Courage and Confidence
"But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ." Hebrews 3:6 NLT
There are times in our lives when we are faced with situations that seem out of our control, and during those times it is when we will face the decisions that will define where our hope comes from. One of such times for me was when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. At the time when I received the news I was in a military school near Boston. When I think back to that time, I had no doubt that God had this under control. Fast forward 3 years later, at the time I was deployed to Egypt and my mother was on her deathbed. She had gone into a coma as cancer took a toll in her body. It was during that time, as I left Egypt and returned to my childhood home in Puerto Rico, that I was faced with the decision of where, or better yet with whom, I placed my trust in.
When we embrace Hebrews 3:6, we acknowledge that WE belong to God; WE are God's house. But notice what the author of Hebrews says in this verse, we must "keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ." When I see this, it reminds me of the eerie familiar saying that God repeated to Joshua just before he went into the promised land.
"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
This is where the Hebrew war cry "Rak Chazak Amats" comes from. It the kind of war cry that we should embrace daily. Remember, God was not telling Joshua that he will not be scared or that he will not face any difficulty. Instead God told him to be courageous, no matter how difficult or scary the situation was, because God was going to be with him always.
Today, life is full of scary and uncertain moments but during these times God reminds us that we should face it with fervent courage and unyielding faith. It is this posture that allows us to go into battle against the Goliath's of this world.
“Every battle is won before it's ever fought.” Sun Tzu in The Art of War
In this saying, Sun Tzu was not talking about the action of battle but rather the posture we hold before battle. Like the author of Hebrews was alluding, we must “keep our courage and remain confident” before the battle begins. If we go into battle thinking that we are going to lose, then we have already lost before we even began.
Unlike Sun Tzu, we have an advantage that no one else can claim.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57
Christ has already overcome the enemy. His blood covers our transgressions and he stands besides us in battle. This is the reason why we start our day with prayer, to connect with our Father who fills us with the courage and confidence it takes to head into battle EVERY SINGLE DAY!
During my long trip home, as I pondered the difficulty I was about to face, the enemy was right there instilling doubt in my mind. He wasn't whispering, he was SHOUTING! “Your prayers don't work.” “He doesn't listen to you.” “He can't heal your mother.”
“In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.” Psalms 143:12
Then God silenced my enemy, and led me to the truth. My prayers do work because he does listen to me. He can heal my mother, either in this world or by getting rid of all the pain and suffering she was enduring.
As I landed at my final destination, I learned that my mother had recovered from her coma, and I was able to spend two full weeks with her. In the end, God did heal her, and today she is waiting for me in Heaven. Until then, I will be filled with courage and confidence, so that I will remain in God's house to fight against our enemies and earn my seat at the fire.
