“You can’t give what you don’t have.”

This is what the Lord said to my heart when I told Him I wanted to encourage people.  “You can’t give what you don’t have.” 

So, being the extremely intelligent man that I am (please note the sarcasm) I sought to get me some encouragement.  After all, the statement made sense.  If I don’t got it, I can’t give it, so I best go get it. 

But how do you get encouragement?  Where can you find it?  Who can give me some?

It didn’t matter… I was barking up the wrong tree.  And I’ll tell you why.

You see, I told the Lord I wanted to encourage people. That is a verb.  It means:

to put courage into

So it wasn’t encouragement that I needed, it was COURAGE!

courage - mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

Cool!  I needed to get courage… wait… I needed to GET courage?!  Had the Lord just told me that I, in fact, didn’t have it?  Ouch.  I was humbled, and it was uncomfortable.  But I trusted He would give it, that I could receive it from Him.  And He promised He would, and that I would know when He had.

The thing is…you don’t know if you have it until you need to demonstrate it. 

And so in the School of Christ there are Intensives: concentrated times of study and application on one subject.

And let me tell you from experience, Intensives are intense.  I am sure many of you know.

And so I found myself knee deep in the muck and mire of danger, situations that scared me, and difficulty… much, much difficulty… to which He so graciously said, “Okay… keep your wits about you… don’t compromise your morals… get moving, and if you need to rest… STAND… don’t go backwards…”  Ah the words of a great Coach.

I have heard “perseverance” defined as continuing to move when there is a dagger in your heart.  It is pretty accurate.

There is nothing our God cannot do.  There is nothing He cannot give us.  There is no part of us that, if we submit to Him and allow Him to do His work, will not come out tested as in fire and shine forth His glory. 

When you find yourself in what seems like an Intensive, when it feels like everything is going against you, when it feels like there is nothing you can do…

have courage.

“What makes a King out of a slave? Courage” – Cowardly Lion, Wizard of Oz

We are no longer slaves, but co-heirs with the King of Kings.

SDG