How to Live a Life of Courageous Faith

With the holidays approaching, I know that means lots of travel for many of us.

And with lots of travel, comes lots of fringe hours. (Jessica Turner, anyone!? ; )

If you’re a fan of GSCC & are reading this blog, there’s a good chance you want to be intentional and use your time well!

Or, are you an avid reader? Do you love sticking your nose in a good book? One where you find yourself saying, oh my gosh- those are my exact thoughts in words?

Or, are you going through a really challenging time and need a boost of confidence and reigniting of faith?

If this is you, I have just the resource for you.

Lauren Gaskill’s book Into the Deep. Lauren encourages women to live in faith and joy. She also hosts a podcast called She Found Joy!

Ok, so what’s the book all about? It focuses on going deeper with Jesus. As you might already know, life can throw some hard challenges our way. Challenges which require deep faith. So throughout the book, we look to the Bible for examples of how others live life rooted in Him. And, Lauren provides some tools for support along the way, too.

So, let's get to it! Here are some musings on highlights from ITD!

"Sometimes we need to be reminded that the faith and peace we seek is within our midst if we would just breathe it in."

YES. This is powerful, isn’t it? We can question and worry and yearn... for something that is present all along. God is always there for us. It reminds me of James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

"Faith is not the absence of fear but the presence of courage."

More truth! Are you starting to see how great of a writer Lauren is? : ) Praise God for speaking through her. Ok, so to me, this is saying that we can have faith and still feel fear. And that is normal! I know that when I feel that fear creeping in, I can want to throw in the towel. But really, there’s a good chance that even when I'm super brave, some fear will still be there, despite my faith! And so that means that courage is key. It makes me think of Philippians 4:13… "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We can draw on God for confidence and courage. He will see us through!

"Instead of pursuing God, I obsessed over my problems."

I have a feeling we have all been done this... focused on our problems more than on God. This is convicting, is it not? When we are feeling hopeless, let’s instead be hopeful. Let’s find encouragement in Him. Let’s set our eyes on Jesus. When we are focused more on Him that our circumstances, that’s when things change. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

"The waters that you think might drown you are the same waters Jesus wants to use to deepen your faith."

Preach, sister! Isn’t it funny how He works? Sometimes we want nothing more than to get out of a situation. We want to rid ourselves of it and be done. But oftentimes, He has other plans. As the Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Let us be present and aware of what He may be working out in our lives. As I’m sure you’ve heard… oftentimes, our mess becomes our message.

And then these pieces of scripture were woven in, and especially stood out to me.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)

I don’t know about you, but often times I notice that I’m over complicating things. That’s what I immediately thought of when reading this scripture. We might wonder.. what can we do to strengthen our faith? What would be best? And it really is quite simple.. It’s all about going to the word! I promise you… if you start reading the Bible consistently (She Reads Truth has a bible in a year reading plan), your heart and life will change.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6)

Pretty closely connected to what’s above, is it not? Pleasing God is quite simple. He ultimately desires our faith in Him. He loves us deeply and went to great lengths for us by sending His son, who died for our sins. Have faith in Him, our unchanging, ever present, generous, gracious God.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be afraid, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Friends, I know some of you are going through some really hard things. And I am so, so sorry for your pain. In these challenging times, I pray that you cling to this scripture. Remember God is with you always. You are seen, loved, and cared for more deeply than you will ever know.

I pray that this post encouraged you and lifted you up, dear friend. As you can tell, Into the Deep is good. It’d make an excellent next read (and maybe even Christmas gift for a dear friend or family member!). Be encouraged to move forward with where He’s leading you.

And if you want some 1:1 support to do just that, let’s talk!

There is hope for you too, sweet sister. And, remember that there are many other women (and- don’t forget!- women of the Bible) who have gone before you. Let us, along with Jesus, bravely move forward together.

With love,

A

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