Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God
will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV
What is Courage? The dictionary’s definition is … “The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, without fear.”
What is Biblical Courage? Joshua 31:6 NIV states …“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The definition of Faith is … Belief that is not based on proof.
Biblical Faith is … A list of people who chose obedience and acted faithfully before answers, understanding, or certainty arrived. As in Hebrews 11:6 NIV … “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” There are at least seventeen times in the Old Testament that God tells us to be of good ‘courage’ and ‘do not fear’.
To have the courage to face the many difficult problems arising from life daily, one must have a very strong faith that everything is going according to God’s plan. Developing patience is also a much needed attribute.
Jesus is the only One who will endow us with the courage needed to face each trial bravely and without fear. Hebrews 10:23 NLT reminds us to “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” Here’s what is so ironic about this passage: So much of what we read and apply from Scripture is “let go,” “give it to God,” “release,” “surrender.” And yet…here we are FINALLY given permission to white-knuckle something to death! Grip, cling to hope, and hold tightly to God.
In my own life, I find that the paralyzing fear Satan loves to throw my way depletes my faith and courage in two ways. The first is to make me feel weak and powerless; The second leads me to think I can be successful in my own power and don’t need God to get me through any problem.
Negative thinking is always used by Satan to make me feel weak and helpless and to lose faith that God will supply all that I need. Satan also loves to appeal to my pride, especially when I feel strong in my own abilities and wise in my own eyes. Remember, Satan is a copycat and never had an original thought of his own. He always copies or tries to imitate God!
Faith is not only reserved for Bible heroes like Noah, Abraham, and Moses; it shows up in ordinary decisions that you and I make every single day. Faith looks like: Forgiving when bitterness feels justified. Giving when finances feel uncertain. Obeying when culture disagrees. Staying faithful when results are invisible. Stepping into calling before confidence arrives.
Dan Schaeffer writes – “When you’ve learned to quit, to surrender, to imagine failure in all you do, your eyes are constantly on your weakness, not on His power. When you’ve learned to think positively, to believe in yourself and your own ability to succeed, your eyes are constantly on your own power, not on God’s. In both situations, we are finding the answer to the test or challenge within ourselves – forgetting God and His power that is available to us.”
How many people around the world are forced to practice their faith in secret, yet have the courage to face persecution and death every time they dare to share their hope in Christ Jesus? We have it so good here in North America, and yet we know that it is only for a short time before the same thing will happen to Christians throughout our hemisphere. Right now, we are free to practice our faith openly, but do we share it? In most cases, we keep it to ourselves, lacking the courage to tell others about the only hope they will ever have for eternal life.
Dan Schaeffer continues – “The New Testament is itself an anthology of change — change in people and ultimately change in culture. Christianity didn’t begin with powerful people. In the early years of the church, Christians were unpopular, persecuted, and maligned. Yet, 300 years later, the official religion of the Roman Empire was Christianity. If we don’t see the power of God here, we are missing it in one of its greatest forms. The power of God poured out on the human heart is an amazing thing to watch.”
God more than supplies us with His armour that He has securely provided in Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV — “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
I encourage you to recognize where your true Power lies and be transformed in faith by trusting in Jesus. Be filled with His strength and be faithful. Don’t listen to Satan’s discouraging lies. Live your faith openly with the courage that only Christ can provide.
I love this poem by Helen Steiner Rice, which depicts courageous faith so well —
Mover of Mountains
Faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power of skill,
And the darkest defeat turns to triumph
if we trust in God’s wisdom and will.
For faith is a mover of mountains,
there’s nothing man cannot achieve
If he has the courage to try it
and then has the faith to believe.