Courage has been called the keystone in the arch of character. It gives strength and stability to all other qualities which we may possess. Courage is strength of heart. It is necessary for emergencies and just ordinary daily living. We should at all times have the courage to stand for truth, courage to pick up broken fragments of life, put them together and move on. We should have courage to help others who are too weak to bear their burdens alone.
There are fine examples of courageous men in the Bible, just as Daniel (1:8), who purposed in his heart to do right. David is another example (Psa. 27:13-14). Paul is also an example of courage (Eph. 6:18-20).
No one can be strong and courageous who does not “wait on / for Jehovah.” 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Let’s talk about the beliefs…
BELIEF IN OURSELVES:
This belief is a vital factor in the development of a strong and courageous person. It puts iron into the soul. “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” (Henley, Invictus).
The person who became Queen Victoria’s beloved prime minister was courageous, when being jeered down during his first speech in Parliament, cried to his critics, “The time will come when you will hear me.”
Our courageousness should causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14; 12:9). Paul kept himself from being burdensome.
Many times people spend much time discussing whether or not they can believe in God, when they should be asking, “Can they be the kind of person in whom God can believe.”
When a person is so faithful to his own best judgments and highest ideals that God can trust him and that a divine eye is watching over him and a divine purpose is working through him, it is then that strength comes surging through making him courageous (Phil. 4:13; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; Acts 21:7-14).
BELIEF OF OTHERS IN US:
It is magnificent to see a person stand bravely against the world sustained by his belief in himself, but if it is to continue it must be nourished by faith of others in us. We can’t say how long a person’s courage will last in isolation.
It is said that Socrates was buoyed by the loyalty of his students when he defied to the death the authorities of Athens.
Consider: 2 Timothy 4:16-17; Matt. 26:36ff.
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Loved ones and friends can cheer us when others are howling us down. If we want to develop that human strength which can stand strain and the long hard pull, it is much better to stress the things that should be loved and honored, rather than the things that should be hated and despised.
BELIEF IN THE GREATNESS OF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US:
There are times when we are tempted to see only the fingerprints of evildoers, but we must balance that by looking at the fingerprints of God-fearing men on the sands of time.
Hebrews 11:1ff through 12:1. Longfellow wrote: “Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.”
BELIEF IN A PURPOSEFUL FUTURE:
It is not enough to be busy; thoughtful people want to know what will count most. They are willing to make a sacrifice, if they can know that it is worthwhile.
“Fathers do not reap the fruits of all their labors; instead, if they would fill their nest, they must think of their children’s welfare.” – anonymous
Yes, there are four things that can and will help make us strong and courageous:
1. Belief in ourselves;
2. Belief of others in us;
3. Belief in the greatness of those who have gone before us;
4. Belief in a purposeful future.
–Paul Holland
