September 29, 2024
1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? 2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. 4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:1-14 (NASB1995)
The Idea:
Strength Training for Courage Comes from Three Core Exercises.
Making courage strong
I. What the Promise Means
1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. “
Psalm 27:1-3 (NASB1995)
17 “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me …; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
2 Timothy 4:17-18 (NASB1995)
II. Where Your Mind Goes
4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
Psalm 27:4-5, 8 (NASB1995)
The 5 Distortions
1. Catastrophizing
2. All-or-Nothing Thinking
3. Overgeneralization
4. Jumping to Conclusions
5. Emotional Reasoning
Three Combat-Ready thoughts to defeat the distortions:
1. God is my shield
“… the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Genesis 15:1 (NIV)
2. God will never fail or forsake me
“I will be with you, I will never fail you, I will never forsake you.”
Joshua 1:5b (NASB1995)
3. God gives me all the strength I need
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”’
Isaiah 41:10 (NASB1995)
III. Know What Strengthens You
“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”
Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)
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