In my previous two blogs, I’ve highlighted the courageous leadership of patriot Samuel Adams and King Hezekiah. In both instances these leaders didn’t merely give pep talks. Inspirational speeches, without action, are just hot air. If we are to become courageous people, we need to see it modeled before us. Show me, don’t just tell me. I want to see how it’s done.

Hezekiah modeled courage. When his men saw it, it inspired them to act courageously. Some things, like courage, are “caught” more than they are “taught.”

The faith for courage can come by hearing. The Bible tells us,
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
[Romans 10:17, NKJV]

When we hear God’s promises it should inspire faith in our hearts. After all, God’s Word is true. We can build our lives upon it.

However, hearing is incomplete without doing. We may possess a belief in the need for courage, but it is not real until it is fleshed out. Action must take place.

God doesn’t reward what we know. He rewards what we do with what we know.

Seeing others being courageous is contagious.

Let me ask you a few questions.

Who are the courageous models in your life?

Who is inspiring you to greatness?

Who is watching you?

How we need men who will model for us what it means to live courageously.

Look at the way Moses is modeling this for His son Joshua [Deuteronomy 31:7, Message]:

Then Moses summoned Joshua. He said to him with all Israel watching, “Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people, this land that GOD promised their ancestors that he’d give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it. GOD is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.”

At a time when Joshua had to face the innumerable giants standing between him and his inheritance, he had Moses there to cheer him on!

Notice the confidence coming from the lips of his spiritual father:

“You will enter the land”

“You will make them proud possessors of it”

”God is with you”

“He won’t let you down”

“Don’t worry!”

Aren’t you grateful for those “fathers of the faith” God has placed in your life to encourage and motivate you to be courageous!

Look at the way King Hezekiah models courage for his people:

Hezekiah rallied the people, saying, “Be strong! Take courage! Don’t be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side. He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our GOD to help us and fight for us!” Morale surged. Hezekiah’s words put steel in their spines.

Father’s know how to say just the right things at just the right time. Their words of encouragement, comfort and faith literally “put steel in our spines.”

Who needs to see courage modeled through you? Who needs to hear a word of encouragement right now through you today?

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conviction that there are other things more important in life than MY life. Courage is fear with a proper focus. Oswald Chambers once observed, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.”

What an amazing paradox! We are free to live courageously not when we become fearless, but when we fear the RIGHT thing. True courage is that which conforms to the character of God and the convictions He has declared to be true. Men of courage love who God is and they trust what God says.

Courage comes when we choose to place our hope in the character and reputation of God over every other opinion or threat. Look at the challenge Moses gave to Joshua and the people as they prepared to enter the promised land [Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Amp]:

Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.

And Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong, courageous, and firm, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to possess it.

It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit--depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm].

Sin separates us from God and severs us from what He is doing in the earth. Obedience gives us confidence that God is with us! Is sin dampening your confidence in God? Deal with it now.