Would You Risk It?

Last Friday, I attended a funeral for the husband of a friend of mine. I was fine until the family processed out of the sanctuary. At that point, the shock and pain on the inside became visible on the outside as my grieving friend grasped for the strength to physically leave the building. Only by God’s strength and courage did she make it through.In a few hours, I’ll do the same for another woman whom I have known for almost twenty years. Both women have children the age of my own son and daughter.As I continue this series on courage, I’m constantly reminded how precious life is, how we take it for granted, and how we must move beyond complacency to become courageous women. I’m not promised tomorrow and neither are you. Whether we sense it or not, there’s an urgency to utilize the courage that the Holy Spirit makes available to us.In my previous posts, I referenced from King Asa’s example in 2 Chronicles 15:1-15 that we can know what it looks like to be courageous. Asa destroyed the idols among him and his people and repaired the altar of the Lord, so he would continue to have the protection of God that comes when we follow Him. The final way that Asa demonstrated courage may seem the simplest, but may actually require us to dig the deepest.Asa had a prophet walk up to him and all his peeps. All of those within earshot understood the warning that Asa was receiving. They realized that if they didn’t decide to put away the idols and repair the altar, they would all suffer. So what did Asa do? He gathered all the people he influenced and called them up to follow God fully. There was no room to mess around. And they didn’t.

They “entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all of their heart and with all their soul” (2 Chronicles 15:15).

They were so committed they stated that a betrayal of this covenant would result in death!I doubt a prophet is likely to gather all of you and your friends to call you up, but that doesn’t negate the need for you to take courage and gather those you know and call yourselves up to follow the Lord fully. Why is this a necessary way to exercise courage? Relationships are the biggest influence in our lives. Not only are we influencing others, but we’re also being influenced by others. If we’re going to be women who experience the blessings and protection that God offers, then we’d better make sure our community is on board with the same desire.Who do you need to gather?

• Do you need to gather your family and share your commitment to putting God first?
• Does your boyfriend need to understand that God isn’t a negotiable part of your life?
• Do you need to gather your small group and urge them to join you in seeking God at an entirely new level?
• Do the friends that are supposed to sharpen you no longer sharpen you?
• Do you no longer sharpen them?

Do you care for your friends enough to take the risk: to lovingly gather them and call them up to a stronger pursuit of the Lord? twitter | facebook