Theme: We Have Nothing to Fear!

Verse: 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)

Soccer (or Futball) is one of the only sports in America in which it is OK for the game to end in a tie. (NFL football is another but that is only after a tie-breaking process has run its course.) The point is in our culture, sport competitions ending in ties seems to be abhorrent to our collective sports psyche. Accordingly, our sports have developed and refined their respective tie-breaking processes over the years.

One of the most interesting of these is the Braveheart tiebreaker in the game of lacrosse. The Braveheart tiebreaker is played with one player and one goaltender for each team with the game ending in sudden death (first goal wins).

What enormous pressure on the participants! It is in these moments you find which players are ready for the challenge, and which may have let fear overcome their ability to play in the moment!

How does this apply to our faith lives? For example, what happens when our faith is challenged? Most of us have a fear of failure. Fortunately, the Bible has many stories of how FAITH overcame FEAR. Examples: 1 Samuel (David and Goliath), Judges (Gideon’s army force reduction), Esther (Esther standing up to the king to save the Jewish people).

Our verse in Joshua gives clear guidance and great hope. It implores us to be courageous. But how?

Being courageous doesn’t mean having NO fear. Rather, it means you act BY FAITH in the face of fear. The stories of David, Gideon, and Ruth provide SPLENDID examples of how to choose faith over fear.

So, do you want the ball in your hands when the “game” is on the line?

Do not fear - God will be with you wherever you go!

Have a GREAT Week!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page