Are you courageous? You will probably answer: "Not always. At least, not as courageous as I want to be." But do you know what courage really is? Has it ever occurred to you that to be deeply and thoroughly converted, you must be deeply and thoroughly courageous?
Indeed, not only does it take courage to become converted, but it takes even more to remain converted. Amid moral corruption and confusion—in a world of rebellion and misery—some people think that to disobey law is to show courage. Actually, the contrary is true. It is much easier to rebel than to obey—easier to follow society, with its customs and traditions, than to stand firm for what is right in God's sight. In plain language, it takes courage to be truly Christian.
Courage is the opposite of fear—it is acting against fear.
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that all we have to fear is fear itself. But how can you stop being fearful? How can you get rid of your fears, unless you replace them with something positive, worthwhile and more powerful?
A courageous person does what God wants him to do, regardless of the consequences. As a nation, we need more courage. As individuals, we need more courage. In our families, we need more courage. And as a Church, we need more courage!
The Source of Power
God has chosen "the foolish" and "the weak" things of the world to confound those who are mighty in their own eyes (1 Corinthians 1:27). But God has not called the cowards of the world to confuse and confound the mighty!
People often mistake meekness for weakness. On your own you can do little, if anything. You have no real power or wisdom. But with God's help and the power of His Spirit, you can do all things.
To be among the "foolish" and "weak" of the world is no excuse for you to live in fear: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Think! If you are truly converted, the Spirit of God should bear fruit in you. The Spirit must express, through you, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
The Bible calls these virtues "the fruit of the Spirit." But do you realize that courage is at the root of each of them? It takes courage to love someone who hates you. It takes courage to express joy in times of sorrow, and to have peace of mind amidst turmoil. It takes courage to be patient or to show kindness, goodness, or faithfulness, and to practice self-control. If you feel that your spiritual growth has been slow, you are probably not showing as much courage as you should in your daily Christian life.
A true Christian is a soldier—a good soldier. But have you ever seen a good soldier who lacked courage? You showed a certain amount of courage when you first answered God's calling, but that was only the starting point. You were called to change your habits, your ways of thinking and living. That takes courage. You were called to turn away from sin. That takes much courage.
No Faith Without Courage
Christ came with a message of courage and faith. He said "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
When God called you to repentance, He asked you, through His word, to first sit down and count the cost, just like the builder of a tower, to see if you had "enough to finish it" (Luke 14:28). Notice that He did not say if you had enough to start the job, but to finish it. All along the path, you were told, you would have to face trials and problems.
Both repenting of your sins and believing in the Gospel require courage. Any change in life—especially conversion—requires courage. That is why you need the power of God's Holy Spirit to live as a Christian.
If you are convinced, and you should be, that Christ is coming soon to change this world and to rule over all nations, then you must be enthusiastic—filled with zeal—despite your difficulties!
Ironically, many of this world's people who call themselves Christians do not believe in Christ's return. No wonder they lack courage. But you should not follow their example. You should be like Christ, who with courage faced persecutions and condemnations while being totally innocent of any sin.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was also a man of courage. Facing death, he did not hesitate to proclaim God's message and tell the people of their sins. He said, under God's inspiration: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it" (Acts 7:51–53).
Would you have this type of courage to face your persecutors, to look in their eyes and proclaim the truth even though it may cost your life? Stephen did. He died for the truth—for the Gospel—for Christ's message.
To believe in the Kingdom of God in a world that rejects God requires faith. Just like Abraham, you must be fully convinced that God is able to do what He has promised, and you must act accordingly. Then your faith will be reckoned to you as righteousness (Romans 4:21–22).
What do you do when you have a serious problem? Do you simply pray about it and wait for the answer? Prayer alone is not enough. You must do your part. As the saying goes, after praying for a good harvest, you keep on hoeing. Trusting God is waiting actively, not passively. And that takes courage! Obedience to God sets you apart from the world; it protects you. It makes your life happier and more abundant. It makes you courageous and brings you closer to Him.
God loves courageous people! He has promised to never forsake you; you will never go hungry if you are truly of His flock. David wrote: "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed" (Psalm 37:25–26).
People of Courage
The prophets of old were men of courage. When God told Joshua to begin the battle to enter the promised land, He commanded, "Be strong and of good courage" (Joshua 1:6).
The apostles were also men of courage, particularly after they received God's Holy Spirit. It was not easy for them to preach the Gospel amid continuous threats and persecutions. They had to choose between obeying God and obeying man—between entering the broad gate or the narrow one. The authorities told them, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!" (Acts 5:28). The answer Peter and the other apostles gave was one of faith and courage: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (v. 29).
