Patterns

It is amazing to me how God works in our lives, there is a pattern to everything and when we recognize the patterns we can see just a bit more clearly what it is He is trying to teach us as we follow Him. I love those moments!

Below is a plant, it is called, remarkably, Solomon's Seal.  It does not grow 'naturally' in the state we live in...it has been removed and transplanted in a place far from home.  However, it is still a Solomon's Seal plant even though it is far from home.  It has beautiful flowers that grow along it's stem but hidden under the foliage out of the sight of onlookers...unless you purposely look for them, you might miss them, these turn into fruit.  The real Solomon's Seal  is growing here, even though it has been taken from it's ideal environment and it is keeping with  what it's true form is.  It is holding on to it's flowers in a very orderly and even way and will soon have fruit but not fruit that just anyone will see, besides the fruit the whole plant can be of use medicinally and for food.   This plant grows to be about 3 feet high.

Next on the list is a 'native' plant, it resembles the other plant called by the name of Solomon's Seal, but it is NOT!  It is an 'impostor', commonly called False Solomon's Seal and it mimics the real deal, except it's flowers grow right out in the open for everyone to see, but this plant is rather puny, only growing a fraction of the size of it's namesake.  The False Solomon's Seal is faking, it isn't real, it is showy out front, it's fruit is edible but bitter and of no use.

The last plant is called Clasping Leaved Twisted Stalk and it also grows here, it looks remarkably like the False Solomon's Seal, in it's size but the stem is not straight and it seems to grow through it's leaves rather than the leaves being attached to it.  The flowers are small and bell shaped and grow on the underside in a haphazard way along it's stem.The Clasping Leaved Twisted Stalk is of a different family altogether and even though it can be used it's main purpose is to purge.

As you can see, these plants look a lot alike, but are quite different if you look closely at them and pay attention to the 'signs' that they are actually quite different from one another inside and out.  There are patterns all around us some for good some for bad.  It is our responsibility to search out the matter in everything we think we believe, we propose to do or think, in all things asking God for His truth, eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to obey and follow hard after Him.

Courage

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Courage, also known as bravery, fortitude, will, and intrepidity, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.  ~Wikipedia

Luke 12:4-5

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Joshua 1:7
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.  ~Winston Churchill

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.  ~Mary Anne Radmacher

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
 ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
 ³ He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.
    
 ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
    
 ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil;
         My cup runs over.
 ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life;
         And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the LORD
         Forever.
 Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.  ~Raymond Lindquist

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you're scared.  ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”^{[a] 6} So we may boldly say:


      “ The LORD is my helper;
      I will not fear.
      What can man do to me?”

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  ~Dorothy Bernard

Psalm 91

 ¹HE WHO ^[a]dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].    ²I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
    ³For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
    ⁴[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.
    ⁵You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,
    ⁶Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.
    ⁷A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
    ⁸Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.
    ⁹Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,^{(A)
    10}There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
    ¹¹For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
    ¹²They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.^{(B)
    13}You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.^{(C)
    14}Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].
    ¹⁵He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
    ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

Psalm 61

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. [A Psalm] of David.

 ¹HEAR MY cry, O God; listen to my prayer.    ²From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].
    ³For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary.
    ⁴I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
    ⁵For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor Your name.
    ⁶May You prolong the [true] ^[a]King's life [adding days upon days], and may His years be to the last generation [of this world and the generations of the world to come].
    ⁷May He sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God; O ordain that loving-kindness and faithfulness may watch over Him!
    ⁸So will I sing praise to Your name forever, paying my vows day by day.


~Have