What God says about courage in the Bible

cour·age

/ˈkərij/

noun

1. the ability to do something that frightens one.
   “she called on all her courage to face the ordeal”

• strength in the face of pain or grief.
• “he fought his illness with great courage”

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1. Overcomming Fear- Where Real Courage Comes from

Fear wears many hats. Courage is the strength to overcome and persevere despite that fear. We think of having courage when we step into battle. We must be strong and have no fear- the ultimate courage. But what we often get wrong is thinking that battle is ours alone to conquer. 

“He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

1 Samual 17:47

There is a myth that the bible contains the saying fear, not 365 times, one for each day of the year. This is actually not quite true. The term fear not is used often, although not 365 times, but this doesn’t change the overall theme of not fearing this world. The Bible often tells us actually to fear the Lord, meaning we should fear nothing but God. And when we fear God, that means that all reverence hope, faith, and Glory is His. That reverence goes to nothing or no one else. The things we fear, well, the battle belongs to the Lord.

Isaiah 41:13 NIV

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13 NIV

When we trust in Him there is no reason to fear. He takes all of that. When we trust Him there is no fear too big.

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2. The Armor of God- Being Brave

That does not mean we won’t be under attack. He isn’t going to keep all battles at bay. No, it just means He will be with us when they come. And for this, we need to put on armor. Not just any armor but the armor of God. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Ephesians 6:10-11

3. The Strength Needed for Courage

That strength comes from the Lord. That strength is His strength. We are not strong enough, we are not big enough to have all the courage on our own. Our courage comes from His strength in knowing that if we are walking in His will, listening to His direction, His strength will carry us through. 

I think the most courageous thing I have tackled as of late is sharing this podcast. You see, growing up in a specific religion, in a specific culture with big ideas on works and leaning on our own understanding and our own strength, willpower, courage, everything for our salvation… well, old habits die hard. Let’s just say when it came to sharing this podcast I was being a big ol’ chicken that planned on going into battle alone.

God told me this podcast was to help girls who had come from legalistic, old religious wounds and help them to find Jesus.

I know what it is like to sit in a room of amazing Christian women and be the only ex-whatever there asking questions about preexistence, the trinity, and heaven that make everyone’s heads spin. I know what it is like to be different.

I also know what it is like to worry if what you say, even though it is for God and His Glory, may hurt family members and people you love. God knew this, but He asked me anyway. And He never promised it would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it. 

Sometimes in life, it takes what feels like an insurmountable degree of courage. Sometimes, God is calling us to do things that could put us in the line of fire, things that are downright scary. 

But this life, this world- it isn’t about us. Our creator is bigger, greater, stronger than anything. When we trust what He has put on our hearts we have to understand that it is not to make us comfortable. It is not to give us glory. It is not to make us richer, better stronger. He puts this calling on our hearts for His will.  

If He has put a calling on your heart if He has put opportunities in from of you and told you to take them- do it! Because His will is perfect. 

It is not always easy to trust. Big things can be scary.  

It takes courage. 

Fortunately, this courage can be found in Him. He takes our fear, armors us, and it is in Him that we have strength. 

In Him, I am sharing this with you. Because the most important thing we have to do is lean on Him, trust Him, Love, Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, know Him and make Christ known. 

That is true courage.

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