Do you realize that someday you may have to give the same answer to those who persecute you?
Hebrews 11 is generally known as the faith chapter. And indeed it does talk about faith. All of the people it describes lived by faith—faith that required courage. They did not simply pray for God's help; they acted and fought as true Christians should.
How about King David? What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of him? His sins, perhaps? Or the psalms he wrote? The wives he had? Do you ever think of him as a man of courage?
Look at the attitude he had when the other Israelites were frightened in the presence of Goliath, the giant. David said to King Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:32).
Where did David get his assurance? He was but a young man. He did not have Goliath's strength or armature. But he had courage. He told the king, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it" (vv. 34–35).
And David added, "Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God" (v. 36).
Think of it! David, with no other weapon than a sling, was able to face the giant, who was heavily armed with a sword, a spear and a shield. Where did David get his strength? From God! He likewise got his courage from God. He told the Philistine: "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" (vv. 45–46).
There is a Goliath in everyone's life! Yours could be in the form of sickness or poverty or various other trials and sufferings. It does not really matter. The fighting is always of God, provided your courage and attitude are similar to David's. When your eyes and your mind are set on God— when you put your trust in Him—you can have all the courage you need, whatever your problems. He will do your fighting for you.
As in the Days of Noah
Noah was a man of integrity, righteous before God. He lived in a world of corruption and sin, just as we do today. And he undoubtedly was a man of courage. Do you think it was easy for him to stand up against the crowd and do what God told him to do? It took him many years to build the ark, while the people around mocked him. They did not cease to ridicule him. They thought it was utterly foolish to expect a flood when there was not even a sign of one in sight.
It took courage for Noah to accomplish his job and to patiently wait for the fulfillment of God's promise. Have you ever wondered why Christ compared Noah's time to ours, stating that the present world would also perish?
Christ told His disciples: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away" (Matthew 24:36–39).
Then He added, "So also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (v. 39).
We are living today in a world just as corrupted as Noah's was. People deny God, break His laws and defy His authority, in countless ways.
God tested Noah's patience, just as He is testing ours today. How tragic that, during this testing period, some of God's people are losing courage and deserting the ship! You had better realize that now is the time God is testing your faith, patience and courage—as a member of God's Church you are being judged now (1 Peter 4:17).
Noah, in his day, was the only righteous human being on earth. Likewise, today, the Church must be spotless, pure and righteous before God. Noah persevered to the end. He did not weaken. We, too, must persevere to the end and not weaken. Whatever the danger, whatever the persecution, we must serve God, being fully convinced that He will always deliver us.
However, just like the three Hebrews thrown in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:17–18), we must also prove that we will not serve other gods or worship "the golden image"—even if God chooses not to deliver us. That shows real courage!
Paul's Courage
The Apostle Paul's life was one of courage, faith and perseverance. It took tremendous courage for him to turn away from what he had previously believed was right. The change, in his case, was very difficult.
When God struck him on the road to Damascus, the first question Paul asked was "Lord, what do You want me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Paul was eager to know and to follow God's will. Paul was not afraid to change. He did not worry what his friends would say about him if he turned from his former religion and began to worship the true God. Moreover, when God showed him the right way, Paul never departed from it. He labored more than the other disciples, working harder and suffering more than any of them. The result? His writings make up a large part of the New Testament.
Do you know what Paul's writings reflect most? Faith? Yes, undoubtedly. Love? That is for sure. Obedience? Of course. But above all things, courage!
Paul tells you to always rejoice, and be grateful whatever the circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18). That takes courage. Paul ran the race of life and won. So must you. But remember: it takes courage to win!
What was Paul's secret?
He reveals it throughout his epistles. The Bible never states that a true Christian will live without problems or difficulties. On the contrary, it warns us that we will be tested and proved. But just like the Apostle Paul, we must withstand affliction in every way without being crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8).
Is this the case as far as you are concerned? Can you say, like Paul, that you are "perplexed, but not driven to despair"? Do you feel forsaken when facing persecution? Or can you say, like him, that you are "struck down, but not destroyed" (v. 9)?
If so, nothing can shake you. But it takes courage to have this attitude—and to be totally converted!
Paul further wrote: "We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 Corinthians 6:8–10, RSV).
If you are a true Christian, this is the way you must think and live. Nothing should separate you from God—no difficulty, no trouble, no persecution, not anything or anyone. God loves you and will always protect you. He will watch over you. He will lead you to victory, if you will only yield to Him and trust Him—courageously.
The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who developed the courage to obey God. Read their examples, as in Hebrews 11—and follow them. As Paul exhorted us: "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love" (1 Corinthians 16:13–14). What a tremendous warning and encouragement! Let us all heed it!