Live Free with Josh Howerton - Courage In Action | Ep. 195 | Friday, November 3, 2023

Episode Date: November 3, 2023

Courage isn’t the absence of fear but moving ahead in spite of the fear. Esther courageously approached the king to invite him and Haman to a series of strategically planned banquets. Haman’s pride continued to grow along with his hatred of Mordecai, so he built a gallows to hang him. Something would have to give. Will it be Haman’s pride or Esther’s courage? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive. Hope you having a good day today. My name is Mike Bro, and together we have been binge watching an incredible mini-series.

We've been looking at the story of a girl named Esther, and you can find her story in the Old Testament section of the Bible, the book of Esther. It is riveting drama. Would definitely be trending right now on Netflix. If you missed any of the previous podcast, you can go back and catch up. And today, we're all the way to episode number six, and we're calling it Shark Tank. Have you ever seen those entrepreneurs on that show? Well, the walk in in front of all those sharks and they make their sales pitch that they get so nervous? Well, I can't imagine what's going through Esther's mind.

Mordeca tells Esther what to do, but not how to do it. In fact, he had coached her. When you go in there to make your pitch before the king, you need to beg, you need to plead. But Esther doesn't come to the king as a beggar. She doesn't come with a cheesy, memorized sales pitch. so he doesn't choose to wear some kind of sexy lingerie as a member of his harem or even as his wife. Instead, she gets dressed in her royal robes, and she confidently walks down the hall as the queen of the Persian Empire. That is just so cool to me. Can you imagine her walking down that hallway,

knowing that with each step she's getting closer and closer to the king seeing her, which remember to come uninvited is a capital offense, and I bet she knew that she even stopped for a minute, minute, she might run back to her room, but she doesn't stop. Just step after fearful step, she keeps on walking. You see, courage isn't the absence of fear. It's moving ahead in spite of the fear. Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's moving ahead in spite of the fear. And as Esther comes into view, the guards, the Secret Service guys, they're ready to pounce, ready to take her out before she can reach the king, but the king takes a closer look at her dressed in her royal robes, sees Esther clothed in confidence, and he stops the guards, and he holds out the gold scepter to her. And he asks her,

what is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? Just ask, and it's yours. And this is what Esther tells him in Esther chapter 5, verse 4. If it pleases the king, replied Esther, let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I've prepared for him. And the king says, okay, you know me, I love a good party, you got it. So the king calls for Haman, the villain in our story, the hater of Mordecai, soon to be annihilator of the Jewish nation, and together they go to this banquet that Esther has prepared. And there the king asks her again, tell me, Queen Esther, what is it that you want? Just ask, and it's yours. And Esther says, let's talk about it later. Why don't you two come back again tomorrow for another banquet. And so the king agrees. Now there's lots of thoughts and theories

on why Esther didn't make her request at the first banquet. Some think she just chickened out that she couldn't do it. Some think she was over-anxious, didn't feel like it's right timing. Some even think she was trying to make the king suspicious as to why she kept inviting Haman trying to make him jealous. But I think she was just plain brilliant to keep the king hanging on the edge of intrigue. Well, the king leaves the banquet very intrigued. And Esther, Mr. leaves the banquet walking in courage for the next day. And Haman? Oh, he leaves the banquet feeling pretty darn full of himself.

He was so pumped up about having an exclusive dinner with the royal family and being invited back again. He was in. It says he left the banquet happy and in high spirits so full of himself. But all that changes. When he has to walk past the king's gate and see once again, oh, that Mordecai dude. still refusing to bow down to his greatness.

Well, Haman goes home, and if his day hadn't been eventful enough, he throws another party at his house to brag to his wife and friends about all of his whining and dining with the king and queen. He tells him, I'm the only one. I'm the only one the queen invited. This has been one awesome day. I'm feeling so good about myself, but down the way home, my day was completely ruined again by that stupid Jew, Mordecai.

I can't stand that guy. It says this in Esther 540. his wife and all of his friends said to him, you know what you need to do, have a gallows built, 75 feet high and asked the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Didn't go with the king to the dinner and be happy. This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built. You know, pride is such an ugly and destructive thing.

Somebody one time asked, how does a narcissist change a light bulb? Yeah, they stand still and let the world. revolve around them. You know, Scripture says that God detest pride. He opposes the proud. And the thing that proceeds most false, yeah, you guessed it, is pride. Now, if you don't know the story of Esther, you still can already see where pride is taken Haman. And, gang, it'll take us there too. So just a reminder today, lay your ego on the altar once again. Be humble today, be other-centered today, and then come back next time and see how this all unfolds. I'm telling you it will blow you away.

Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast. podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point,

visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe.combe.com slash daily drive.