The Battle for Courage:

LynnCheri J. Flowers

1/16/13

The Battle for Courage:

Courage is a mental, moral, and spiritual decision to stand firm in the face of fear. It is not pretending to be brave or pumping up for a moment to appear strong; courage comes from a daily decision to face what is in your way.  The rewards that follow completion far outweigh the grit it takes to possess it.

We have all heard the saying, “Be as courageous as a lion” still do we know what it means? My first thought was simply this; lions only sit around and scare other animals away from their family. A lioness on the other hand goes out and hunts for the family; she face’s hungry beasts as fierce as her with a determination to win the prize, knowing the challenger possesses the same goal. On second thought, lions are the protectors, the ones who guard the pack. Nothing gets to his cubs on his watch and he will do anything to keep them safe from harm. Which is true courage? Both are equally courageous. Courage is action despite fear, which leads to victory. Everyone battles with standing in courage, walking without fear and allowing that lion kind of bravery to show.

If becoming courageous is difficult and walking in it is a battle, why do it? First, we can all admit that we would scarcely get tasks accomplished without it. Second, it empowers one to tread in the direction God desires. Without courage, timidity steps in. The scripture says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (The Bible, 2 Timothy 1:7)    Hardships do not cower away, and fear does not vanish in the sight of courage. However, courage puts that power inside that encourages one to push, and never give up without a fight. We fight to get up in the morning and go to work, we fight every day to clean our house, we fight every week to attend church, and we fight every moment to stay in line with God’s Word. Living a courageous life is rewarding, because it builds character; which provides an inner strength. It boosts ones confidence through the victories through testing and heartache. Courage opens the door for inner peace to prevail in every part of one’s stressful life, and it establishes honor not limiting to one’s personal view but others as well.

All of this sounds great. However, what does it take to have it? It is not as simple as 1, 2, 3 but it is as simple as follows: The first thing it takes is accountability. We all need someone to work out with us at the beginning of the year when we make a resolution to get in shape so why not commandeer a friend to remain accountable in courage. Next is belief, if one does not believe that courage will help and that God really did not give a spirit of fear, why continue? Now here is where ones mentality is so important, there must be belief that God made us courageous in order to walk in that authority. Following is commitment; if one is not bound to the decision to remain courageous, the fall will be just a circumstance away. Faith comes right behind commitment; faith builds you up when you cannot see a way out and allows you to remain firm no matter how bad the storm may be. This seems silly to mention, yet dually important to say. The next thing is a relationship with God; lets’ go back to the lion and lioness examples; without the lions fierce roar and protective heart and the lioness’ sharp claws and determination to provide food for her family both would probably find disappointment. God is the roar behind our courage, he is the beating heart that keeps us moving, and he is the sharp claws that chisel away the rough edges off our morals and is that determination that pushes us to continue onward. Lastly, self-discipline is the inner-strength that is required to acquire courage within every part of one’s life. Without self-discipline, courage becomes weak, lacking power.

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die… A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine.” (G.K. Chesterton)

Chesterton made a great point about losing one’s life to find it, Matthew says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (The Bible, Matthew 10:39)    Here is the spiritual aspect of courage. It takes courage to die to the self, not just physically but spiritually because God wants us to live freely knowing, ‘we can do all things through His strength’. Courage is defined by the value and yet the careless desire you place on your life, possessing both results in a life well lived.

 The reward of courage is building character, confidence, inner peace, and honor. Character because it enables a person to demonstrate exactly what Chesterton stated above about not clinging to their life. Confidence because when one remains firm in the face of fear, it brings a new found assurance and capability within. Inner piece because victory allows one to rest in the knowing that God has given them all that is needed. Lastly, honor because once the victory is complete it shows forth integrity. You can trust the courage within and so can others.     

Courage is the roar and determination to stand firm in the face of every adversity. Courage enables action and directs your steps. It takes accountability to remain steady, belief helps one start and finish victorious, commitment to cement the decision, faith to persevere amidst the storm, a relationship with God to equip you and self-discipline to produce power in order to stand in courage. Moreover, the reward is strong character, a new level of confidence, and inner-peace, and true honor.

Resources:

John Eldredge, (2010.) Wild at Heart. Thomas Nelson Since 1978. Quote by G.K. Chesterton.

The Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1989 by Zondervan.
(Earl Lay, 2013)