The Apostle Paul was constantly faced with trials, often life-or-death situations. He was truly persecuted for his faith. But, he had a great hope that allowed him to stand courageously against opposition so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would go forth. His courage was evident in the way he lived his life, believing that the greatness of Christ must be seen through his actions. His courage was s...  Read More

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is talking about our eternal hope. We know that when we leave our bodies–this broken vessel–we will be with Christ until the Eternal Kingdom is ushered in. If this is our hope, then we have nothing to fear. So ‘we are confident’–in other translations, ‘we are of good courage.’ We have no fear of man or fear of death because we have hope for the life to come. Paul ...  Read More

The Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthian church to be courageous and strong. That includes being alert and standing firm in the faith. The Greek word translated as ‘be alert’ is grēgoreō. Its natural meaning is to be awake or watchful. The word is often used to describe the work of prison guards. They needed to be awake, not sleeping on the job, to ensure prisoners didn’t escape. Christian courage...  Read More

The Apostle Paul was one of the early Christian martyrs, along with the rest of the disciples. He feared that his days were running short, but God wasn’t done with him yet. The Lord Jesus appeared to him and commanded him to have courage. The reason Jesus gives is that he would go to Rome to testify about Jesus to the Romans. Paul was strengthened–he received courage–because of Jesus’s promise. He...  Read More

King David observed the spread of evil on the earth and the way faithful followers of the LORD often undergo persecution from them. But he knew Yahweh would deliver the faithful. Therefore, he gives this advice: when life is hard, and you find it challenging to remain faithful, (1) wait, (2) be strong, and (3) let your heart be courageous. Waiting is an act of patience where you endure a time of t...  Read More

You’ll remember from Sunday’s message that courage should be exercised. In this text, Joab, the commander of the Israelite armies, challenges the warriors to prove themselves strong, to be courageous, before their enemies. They are to be courageous to protect their people and God’s cities. In this, God’s purposes will be accomplished. Likewise, when we are courageous and stand up for God’s purpose...  Read More

Prudence often means self-control or the ability to self-manage. You have been left in charge of governing, at least yourself. But maybe you manage a family or a group of people at work. Maybe you manage people in the church in some way or another. We don’t know when Christ will return for his church. But the faithful and prudent manager will be ready on that day. The Master, Jesus, will find you ...  Read More

When we think of serpents, we think of deceit or craftiness, but it can also mean to flee from danger–something snakes are better at than sheep among wolves. In this passage, Jesus sends the 12 to preach the Kingdom of God. He knows that the disciples will be persecuted for their message, so they must be discerning and flee from danger. Shrewdness or prudence, in this case, is a preservation mecha...  Read More

In this passage, Paul is concerned that we might stifle the work of the Holy Spirit by despising prophesies. It’s not a new problem today to have people prophesy in the name of the Spirit inauthentically. It makes it feel like we can’t trust prophesy because it may not really be coming from God. Paul’s advice for this age-old problem is to test all things. Does the prophesy line up with scripture?...  Read More

Wisdom and prudence are often used interchangeably. Prudence (or shrewdness) is really a subcategory of wisdom, focussed on managerial discernment. Prudence shows up first in your ability to manage yourself–as a child, you learn to care for your body and your belongings. That typically grows into managing a household and, for many, a family. You may find prudence active in the workplace or in your...  Read More

The Greek word translated “sober-minded” means clear headed. It compares the state of your mind when you are inebriated to your mind when you are sober, reflecting on the clarity of your thinking. The prudent person is alert or watchful, being careful to bring all things to God in prayer. The prudent person, likewise, is careful to parse their thinking, not getting bogged down in meaningless argum...  Read More

Part of prudence is being able to spot danger. This could mean physical dangers. Prudence could mean not walking alone at night down dark alleyways. But danger can take many forms. For example, learning to avoid the dangers of sin is prudent. Learning to avoid opportunities to feed vices is prudent. Learning to shield yourself from situations that may cause outbursts of anger is prudent. The prude...  Read More