All It Takes Is Courage

I have encountered so many people in my life who say “I wish I had the courage to…” or “If only I wasn’t so afraid to…” As humans, we are not perfect. But I also know that we immensely sell ourselves short because we have not tapped into the courage God has granted each and every one of us.

What is Courage?

Courage is fulfilling God’s calling for you in spite of fear. Without fear there is no courage. It is okay to have fear, but it is not okay to allow those fears to keep you from pursuing God’s dreams. Courage is the ability to do something that you know is right or good, even though it is dangerous, frightening or very difficult. It requires mental and moral strength.

C.S. Lewis wrote: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or mercifully only on conditions. Pilate was merciful until it became risky. Doing good, and pursuing Christ-like character, is not something to do simply when it is easy. What really counts is when you continue being merciful or generous or justice-seeking or truth-affirming even when it is risky, dangerous, and possibly to your own disadvantage. To be merciful or loving or generous when it is easy is not to be merciful or loving or generous at all.”

We need courage to fully live out who God created us to be.

Where is Courage in Your Life?

Clearly, any World Racer who is reading this blog needs courage in their life. Courage to leave their current life behind, whether it’s the security of a great job, the daily love received from your significant other, or friends and family that you think may grow closer together without you.

I read something today that perfectly reflected the encouragement I wanted to provide my squad:
 

One thing lacking among many of today’s leaders is courage. We have bought-in to the culture of insecurity that boils all around us—the culture that is fixated with hand-sanitizer, anti-virus software, home security systems, and predictable returns-on-investment. Our fear of harm, of all kinds, has declawed and defanged those of us who are called to be lions. Insecurity tempts us to take the safe path when dangerous adventure is called for. And our world has suffered for it.  
 
When we are courageous, we find that right on the other side of fear is exhilaration, and we find that this exhilaration ultimately frees us to do what is right and noble in all areas of life—without the lies of insecurity always holding us back.
 
Insult. Fist. Spit. Whip. Cross. Nails. Death. Jesus may have feared them but He never let His fear keep Him from doing what was right. And they led to the exhilaration of liberating the world from the same fears. May we approach out lives with the same courage.

 
But it doesn’t take something as radical as leaving America for a year in order to need courage. Sometimes courage is mustering the confidence to share your story to a room full of strangers, being completely honest with yourself and others, or asking for help. Maybe courage for you is forgiving the people who hurt you the most and truly showing them God’s love. Courage can even be as simple as waking up in the morning and getting out of bed because life is giving you more than you think you can handle.

Five Things About Courage

1. Courage is directly linked to what we place our faith in. When you are scared, frightened or discourage, who do you seek?  We serve the most awesome and loving God in the world. Turn to Him for your protection and encouragement. You are going to find yourself becoming more and more courageous when you depend upon God’s strength and not your own.

2. Courage is based upon a higher calling that focuses on more than just yourself, and courage does not mean that everything will end well for you. There is no act more courageous than the sacrifice Jesus gave. While the crucifixion represented the end of Jesus’ life, it was the beginning of the life of so many others. He died so we could live.

3. Train it to always be your first response. Build it so you can have a solid foundation to live your life upon. Strengthen it so no matter how large the situation is at hand, you will have enough courage to handle it.  The amount of courage needed is proportional to the size of the task at hand. Courage is like a muscle.

4. Courage is contagious. Once one person shows courage, it becomes easier for others to show courage as well. Be careful though: if people are following you for your courage, ensure that they are following you because of the strength God gave you.

5. Courage is born and raised in the heat of diversity. Little or misplaced courage folds under pressure. Anyone can lead in good times, but it takes courage to lead in the dark and difficult times. We may never stand against a nine foot giant like David did against Goliath, but we have the opportunity to stand up every single day.

Filling Your “Courage Bank”

Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger, III gained fame for his courage when he successfully emergency landed US Airways Flight 1549, which had been disabled by striking a flock of Canada Geese during its initial climb out, over the Hudson River off Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009. All of the 155 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft survived. When interviewed by Katie Couric, he talked about his “Courage Bank”.

Courage rarely presents itself in extremely depending situations unless you have been building up to this moment. You need to be making deposits into your “courage bank” by receiving God’s grace today. Remember, courage is the muscle you need to be strengthen so when God calls upon you, you are ready to answer.

So how can you make fill your “courage bank”?

1. Walk by faith. Follow the Lord fully. God has commanded us to not be afraid, but to be courageous in all that we do. Why? Because God is with us, gives us His power, tells us to take courage because we are forgiven and because He has overcome the world.

2. Pray specific, bold prayers. Think about it: If God were to answer your prayers today, how would the world look different? God does not answer vague prayers! Tell God your wildest dreams; do not put a limit on what you think God can do! He is all powerful!

3. Face your fears. What are you afraid of? Theodore White said, “To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.”  Are people trying to discourage you from doing what God placed on your heart? Reality check: sometimes it is just you and God supporting your dream. We have all been there. If it has to be just you and one other person, who better than the Lord? Together the two of you can do anything.

4. Try again even after you fail. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” This idea is first found in the Bible. Proverbs 24:16 reads “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.” It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, you need to have the courage to get back up. God will always be next to you to offer a hand.

5. Watch, follow, and align yourself with others who are walking courageously with the Lord. You will find yourself empowered by these people, and even when they aren’t around, you will be more courageous. Billy Graham said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”

I just pray so fervently that every member of my squad can courageously go out into the world and radically follow what God places on their heart. And I want us to encourage the world to do the same.  The world is sick and tired of tame lions; it’s time for us to roar.