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Courage

                 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew14:27)

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:14)

This verse is from the account of Jesus walking on the water. The disciples thought a ghost was coming toward them, and this was Jesus’ response. I’ve struggled with this off and on for years. If it were a ghost walking on the water, would it be likely to say, “Yeah, I’m a ghost. Just ignore me?” Or would it try to trick them? Just because I think I hear Jesus’ voice doesn’t mean it’s Jesus’ voice I’m hearing.

Part of it involves learning to recognize His voice, as described in John 10:14. But we can be mistaken or deceived. Another help is to know the Shepherd well enough that we recognize when what we’re hearing is not the sort of thing He’d say. We might check with the guy in the boat next to us, or maybe several guys in the boat. At some point, however, we make a choice, whether we want to or not. We may choose to get out of the boat, or we may choose to stay in the boat. Will we take a chance, or not?

I think I spend a lot of time being fearful. That gives me lots of opportunities to be courageous. One of the things that helps courage is faith. If I’m wrong, God will save, provide, correct, etc. Another thing is curiosity. What will happen if I do this? A third is a sense of proportion. Will the world really end? Will you really die? 

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