“God has wired us as His children to slay giants! You were born to be courageous.“
A little while back I had to bring a message to the women’s group that I am a part of. When I was initially asked to speak, many topics swirled about in my head. I find that I automatically gravitate towards my strengths and topics that I think would be suitable to share about, i.e., The person of the Holy Spirit /fear /self-image. As a side note, if you are interested in these topics, you can check out these blogs – Self-image is not what you weigh / Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the way / This is how I fight my battles.
These are topics that I am familiar with from my own personal experiences but the Holy Spirit had a very different idea. He was leading me to speak on – living a more courageous lifestyle. I am learning daily to lean upon the Holy Spirit and not on my own understanding as He knows exactly what we all need in this hour and what is required of us in the days ahead. I therefore feel to share what I shared with my group in this blog post.
As the body of Christ, I am not sure if you are aware, but we are currently in a season of war. A spirit of fear and chaos is swirling but in the midst of all that is transpiring in the world the Holy Spirit wants to infuse us with a greater measure of courage for the days ahead and for all that He is calling us to step into. We need courage to do what God is calling us to do and I think we can all do with a greater measure of courage. As you read this blog, I pray that you will be motivated to lay down fear and step
into a more courageous lifestyle. It is in our DNA as new-creation believers to live more courageously.
What does it mean to be courageous?
- Doing something that causes great fear but doing it anyway; bravery
- Being brave in the midst of a fearful situation
- Stepping out of your comfort zone
The definition of courage according to the bible
- It comes from the Hebrew word âmats (aw-mats)
- Physical or mental strength, to be strong, to prevail, steadfastly minded.
- Biblical courage is also defined as the ability to do something brave out of a motivation of the heart.
True Courage
Throughout the Bible, God used ordinary people, like you and me to do courageous exploits. We see the Lord calling people to leave the familiar and step into the unfamiliar, leaving behind the old to embrace the “new thing” that has been prepared for them.
Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave it all behind — your native land, your people, your father’s household, and go to the land that I will show you. Follow me, and I will make you into a great nation. I will exceedingly bless and prosper you, and I will make you famous, so that you will be a tremendous source of blessing for others.
Genesis 12:1-2 TPT
Courage always calls us to step beyond our comfort zone and to trust the Lord to be with us along the journey and see us through to the other side. True courage is not dependent on our ability to make things happen but by placing our trust in the Lord Jesus to help us through and show us the way. We can establish that true courage is found in the person of Jesus. He infuses us with what we need to step into impossible situations and face them head-on. I want to encourage you that as God used regular people in the bible to do courageous exploits, He wants to use YOU in the same way. All it requires is your faith and obedience.
Biblical Accounts
Throughout scripture we encounter courageous, godly men and women, who were willing to risk their lives, no matter the cost, to see the kingdom of God advance. Let’s look at 4 biblical accounts –
The Story of Joshua
Moses who the Lord called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promise Land died before entering the Promise Land. God then called Joshua (Moses’s aide) to take His place and lead the people. The journey of the Israelites through the wilderness had been difficult, filled with much grumbling, complaining, the building of idols, and the worship of foreign gods. The Israelites failed to trust God and as a result, they rebelled against God. Joshua was assigned a task that would need Him to be strong and courageous but the Lord promised that He would never leave Him nor forsake Him through it all. When God calls us to do something, He always prepares the way and promises to be with us every step of the journey.
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.Joshua 1:6-9 NIV
Story of Esther
Esther was an orphan, living in a foreign land that had to hide her identity as a Jew, to be considered as one of the women who would find favour with a pagan king. Esther was a courageous woman who displayed great courage during great turmoil in the land of Persia. Esther placed her trust in God and she won favour with the king. She was a mighty woman (Queen) who was willing to risk her own life for the sake of the Jewish people and the deliverance of the nation of Israel. God often raises up the most unlikely to see His plans and purposes fulfilled upon the earth.
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:14-16 NIV
Story of David
David was also a man of great courage because He was willing to face an impossible situation. He was just a boy when He went to fight the champion Goliath, but He was not afraid to do so because He knew who His God was. He had built a progress report with the Lord and had the faith to believe that because the Lord had delivered Him from the lion and the bear, He would also deliver Him from the hand of Goliath. What amazing courage! In the midst of opposition from His very own brothers who mocked and scoffed, David was not deterred. He knew that He could overcome because God was on His side.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
1 Samuel 17:45-46 NIV
Story of Mary
The story of Mary, the Mother of Jesus is truly one that I admire. Mary a young virgin girl had an angel appear to her, revealing that she will become pregnant with a son and she is to call Him Jesus. Mary’s response always astounds me, as she responds to the angel, “May it be to me as you have said”. Mary was truly a woman of great courage, faith and obedience. She could have answered so differently, surely knowing that what she was being called to do came at a great cost but her YES to God trumped it all. May we be courageous like Mary, willing to risk it all to see the will and purposes of God fulfilled in our lives.
