A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick We are wrapping up a two week look at how to have courage in culture. I have sought to impart principles to you that will help you stand when facing difficult situations. Remember to decide beforehand where your allegiance lies and remain submitted to Christ and Christ alone. Know God's truth and be able to express it in love. Expect to have resistance and when you do, train your...

by David Chadwick We have two more principles to look at for how to stand courageously in culture. You must know your decision before you make it. Walking in truth, you must be able to speak the truth in love. Expect resistance and when it happens, choose to love your enemies. It paves the way for God to use you powerfully as you stand for Jesus. It doesn't matter your age, your mission field is b...

by David Chadwick Always remember who your  true boss is! It's the next principle I want to give you to have courage in culture! In a world that wants you to compromise your convictions, at the end of the day, remember that your life is yielded to Christ and Christ alone. And one day you will be held accountable for your life to him and him alone. It is important to know what you believe before fa...

by David Chadwick The definition of courage is "the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." You must decide to be a person of courage long before you face a difficult situation. You must know the truth and know how to speak the truth in love. When speaking the truth, you need to expect resistance. It is the sign that you are taking new ground for...

by David Chadwick Last week we began to look at a series of ways to stand courageously in culture. I believe we are in uncertain times where we must be actively preparing for hard situations long before we face them. As we continue to explore how to have courage in culture, I want to remind you today that there is NO age limit to courage! Anyone who has the Holy Spirit residing inside of him or he...

by David Chadwick To finish this week's principles on how to have courage in culture, here is another truth: Love your enemies. We know we must decide beforehand what we believe, we must know the truth, we must speak the truth in love, and we must expect resistance. But we also must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us when this resistance occurs ( Matthew 5:44 ). Jesus modeled aga...

by David Chadwick George Washington used to say, "The best way to prevent a war is to prepare for it." In an increasingly godless culture, we must prepare ourselves to stand and have courage. We must decide beforehand what we believe to be true. We must know that truth inside and out. We must speak the truth that we know in love. How else can we stand with courage in culture? Expect resistance. Th...

by David Chadwick We are taking two weeks to look at how to have courage in culture. We must decide beforehand what our answer will be before we ever have to stand for truth. We must also know the truth, standing as people of conviction whose lives back up what we say we believe. What else must we do to be people of courage in a godless culture? We must speak the truth in love. It is not enough to...

by David Chadwick We must have courage in our culture. How can we? Are there some biblical insights that can help us do so? Yes, there are! And we are going to look at them this week. Long before we are ever presented with a tough situation in which we must stand for Jesus, we must know what we believe and  decide beforehand how we would navigate resistance and opposition. Before you are ever conf...

by David Chadwick Courage. Defined as "the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." Throughout Scripture, God tells his followers to take courage, to be people of courage, to not fear, to stand in the face of opposition. Over the next two weeks, we are going to look at how God would instruct us to have courage in culture. How to prepare ourselves...

by Marilynn Chadwick We live in troubling times. No wonder many wrestle with anxiety. Let's be honest. There's no shortage of things to worry about. So how do we build courage to help us face the things we fear? One way I've learned to calm my anxious heart is by watching for signs of God at work all around me. "Keeping watch," I like to call it. John Wesley believed it was important to be on the...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Make a wish." "Wish upon a star." "I grant you three wishes." These are all lines from some of my favorite fairy tales. A wish is exciting. Magical. But often out of our reach. Webster defines a wish as a "a strong desire to have or do something—usually unattainable." In  John 5 , we read about a crippled man with a wish that looked unattainable. He had been an invalid for th...

by Marilynn Chadwick There is strength in getting alone with God. Time with the Lord increases our courage. Jesus knew this full well. The Bible tells us he "withdrew often" to be alone with the Father ( Luke 5:16 ). How much more should we? There's no more important task on earth than seeking God. When trouble hits, I've learned to go into my room, shut the door, and seek God through his Word and...

by Marilynn Chadwick God loves us when we are weak, but he delights in making us strong. The Bible is filled with stories of how God empowers broken men and women to conquer their enemies, pull down strongholds, move mountains, and accomplish his work on earth. Gideon sure felt less than courageous. He referred to himself as the "least" in a family whose clan was the "weakest" in his tribe. But Go...

by Marilynn Chadwick We've been exploring practical ways to increase our courage. We see in  1 Samuel 30:1-7  how King David strengthened himself after a devastating attack by the Amalekites. David first got alone and "strengthened himself in the Lord his God" ( 1 Sam 30:6b ESV ). He sought God's wisdom. Then he courageously obeyed God's instructions. In the Hebrew language, the words "strength" a...

by Marilynn Chadwic Who can find a woman of valor?  ( Proverbs 31:10 OJB ) The dictionary defines valor as "courage and bravery in the face of danger." But the Hebrew word for valor, as I have been sharing with you, is  chayil. Chayil is a much more vibrant definition, depicting "a warrior, army, strength, honor, even wealth." Chayil  is actually a military term. So I was surprised to discover tha...

by Marilynn Chadwick Sometimes God provides a deep spiritual lesson when we least expect. While reading through Matthew's Gospel one day, I was struck by Jesus's words to His disciples:  Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven  ( Matthew 18:3 NIV ). The word used in this verse for change means "to repent." That's a strong word. What keeps me fr...

by Marilynn Chadwick She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come  ( Proverbs 31:25 NIV ). Our daughter Bethany struggled with fear from a very young age. It would try to envelop her and hold a tight grip on her. This struggle with fear bothered her young, tender heart. We would read  Psalm 91 over her again and again. She would memorize it with us, wielding her swor...

David and Marilynn Chadwick join Jenn Houston in a discussion about today's blog.

by Marilynn Chadwick I agree with Indiana Jones: "I  hate snakes!" Maybe some of you share my distaste for these slithery reptiles. A while back, when cleaning our garage, our son found a small copperhead hiding behind a box. My first response was, "Yikes! Go hide!" My next thought was, "Go get 'em!" I grabbed the nearest gardening tool and went after that snake with a warrior-like vengeance, send...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?"  ( Hebrews 12:7 NIV ). While waiting for answers to my prayers for a baby, I found that simple, daily disciplines were somehow connected to hope. Small habits often lead to big dreams. And big dreams can have a wider reach than we may imagine. Navy Admir...

by Marilynn Chadwick During my hardest days of waiting for a baby, there were certain friends who breathed fresh faith into my soul just when I wanted to quit. It's humbling to realize how much you depend on others. I've never liked being the needy one, much preferring to be the rock that others lean on. A Marine friend is one of those strong types. He saw lots of combat duty in Iraq and shared a...

by Marilynn Chadwick "I'm sorry," the nurse said gently, "you are not pregnant." I sat stunned. All signs had pointed to pregnancy. It looked like our long wait was over. But once again, our hopes were dashed. Month after month of disappointment had left me raw. I couldn't have imagined that waiting for something I desperately wanted would be so hard. Nor could I have realized then that I would ev...

by Marilynn Chadwick "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure"  ( Hebrews 6:19a NIV ). God's strength can help us keep our hope alive. Hope, in turn, makes us stronger—like an anchor for our soul. Perhaps you're fighting to hold on to your hope. The mountain of obstacles facing you looks too big to overcome. When circumstances look bleak, it takes spiritual muscle to keep drea...

by Marilynn Chadwick "How do I hold onto my hopes and dreams when God seems silent?" The question came from a good friend and a sincere follower of Christ. Her question hit a chord. How do we handle those times when we have prayed and prayed, but the answer is so slow in coming? Perhaps we sense that a particular dream is God's plan for us. But the days, weeks, months, and even years go by. How do...