Who’s Your Courage Buddy?

I hope you have been having fun and choosing courage since my last post?

So the next key in this series on being used by God, is… having people around you to encourage and cheer you on.

You may remember I have written before in other posts about the importance of having a ‘courage buddy’ on this exciting God adventure you are on. If not let me just remind you what a ‘courage buddy’ is…

A ‘courage buddy’ is someone who can encourage you when you are trying to step out and do something outside your comfort zone. This buddy is there to cheer you on (probably silent cheers though or it might be a bit weird for people nearby) and give you encouragement (a gentle push) to go for it. Or it may be that you have told them an area you want step out in and they can then keep you accountable and check in with you on how that’s going. It’s like you’re giving them permission to prod you every now and again and make sure you have done what you said you were going to do.

I am a massive fan of encouragement, as you know if you have read any of my other posts, because it literally gives people courage, support, confidence and hope. A courage buddy can spur you on to try things you would never do and they can also be that person that you ‘do the stuff’ with and is there to support you if things don’t go as well as you hoped and they will encourage you to try again regardless, because you’re awesome!

When we are stepping out of our comfort zone we are taking a risk. As we all know sometimes risks pay off and sometimes they don’t, that’s why they are called risks! Now, this is the good bit because, if we are confident in our identity as sons and daughters of the King, then risks don’t scare us, in fact we laugh in the face of risks (insert manic laugh here). Our ‘dad’ will be proud of us for taking the risk in the first place, He is our biggest cheerleader and the outcome of taking a risk is not our responsibility anyway but His. So, (I hope you are breathing a huge sigh of relief here) the pressure is off you, yes that’s right, the pressure of the outcome is not for you to worry about (phew!).

When you start living your life looking for opportunities to step out and be used and available to God in your every day, you will definitely benefit from being around people who feel this same sense of adventure as you. You can cheer each other on and push each other further than if you were doing it alone. Choosing to live life courageously is always better done with someone else by your side.

Prov 27:17 “As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp.”

Spending time with like-minded people really lifts the spirits and makes you hungrier for God and all that He is doing. Just being around other people hungry for God and the prophetic makes me feel giddy with joy and I can feel the atmosphere in the room shift as people get excited for what God wants to say to us and do through us.

2Tim 1:6 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

This verse in 2 Tim has been particularly important to me and I guess it has become a life verse, one that God has spoken to me out of many times. Being around people with a similar desire certainly fans the flames and develops the hunger for more. I get together with like-minded people and gather us together at my house where we get to pray for each other and build each other up. God has put on my heart a desire to see a prophetic community gather and I have been taking steps into putting this into action.

I have recently had the opportunity to run a prayer event at my home church and I wanted it to be a creative evening of prayer that was both interactive and a place where people could encounter God and just dwell in His presence. I was so excited about this evening and God gave me several pictures of a breakthrough happening which made me even more excited but, I knew I would need help to make it happen as I couldn’t get everything ready myself.

I met with a few friends to pray about it and then met with a couple of ladies to prepare prophetic pictures for people to help themselves to on the night. I also called in help to make a couple of large ‘props’ (see photos) and on the night before the event, myself, The lovely Mr B and a friend helped me set up the auditorium.

On the evening of the event I had a team of people ready to pray in different zones that were set up and to prophecy over people. Other lovely friends led the worship that kicked the evening off. Now, there is no way I could have managed that on my own and actually sharing the evening with others made it all the more special and also gave them a chance to step out of their comfort zones and try something new knowing that we were all in it together.

The evening was successful and many people encountered freedom and were encouraged by accurate prophetic words, got to leave their days behind and encounter God’s presence and left feeling like they had heard from God.

To keep the flames fanned I am in the fortunate position of being on team at TSM which I attend every week where I get to be in an amazing team of people hungry for more of God and to see Him move in people’s everyday life as they get equipped and empowered through teaching and activations. I also attend events like Newday or go to conferences and of course the most important is simply spending time in God’s presence, allowing Him the time and space to excite me about all that He wants to do and how He wants to partner with me in that.

Not just me by the way, but you. He wants to partner with YOU too!

Throughout the bible it is clear that we are called to live in community and this is modelled by God himself in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We were never meant to ‘do life’ in isolation and we are better together. We are called the ‘body of Christ ‘for a reason, each having our own unique part to play, but no-one more important than another, so no-one can boast.

1Cor 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Who are you gathering together with to ‘fan the flames’ and encourage?

How can you gather other’s together?

What could you do together that will impact on the community around you at school, college, university, work?

We are ‘better together’.

If you are enjoying this What’s your key? series and have missed one:

What’s your Key? Series

Part 1 You’re Invited