would he believe the voice of God?

The Logical Route

The strange thing about our expectation of God’s revelation is that we think He will tell us what we want to hear: “If you keep putting in the extra hours at work, you’ll definitely get promoted.” “If you keep swiping left on Tinder, you’ll certainly find your soulmate.” But, by definition, revelation is the impartation of a “surprising and previously unknown fact” that often runs contrary to the convictions we previously held.

Ananias’s trusted friends had told him how much damage Saul had wrought on the church. Logic told him that befriending terrorists is not the best way to live a long, pleasant life. But God had told him that this man was His “chosen instrument”, literally his “divinely selected vessel”, to represent Him before the entire world.

 So the question remained, would Ananias trust himself, or would he trust God?

The Faith-Filled Route

This same question lies at the heart of faith today. When God says the “last shall be first and the first last” (Matthew 20:16), the “meek shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:11), and “the greatest among you shall be your slave” (Matthew 20:27) we should recognize that these are illogical statements.

When God tells us that the best way to get ahead at work is to spend more time with our family or that the best way to find our spouse is waiting on His timing, our common sense screams foul. But scripture after scripture emphasizes that this is the very nature of divine revelation. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” From our limited vantage point, many of His plans look reckless at best and foolhardy at worst. Yet like a chess grandmaster, His methods are more brilliant than we could ever imagine.

The Path Forward

Ananias’ response to this terrifying commission was obedience. “[He] went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized” (Acts 9:17-18).

Everyone knows Apostle Paul, but the catalyst for his journey, the one who literally opened his eyes, was someone just like us. He risked his life and freedom for a God-given vision, and we’re still reaping the fruit of his courage today.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

(Isaiah 55:8-9)

Leaping Into the Abyss

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I love control. As a happy creature of habit, I love my Takeout Tuesdays and my free time on Fridays. I religiously adjust my thermostat every night to optimize my sleep. And every day I guard my thirty-minute lunch break like it’s the Holy Grail. Because control is my sacred relic—”my precious.” Feeling in control is one of my strongest sources of peace today, and it have been for a very long time.

Restriction and Freedom

Ironically, the more control we seek, the more restricted we will be. We know instinctively that innovation requires a certain amount of chaos. Failure, mistakes, and waste are all essential components of progress. I assent to all this in theory, but in practice I spend my days in utter terror of my imperfections. I don’t remember the hundreds of times I did a perfectly satisfactory job. Rather, I remember each and every moment I slipped up.

Trust, on the other hand, frees. The Bible often equates trusting with casting. For instance, Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” The word translated “cares” in this verse is the Hebrew word yehab, meaning “a burden that has been given to us.” When we spend our days carrying around the burdens placed on us, we won’t have the capacity to carry much else. But when we give our burdens to God, we will then be free to tackle greater challenges and even help others who are struggling under their own heavy loads.

Caution and Daring

Control is cautious. It’s risk averse. Whether it be asking for a raise, revealing a talent, or proposing to a beautiful woman, the most meaningful opportunities in life will require us to relinquish control. They demand a leap of faith.

The author of the book of Hebrews said, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Faith is audacious and bold. It’s daring. It’s willing to leap into the abyss, step into the darkness, and let go of the rope. If we’re only willing to move forward when we’ve been given a map of the whole journey, we’ll spend our whole lives going nowhere.

Conclusion

Control and trust are polar opposites. The more time I spent reflecting on their differences, the starker they became: Control hoards while trust gives. Control demands more and more while trust requires less and less. Control depends on what’s in our hands. Trust depends on Whose hands we’re in.

Finishing this article was a struggle for me. The weight of anxiety threatens to smother my heart as I enter this new, exciting phase of my life. But I must leap into the abyss, step into the darkness, and let go of the rope. I must renounce control so that I can receive trust. All I can do now is pray that God catches me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)