There comes a time in every believer’s life when they must fight for everything God has promised them. When adversity knocks at your door, Dianna Hobbs reminds you that backing down is not an option. Take authority. Take courage. Take back what the enemy has stolen from you.

Over the weekend, I thought my Buffalo Bills would finally break our playoff curse against the Kansas City Chiefs. I had it all planned out in my head: our house erupting in celebration, Bills Mafia flooding the streets of Buffalo, and me sharing our sweet victory story.

But that's not how it played out.

We've never beaten the Chiefs in the playoffs—not once. Yet this past Sunday felt different. Something in the air whispered that maybe—just maybe—this was our moment. I'd spent the week replaying our past defeats, envisioning how this experience could serve as a lesson in patience and timing—how those losses had prepared us for this breakthrough.

But it was not to be.

Now we're left with those four words every sports fan dreads: "Wait till next season."

During that nail-biter against the Chiefs (thank you for indulging me as I go through the stages of football grief), I was doing what reactionary Bills fans like me do best—questioning the coaching decisions, yelling at the TV, and watching through my fingers. My nerves were absolutely shot, and I was one bad play away from not being able to finish watching the game.

Then my 21-year-old son Kedar, who plays football, dropped some wisdom that changed my whole perspective. He said, "In the game, nobody is going to hand you a win. You have to take it."

He explained that at this level, playing against the best, nobody’s going to dial it back or make it easy. You want a championship? You’ve got to rise up and take it. Something clicked when he said that. My racing thoughts settled, and suddenly I could see the situation clearly: victory belongs to those who seize it.

This got me thinking about what Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 14:27, as his petrified disciple prepares to step out of his boat to walk on water during a violent storm. As waves crash and Peter trembles, Jesus tells him, "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid."

Somebody say, "Take it!"

In 2019, fresh out of the ICU and moved to general admission, I found myself facing my own impossible moment. I had been left paralyzed on my left side, unable to move, much less walk. Doctors and nurses had to roll me over and reposition me in bed. I had no strength. No mobility. And yet, in that tiny hospital bathroom, I prepared to do something radical—going against all medical advice and expectations.

Earlier, I had asked my family to bring me my silver walker, a request that made them hesitate. After all, I wasn’t supposed to be up. I couldn’t be up. But I told them to close the door. Because sometimes, when you’re believing God for a breakthrough, you have to silence the voices of convention, boldly face the negative odds, and defy them.

So, there we were, packed into that little space. My body was weak. My left leg dragged behind me as I leaned on the walker for support—barely managing to move. And then, just before stepping out of the bathroom and back into my hospital room, I looked down at my walker, turned to my mother, and spoke three words that made her eyes widen in fear:

“Take it!”

I wasn’t walking in my own power. I had no power. But like Peter, I took courage. Like David when his whole world crashed and burned in Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:6), I encouraged myself—strengthened myself— in the Lord my God by drawing from His strength when I had none of my own.

I tapped into the unshakable belief that He is who He says He is—the One who makes the lame walk and the mute speak.

And when I chose courage over fear, when I seized victory instead of accepting defeat, God showed up.

Doctors still can’t explain what happened next. Movement returned to my left side. My tongue, once locked up, was suddenly freed.

Instantaneous. Miraculous. Undeniable.

Oh, glory to His name!

Listen—you’ve got to snatch courage from the clutches of fear, drawing strength to do the impossible from the One for Whom nothing is impossible. Don’t let stormy seas push you around. Don’t let limitations limit you. Don’t let delays and disappointments write your story. When winds and waves come—and they will—you’ve got to stand your ground.

Here’s a word: When winds come to buffet you, your courage comes to buffer you. Take courage. Take authority. Take your power back. Take it.

It’s already yours through Christ anyway.

About the Writer

Dianna Hobbs is the founder of Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine and the writer of Your Daily Cup of Inspiration. This devotion is excerpted from Hobbs’ Top 100 blog. To read more inspirations and listen to podcasts, visit the official blog here.

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