Courage and Redemption: Six Battle Principles from the Story of Joshua

By Dustin Rivenbark

Dustin Rivenbark has dealt with addiction firsthand, seen the devastating effects of infidelity in a marriage, lost what he thought was his livelihood, lost a daughter to Potter syndrome, lost a mother to drug addiction, and dealt with ongoing health issues. All of this took the wind out of his sails, and he found himself broken, lost, and afraid. Rivenbark wanted to fight through the scars and the pain of life, but he needed a system that would give him a road map to freedom.

In Courage and Redemption, he shares how the six key battle principles from the story of Joshua helped lay the groundwork for him to turn tragedy into triumph. Through his personal story, he tells how the pains of the past don’t have to be crippling; he offers testimony that through all the trials and tragedy, he has witnessed God’s power in many ways.

Courage and Redemption narrates that not only has Rivenbark dedicated his life to being the hands and feet of Christ but he’s also committed to motivating people to never settle with the status quo. Be determined to succeed. Be passionate. Believe in yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532088049

Dustin Rivenbark

(Nationally Recognized Youth Speaker) Seldom in life do you get the chance to meet someone who has a powerful story of overcoming fear, adversity, and tragedy. Even less frequent do you meet someone who can deliver that message with life changing impact. Dustin Rivenbark is a determined motivational speaker/preacher who is taking his passion for motivating youth and young adults, using stories of inspiration and unwavering faith to the young adults of today in order to better prepare them for tomorrow.

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Copyright © 2019 Dustin Rivenbark.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Scripture quotations marked HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, HCSB®. Copyright ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8805-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8804-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902070

iUniverse rev. date: 02/13/2020

FOR CALLIE GRACE

RIVENBARK, VICKI GRIFFIN,

AND NANCY RIVENBARK

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

1.   Afraid to Dream

2.   Prepare for Battle

3.   Obtain Spies

4.   Cross the Jordan

5.   Defeat the Enemy

6.   Claim Your Inheritance

7.   Live Your Legacy

My Prayer for You

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I can’t even begin to acknowledge all the people who invested time in me or helped me with life lessons that ultimately led to creating this book. This life is such an adventure of ups and downs, and I am so thankful for the people who God has placed in my life.

Thanks to my wife, Aimee, and my children for always supporting me and putting up with my craziness. We have been through so much together. I love you.

Special thanks to Mary Asher (stepmother) and Ed (father) for always picking me up and helping me when I was lost. The two of you have imparted so much love and wisdom onto me that I could never pay back.

Thanks to Nancy (grandmother) and David (grandfather) for never giving up on me and instilling in me the value of hard work. I will love you forever.

Thank you to Uncle Lee for stepping into my messiness at just the right times.

Huge thanks to Ryan Clements, Derek Rumler, and Paul Enfinger for being great men of God and for always supporting me.

Thanks to Reggie Washington for his passion for Jesus and for helping me discover God in such a powerful way.

Huge thanks to all my brothers and sisters—Logan, Emily, Mary Charles, Mallie, Whitt, and Ryn—I hope that you know I love you very much.

Thanks to my church family at Watermark Church. What Jesus did through this church and its members changed my life!

Special thanks to all my brothers offshore. You guys have had such a powerful influence on me. I can never thank you enough.

Heavenly thanks to Vicki (mother). You taught me how to fight! I am so grateful for the lessons you have taught me both directly and indirectly. I love you, Momma.

CHAPTER 1

Afraid to Dream

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FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU—

THIS IS THE LORD’S DECLARATION—"PLANS

FOR YOUR WELL-BEING, NOT FOR DISASTER,

TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE."

—Jeremiah 29:11

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Beep, beep, beep. My head spun as I listened to all the machines beeping and chirping. My mother lay dying on a hospital bed. I was so confused. All these tubes and IVs were running everywhere: through her nose, in her mouth, and sticking into her arm. I must be going crazy, I thought. Is this even real? What is going on?

At that moment, the doctor walked in. A rather short man, he was dressed really nicely. With his dark complexion and strong accent, he appeared to be of African descent. Hello, the doctor said as he shook my hand.

What’s the latest, Doctor? I asked.

Well, your mother’s organs are shutting down. She will not survive through the night. Her body is building up massive amounts of lactic acid, which is why her hands and feet are swelling.

There were, in fact, massive amounts of swelling in her hands and feet.

What do we do? my grandmother asked.

Well, Mrs. Williams, if it were my mother or daughter, I would stop all medicines and let her expire naturally.

Expire naturally? I exclaimed.

Yes, Dustin, he said. Your mother has had a massive drug overdose. Her body is shutting down. I’m so sorry, but it’s the right thing to do in this situation.

Wow! A drug overdose? Is this how it all ends? I left the room and found an empty conference room. I shut the door and fell to my knees. Father, I need you now more than ever.

At this point, I would love to tell you that a miracle happened, that God healed my mother that day, and that she made a full recovery and turned from her addiction, but that’s not what happened. My mother died on that hospital bed. I was hurt, scared, and confused, and this would be one more scar that would deeply wound me.

Just months prior to my mother passing away, my wife and I lost our second daughter, Callie Grace, to Potter syndrome. She had not developed a functioning kidney or bladder; therefore, she would not survive outside