Courage

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."(Joshua 1:9)


Being courageous can be difficult at times. You can be courageous and be scared at the same time. Being courageous means that you were brave and bold no matter how you felt. 

We might think of strong, fearless people when we think of someone courageous, and think that we could never achieve that, but if we take on a different mindset, we can. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) God is powerful, and if he is the one giving you strength, you can do anything.

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Hebrews 13:6) God will always be there for us, and he will help us in our need. When we have faith and hope in the Lord, he will give us courage. "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24) 

In the Bible, we have many people who showed courage: Daniel and his three friends; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Esther, Deborah, and Stephen. These are only some of the examples that could be given. In 1 Samuel, chapter 17, we find the famous David and Goliath story, where David shows what courage can look like. 

If you are not familiar with the story of David and Goliath, I would recommend you read 1 Samuel 17 before continuing. 

https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1SA.17.KJV

David is described as a youth. “And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.” (1 Samuel 17:42) and he is going up against this formidable character Goliath. “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.” (1 Samuel 17: 4-7), David is in a battlefield, facing off with this giant who is defying God and intent on killing whoever comes out to face him. This could very well be a frightening situation for most. David had trust in the LORD that he would save him from Goliath and that gave him courage to go on.

“David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.” (1 Samuel 17:37)

Not all of us are going to be like David, and have physical giants to kill in our life, but we can have our metaphorical giants. Our giants that get in our way, disrupt our life, and make us afraid. Trusting in the LORD can help us overcome those. The following poem talks about fighting temptations and doing what is right even when it is hard. Having integrity and being honest can take courage sometimes, because it is simple to take the easy way out and lie. 

Our Heroes

by Phoebe Carey 

Here's a hand to the boy who has courage

To do what he knows to be right; 

When he falls in the way of temptation,

He has a hard battle to fight.

Who strives against self and his comrades

Will find a most powerful foe.

All honor to him if he conquers.

A cheer for the boy who says "No!" 

There's many a battle fought daily

The world knows nothing about;

There's many a brave little soldier

Whose strength puts a legion to rout.

And he who fights sin single-handed

Is more of a hero, I say. 

Than he who leads soldiers to battle

And conquers by arms in the fray.

Be steadfast, my boy, when you're tempted,

To do what you know to be right. 

Stand firm by the colors of manhood,

And you will d'ercome in the fight.

"The right," be your battle cry ever

In waging the warfare of life,

And God, who knows who are the heroes,

Will give you the strength for the strife.




"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)



All verses are from the KJV