Abandoned by friends, without their support, as the apostle Paul sat all alone in prison, the Lord himself stood by him and gave him inner strength. He tells us further: “And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:17). Some see this as a metaphor for evil people like the Emperor Nero whose…

Ben E. King expressed the hopes of all lonely hearts as he sang: “When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we’ll see. No I won’t be afraid, oh I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me.” When no friend stood…

Someone prayed, “Dear Lord, help us to realize that some of our greatest times of devotion to you come when we are the loneliest. Amen.” At the end of the apostle Paul’s life and ministry, imprisoned in Rome for the second time, realizing he would not be released, soon facing death as a martyr, Paul…

This is a short devotional series on loneliness. We all feel lonely at times. • Being without company – experiencing too many lonely nights at home. • Being cut off from others – feeling that everybody has friends except us. • Feeling sad from being alone – lonely without family around us. Sometimes loneliness is…

I have often recalled these words: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” Fear is a natural human reaction to any difficult or dangerous undertaking. God doesn’t condemn it. But he doesn’t want us to be dominated by fear. The prophet Elijah is an example of this. He stepped onto Israel’s stage…

Ahab was an evil king in Israel’s history who “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30). Elijah the prophet burst on the scene, boldly confronting him: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve. . . .” (1 Kings 17:1). We…

Old Testament Elijah was marked with courage. “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives. . . .’” (1 Kings 17:1). Before considering the full conversation, I’m impressed with Elijah’s assurance that God is alive! In this story, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel lived…

A.W. Tozer wrote: “When entering the prayer chamber, we must come filled with faith and armed with courage. Nowhere else in the whole field of religious thought and activity is courage so necessary as in prayer.” Here are five occasions the Holy Spirit especially prompts us to pray with courage. ❒ Exercising spiritual authority. I’m…

Frances Roberts wrote, “The coward seeks release from pressure. The courageous pray for strength.” Where do you and I need to pray for strength and fresh courage take? I can think of four possibilities. ❒ Step out in faith. When the Holy Spirit nudges you toward something or someone, you do what God wants you…

If there was ever a season in which we need courage, we certainly need it now! God wants his people to rise up in the face of all the challenges we face and be Christ followers who are marked by a courageous spirit. The dictionary defines courage as the “mental or moral strength to venture,…