“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid, but a spirit of power and love and self-control” [2 Timothy 1:7].
To follow Jesus Christ is to choose to live in His adventure. How in the world could we ever imagine of life of faith that does not require risk? Faith and risk are inseparable. It should come as no surprise to us then that a life of faith is a life of courage. While faith as a noun may be about belief, having faith is all about action. We cannot walk by faith and live in fear.
The history of God’s people is not a record of God searching for courageous men and women who could handle the tasks, but of God transforming the hearts of cowards and calling them to live courageous lives. Adam and Eve hid; Abraham lied; Jacob deceived; Moses ran; Esther wavered; Elijah contemplated suicide; John the Baptist doubted; Peter denied; Judas betrayed. And those are just some of the leading characters.
The Hebrew word “ruach,” which is normally translated “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath,” can also be translated “courage.” When God breathes His Spirit into us, He not only gives us His power but, more importantly, His courage. When we read Paul’s admonition to “be filled with the Spirit” [Ephesians 5:18], we often translate it to mean “be filled with God’s power.” It would have been far more accurate to understand it as “be filled with God’s courage.” What is the point of having God’s power if we lack the courage to actually use it? Only when we embrace God’s calling on our lives will we need God-inspired courage. We often ask for God’s power to accomplish our small dreams; instead we should cry out for God’s courage to step out on His bold adventures.
Without courage we cannot live the life we choose – instead we choose to relinquish life. We conform to the path of least resistance and abdicate our freedom. So in the end, a life without courage is a life without virtue!
Even Joshua needed a push to be bold. It was only after the death of Moses that God spoke to Joshua [Joshua 1:1-9]. God made Joshua a bold, all-encompassing promise: "I will give you every place where you set your foot." The second promise Joshua received was just as revealing as it may have been inspiring: "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life." A promise of conquest, yes, but not a promise of tranquility. Joshua's enemies would not be able to stand against him, but they would try. There would be two sides to the fulfillment of this challenge: God's part, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," and Joshua's part, "Be strong and courageous." This command was given to Joshua three times in the same discourse.
It was God's promise, but it was Joshua's responsibility to bring it to pass. The people of Israel saw no dichotomy between the sacred work of God and the significant role of men and women to do that work. It was both God and Moses. It would be both God and Joshua. God would lead Joshua, but Joshua would lead Israel.
There's something God wants us to do -- not to sit back and watch Him do it or to passively wait for Him to do it, but a calling that God waits for us to embrace, pursue and fulfill. God chooses to entrust His most sacred work to people just like us.
God expected more from Joshua and His people than for them to passively wait for Him to secure the land for them. God would go with them, but He would not go for them. The quest would require Joshua to be both a desperate follower of God and an extraordinary leader of men. It is not incidental that God exhorted him to be both strong and courageous; Joshua would have to lead the way both in conquest and in character.
There is a difference between momentary courage and moral courage. The first energizes us to rush into a burning building and save a child trapped in a fire. The second empowers us to live lives worthy of being emulated. Both kinds of courage are important.
Whether leading multitudes or just living life, we will find ourselves challenged to sacrifice what is right for what is expedient. To be strong is to be rooted and defined by what is true. God called Joshua to build his life on what He had already said. “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. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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” [Joshua 1:7-8]. Joshua’s success would first and foremost depend on the trueness of his moral compass.
How many times have we pointed to not knowing God’s will for our lives as the reason we are paralyzed from doing it? Yet, as with Joshua, there is enough truth in the Scriptures to fill our entire lives. The problem is not that we don’t know what to do, but that we don’t do what we know. The key to the future is not revelation, but obedience. When we submit our lives to what God has made known, the future becomes clearer to us. When we neglect to do what we know, we begin to live as if we were walking through a fog. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves condemning God for being silent, when in fact, we have condemned ourselves for refusing to listen.
God calls us to live from the inside out. When we live by truth, we establish our integrity. Each “be strong” that God spoke to Joshua was followed by a call to “be courageous.” God was ordering Joshua not only to hold on to the good but also to pursue it with passion. He was to move with urgency and purpose.
Our courage directly affects the speed at which the future unfolds. God loves to do His work through ordinary people like us. Even cosmic battles will be won through the dust and breath of our everyday lives [Romans 16:20]. When we walk in truth, we accelerate the process and literally fast-forward the future. When we remove disobedience from our lives, we are able to respond without hesitation when the moment calls for courage. Crises rarely afford us the luxury of contemplation. When courage is fueled by integrity and formed out of humility, it allows us to act without hesitation when the moment requires it. There is a direct relationship between courage and our ability to respond quickly.
When God speaks, it requires our immediate attention. If we respond to God's call, we will be tested to the very cores of our beings. God will not always save us from the fire but will, in fact, often throw us into it. The promise that He will be with us and never forsake us is both a promise and a warning. A divine journey cannot be completed without divine intervention.
Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self. Courage is the highest expression of humility. Courage moves us to risk ourselves for others or for a higher cause. Courage frees us from the fears that would rob us of life itself. It is here that courage and creativity come together. Without courage we become conformists. With courage we once again become the creative beings God designed us to be. The fear of God is not only the beginning of all wisdom but the place of freedom from fear. When we are free from fear, we are finally free to live.
"To live is Christ and to die is gain" [Philippians 1:21]. God invites us to join Him on the quest for honor, to live lives of genuine courage. The way is clear: if we would just die, we can begin to live. This path is one where only dead men can go. Cowards are more than welcome, but we should know up front that how we begin the journey is not how we will finish it. Who we will become will surprise even us.
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