"Be strong and courageous."

 I have the tendency to only read in the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.  But in the last couple of weeks I have been reading more in the Old Testament and it has been fascinating.  I feel like I have opened an old history book that has been collecting dust upon a shelf and I am now being refilled with the knowledge it holds in a fresh light.

Except for a few exceptions,  it has not been much of a desire of mine to fill my brain with a bunch of war stories. And that is exactly what the first half of the Bible is filled with! It's still kind of hard for me to read about people being stoned or hung to death (or worse), but instead of this time only being able to focus on the grossness of war, it has been amazing to see the hand of GOD on each of those situations! I read of Joshua's bravery and faithfulness even when he felt like he had no more strength left. I read of Elisha's humbleness and passion to see the Israelites return to the Lord. I read of Rahab, who's bravery helped to save God's people and then, I am also brought to tears when I read of her redemption.  And do I have time to talk about David, Malachi, Jeremiah, Esther, Deborah, Moses, Miriam, Ruth, Abraham, Jacob, Eleazar, Samuel, Caleb.........Shall I go on?

My heart yearns to walk with God like our early fathers and mothers did. Those people stood when no one else was standing. They fought, even when things looked hopeless. They kept talking though no one seemed to be listening. The expectations were high; for some, very high. But they were obedient.

Oh how my heart cries out to the Lord for an outpouring of His Spirit upon this generation. Our culture's expectations for young people are so low and it's robbing us of our passion, courage, dreams, and work ethic. We are the Joshua's and Esther's of this generation. And it's time for us to be strong and take courage.