As I was writing this morning, I was listening to Nichole Nordeman’s song, “Brave”. I actually was beginning to write on a different topic I had sketched out when the words of the chorus really hit me:
“So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave.”
The song goes on to say “If you believe in me, that changes everything.” Wow. When was the last time you recognized that not only does Jesus love you, but He absolutely, unequivocally, and without hesitation believes in you? He designed you to do the work He created you to do (Ephesians 2:10), and He harbors no doubt you can get it done. It doesn’t matter who hurt you in the past, let you down, held you down, or laughed in your face. The God of the Universe believes in you. Does anything else even matter?
When was the last time you were brave? How much of our lives do we spend afraid of being the person God created us to be? When did we forget that He has equipped us to do everything He asks us to do? He has designed us to be able to do everything we dream of, and to do it for His glory. At His very core, our God is love. There is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). Fear cannot come from love, so it cannot come from God. If it does not come from God, where then does fear originate? Bonus points if you guessed correctly; the answer is fear comes only from Satan.
When we are living our lives in fear, we are living according to the plan of the devil. God’s plan does not include fear. His plan is for you to become the person He created you to be. God’s plan is for you to live life to the fullest extent of your potential (John 10:10). Jesus designed you to be brave. Meanwhile, Satan is hard at work trying to convince you that you are a coward. Look out for yourself. Be careful. They might laugh at you. You might fail. Do it later. You can’t. You’re not good enough. You’re not attractive enough. This isn’t going to end well. If you listen close enough and break through all the cowardly lies Satan is feeding your brain, you’ll hear the gentle whisper of Jesus saying, “Be brave.”
Aren’t you tired of the status quo? Aren’t you ready to let go of all the fear and lies you’ve believed for so long? It’s time to be brave. It’s time to believe you are who Jesus says you are. The way it’s always been isn’t going to be the way you’ll live anymore. God believes in you. He loves you. He knows you intimately, and He knows you can do whatever it is He has put in your heart. So long status quo; it’s time to be brave.