So, my summer was not so peaceful last week.

So much so that I did not take the time to share the week four memory verse. No real excuses. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed and not very well equipped. All lies and stress and ploys of the enemy to keep me from following through. I am so sorry.

This is why I knew sharing my plan and enlisting some of you to join me would be so beneficial. You are helping hold me accountable.

Last week’s verse (which there really is not specific week! We can have the freedom to memorize these whenever, thankfully!) was one of my favorites. One of my boys really struggles with worry and fear over new things (much like me, I confess) and he learned it as a small boy in Bible class. He still quotes and sings it today.

Week 4:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

This beautiful reminder allowed our family to not only learn the verse, but go back and revisit the story of Joshua.  Recognizing his great role in God’s plan and how God used him makes him a great Bible character to talk about.

For God to have told him repeatedly in the first few verses of the chapter to ‘be strong and courageous’, do you think God knew Joshua was dealing with some fear of what was to come? I do.

And, my heart leaps for joy thinking of the great things God did through him in His kingdom despite his fear.

To me, it is a great reminder that it is okay to experience some fear, but it is not okay to live in fear. Joshua, despite his fear, obeyed God with great faith and trust in God’s abilities. Not his own.

What a great example!

Each week it is a serious struggle to narrow down that week’s verse.

The Bible is FULL of so many beautiful, much-needed verses!  I pray each week and often go back to my Facebook question where dozens of you shared your favorite verses with me.

This week’s verse kept popping up time and time again. Another one I love.

Week 5

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” ~2 Timothy 1:7

When I looked up ‘timidity’, the definition said “lacking confidence, self-assurance, or courage ~ to fear.”

Paul was writing this letter of 2 Timothy to Timothy from prison. In chains. While not really knowing his own fate. What courage Paul must have had!

How blessed are we as the fourth of July approaches, to be free to worship God and share the Good News! 

A friend shared yesterday how much Paul’s words convict her. And, they do me, too.

Unfortunately our world tends to cry and whine our way through difficulty as opposed to encouraging one another and praising God during those times. Paul was just the opposite.

All through out this book Paul encourages Timothy.

He prays for him. He instructs him in Truth. And, he calls him to remember.

‘Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering…’ v 8,9. 

I can’t imagine the fear young Timothy must have felt knowing his mentor, teacher and father-figure was in actual chains because of His love for the truth of the Gospel. Paul even calls it ‘my gospel.’

What devotion to Jesus. 

I wonder, how would I act if I were in Paul’s place? How would my children respond to being placed in prison because of their faith? Would we be willing to suffer for Jesus?

Paul’s life is a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness and redemption.

We really are equipped as believers with God’s power, love and self-discipline. What a gift!