I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 NIV
What prevents us from being more courageous
Being courageous is not our default because there is often something lurking in the shadows attempting to stop us from stepping into a more courageous lifestyle. One of the biggest hindrances is that four-letter word called FEAR. The enemy likes to use fear tactics (fear of man/fear of rejection/fear of failure/fear of death…and the list goes on) to stop us from stepping into our God-given destiny and purpose. Fear is such a limitation in our daily lives.
Another big stumbling block is our own voice of limitation that resounds due to past experiences, telling us that we are incapable, getting us to question, what people would say or think about us and even getting us to question our identity – who do you think you are? There are times when another person’s limiting words or fears are projected onto us and their limitation becomes a place of limitation for us. Maybe it is a physical sickness or infirmity stopping you, but no matter the stumbling block you are facing, God’s heart is for each one of us to step up into a greater measure of courage.
How do we step into a more courageous lifestyle?
Being courageous is a decision that we must make. We were not created to play it safe but to step out in faith. Here are a few keys to living more courageously.
Intimacy with Jesus
Sitting at the feet of Jesus is the birthplace of courage. The song “I Am Courageous” by Cathedral Worship reminds us that God makes us courageous and leads us into victory. The Holy Spirit helps us take our eyes off the circumstances of life and fix our eyes on Jesus. As we spend time in the secret place the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. The wrong mindsets and structures erected through life’s journey begin to fall away and the Holy Spirit reveals His truth over us and who He has created us to be – strong, courageous warriors called to overcome. The Holy Spirit begins to convict us of lies that we have partnered with such as victim mentalities/weaknesses/pain/rejection etc., so that we can repent and come into agreement with that which God is declaring over us.
Keep moving forward
If you want to live courageously, you need to be willing to fail and not allow failure to hold you back. When circumstances in life knock you down, you must be willing to get back up and try again. Courage says, in the midst of a difficult situation, keep going and do not quit! We grow in this journey as we go. This motivational video, Courage, sums it up so well.
Standing upon the word
We need to feed on the word of God as it needs to become our ultimate life source. Feeding on the word causes our faith to grow, which in turn causes courage to grow. As we read these great biblical accounts, we need to be encouraged that God wants to do the same through each one of us. This testifies that we are also called to do courageous exploits by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who equips and empowers us to do the greater works of the kingdom. When God calls you to do something courageous and step out of your comfort zone, be assured that He will empower you with all you need along the journey.
Carry each other’s burdens
God did not create us as “lone rangers” as we were made to operate in unity with other believers. I recall when I was younger there were times when I became tired of walking and my dad would pick me up and place me onto His back or shoulders. So I got to “piggyback” and see from a higher vantage point. This image is twofold – it represents a good father who carries us during those times we cannot continue but it also means that we are to lift those we are in relationship with who are feeling tired, weary and discouraged. We can look to the story of Moses in the Bible. When his arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur held up His arms to ensure that Joshua won the battle. There are times in life when we are called to hold up the arms of those around us when they feel tired and require courage and strength.
Do not allow fear to STOP you
Fear manifests in many different forms
as mentioned earlier but we need to break agreement with the spirit of fear to become more courageous and step into all God has for us. The Bible says that we were not given a spirit of fear but one of power, love and self-discipline. Back in the day, I attended a firestarters course. This course was designed to help you become a modern-day revivalist, and my biggest takeaway was that FAITH is spelt RISK. They encouraged us to step over the chicken line and take risks (pray for healing/release a prophetic word/do things that scare you etc.) so that we could see tangible results. There will be times during this journey when nothing shifts in the physical but do not allow that to stop you because whenever we step out in faith God moves. Something is being deposited into that other person’s life whether we see it or not. Fear will come but you have to push through and step out in the midst of fear to see a shift, that is true courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not
nelson mandela
feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Salvation prayer
If you find yourself reading this blog and don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, but would love to encounter this living God, then you can pray the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and in need of your forgiveness. I have lived my life according to my own will but today I come to ask for your forgiveness and surrender my life into your hands. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, that you rose from the dead and that through you, I now have eternal life. I ask you Jesus to come and live inside of me and be Lord of my life. I believe by faith that I am now a child of God. Amen
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
Romans 10:9
Prayer to break agreement with fear
If you find yourself reading this blog and struggling with fear, then you can pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I repent for agreeing with a spirit of fear and allowing it access into my life. I come to break agreement with this spirit. I renounce the spirit of fear in Jesus Name. My heart is to place my faith in you and step into a greater measure of courage. I reject the lies that I have believed and I now come to partner with your truth that I was created to do great exploits for the kingdom of God. I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen.
Prophetic Act
As a prophetic act*, I step out of fear and step into courage because courage is my portion as a child of God.
*A prophetic act is a physical act of faith that brings a spiritual release/breakthrough.
Blessings to you!
