Courage:

Be Strong and Courageous

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Courage Is Not . . .

Being terrified or being discouraged.

The Hebrew word for being terrified means “to be harassed.” This brings up an image of me camping out in the woods being attacked by mosquitoes. I can't concentrate very well because I am trying to keep the bugs off. It also brings up the image of my child continually asking me if they can buy something as we are walking through the store. In the spiritual sense, it brings up the image of Satan and his angels continually causing difficult circumstances for me. To me being harassed means being distracted.

The Hebrew word for being discouraged means “to breakdown, to quit.” Edwin Louis Cole in his book, “Never Quit,” says that “Crisis is generally the reason behind feelings of wanting to give up.” And that “Crisis in the natural result of change.” And since change happens often. Then crisis happens often. And, thus, the feeling of wanting to give up happens often. For me, the battle against discouragement is continuous.

Courage Is

The Hebrew word for courage means “to be alert, physically and mentally.” In Joshua 1:9, the Hebrew word for strong means “to fasten upon; to behave valiantly.” Valor means “strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness.”

People of courage are alert to what is going on around them. They don't retreat from the crisis. They are not hiding in their bed, or in front of their television, or at their job behind their desk, or hiding behind their kids. They are facing the crisis caused by change. They may feel like quitting, but they don't.

Deciding to share the gospel or my testimony with some one may be a big change for me. I may not be used to doing it very often. If I do it once or twice and it is hard. I am tempted to quit. To never do it again. The emotional and spiritual energy that goes into such an endeavor can be exhausting. I am tempted to save my energy for other, less difficult, tasks. I am tempted to quit.

Being involved in the spiritual battle for the soul of another human being is one of the hardest things I do. The temptation to quit is great. The temptation to never try is great. To never try is to quit the battle.

The Source of Courage

My courage should be based on the fact that the LORD my God is with me. Not on any thing I can say or do. I remember that God is with me by investing time in my relationship with Him every single day.

Joshua invested time in his relationship with God. In Exodus 33:11, we are told that in the tent of meeting, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” He invested the time needed to know that the LORD his God was with him.

Small Steps of Courage

Here are some small steps of courage I took to identify with Christ, enter the spiritual battle AND get out of my comfort zone.

1. I handed out gospel literature to people I did not know.

2. I posted my testimony on my web site, my blog, and my FaceBook account.

3. I asked my friends who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ if they would review me on the verses I had been memorizing.

4. I shared things from my quiet time with my friends who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

What steps can you think of that you could take?

Ways to Increase Courage

1. Invest more time with God. Doing this helps you gain a greater appreciation for the fact that the LORD your God is with you.

2. Grow in competence. Growing in competency increases my courage. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and my Lord, I have no idea how to explain the gospel to others. But I had some one who was willing to help me. He taught be how to explain what Jesus Christ had done in my life. He had me write it out. I memorized the main points.

And I practiced saying it out loud.

I practiced on my mentor. I practiced on my friends. I practiced on myself saying it out loud while looking in a mirror. And each time I became a little better at explaining it. Finally, I was ready to share it with some one who did not know Jesus Christ as their savior. I shared it at lunch with friends. Eventually, I asked complete strangers if I could tell them what Jesus Christ had done for me. Many of them were very receptive.

I became more courageous as I became more competent. I had practiced enough to know I could clearly and concisely explain what happened.

Find someone to help you. Write your presentation out. Practice! Practice some more!

3. Grow in confidence. Growing in confidence increases my courage. As I practice on people I didn't know, I grew in confidence that people were interested in spiritual things. They do want to hear the story of my spiritual journey. Just as I wanted to hear their story. Confidence comes from experience. Experience comes with practice!

Find someone to help you. Write your presentation out. Practice! Practice some more!

If it moves, practice on it!

4. Read the Bible for Courage.

How to Read the Bible for Courage and Wisdom




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