Courage

It takes courage to be a Christian in America these days. You need to have courage. Courage is defined as "what makes someone capable of facing extreme danger and difficulty without retreating. It implies not only bravery and a dauntless spirit, but the ability to endure in times of adversity." Preachers on TV talk a lot about faith. But we don't hear a lot about courage. To me, courage is often the acting out of faith. Moses' servant Joshua had faith to enter the promised land. But after Moses' death, the Lord spoke to Joshua informing his faith and strengthening his courage, saying "I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage." These days, we need the courage of Joshua.

What the Lord told Joshua demonstrates God's view on faith and courage. The Lord will always be with us, he will not fail us. That is the faith part. We need to know this in every fabric of our being. Then, we must be strong and of a good courage. That's the acting out of faith. Joshua tells his people in Joshua 23:3, "And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is he that has fought for you." Verse 10 says, "One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fights for you, as he has promised you." There is a partnership here: God's promise that he will not forsake you, and him acting through your act of courage.

Throughout the Bible we see tremendous acts of courage--Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Esther, Daniel, Gideon, Samson, Rahab, Peter, Paul, John, and the list goes on. Hebrews 11:36-40 tells of many of their ends; "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

Your life has special meaning to the Lord. He has given you the promise just as he did Joshua. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Hebrews 13:5-6 confirms, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." That, my friend, is faith interacting with courage. It's not about riches, fame, and baubles here on earth. It's about having faith, knowing the deeper things of God, and courage to, as Paul said in Ephesians 6:20, "speak boldly as I ought to speak." Take Courage.