In my prior post I attempted to present some of the components of courage as I see them. I am sure there are others that I have not yet discovered or simply understand too little to comment on. But in this post, I wish to propose some pathways to courage that might be of value to the reader. In spite of a person being of a rather timid temperament, I do believe it is possible for such a person to grow in the depth and ‘permanence’ of courage. I am such a person and believe that I can grow in this manner. Perhaps this particular post should be entitled “handbook of courage” since I will be endeavoring to set forth some practical steps that we can take to help us deepen and strengthen our courage. There are some pathways that I believe are more foundational than others and I will attempt to present them first.
PRAYER
As mentioned in my previous post, the apostle Paul specifically asked for prayer on his behalf from the Ephesian church. It is remarkable to me that the great apostle would sense the personal need for the empowerment of God triggered via the prayers of others rather than rely upon his ‘natural strength of character’. Perhaps my thinking evidences my own faulty impression of Paul’s strong personality dominating his life rather than his understanding of the great value and power of the prayers of others on his behalf. Instead of my thinking “oh, I could never be bold like Paul”, perhaps I should begin soliciting the prayers of those with ‘calloused knees’, requesting of them that they plead on my behalf, and, like Paul, request that I be filled with boldness and courage from the Father (also see James 5:16)
FANATICAL COURAGE?
General Douglas MacArthur commented on his observation of the courage of Japanese soldiers during the Russo-Japanese war: “It was here that I first encountered the boldness and courage of the Nipponese (i.e. Japanese) soldier. His almost fanatical belief in and reverence for his Emperor impressed me indelibly.” (Supreme Commander by Seymore Morris, Jr-Harper books)
The Japanese people apparently largely believed their emperor was in some way divine and devotion to him was equal to devotion to their god. Could it be that our devotion to our God, the one true God, could or should result in a similar ‘devotion to God at all costs’? Could it be that a lack of courage on my part is evidence of an inadequate level of devotion to my Lord? The ‘fanatical’ bravery of the Japanese soldier was, apparently, an expression of his devotion to his emperor. What is the level of my devotion to my ‘emperor’, the Lord Jesus? Am I eagerly willing to risk my life, if need be, to carry out my Lord’s commands? Would it not be ‘easier’ to obey my Lord if my devotion to Him was greater?
COMPETENCE LEADS TO CONFIDENCE LEADS TO COURAGE
It would seem that we are more likely to step forward if a need exists if we possessed the competency needed to fulfill the task required. Lacking such competency, or perhaps our self-perception as one who is lacking, we are far more likely to NOT step forward. We could of course be naïve and perhaps bravado about our skills/competency which results in rushing forward to our (and potentially others) loss. Thus, an accurate view of our own competencies, strengths and weaknesses is seemingly essential in aiding us to properly evaluate ourselves. If these three are indeed connected as I propose, then building up our competencies via increased knowledge/know-how as well as wisdom-i.e. how to practically use acquired knowledge, seems essential as another step of growing in courage. An increasing knowledge of the scriptures, (coupled with a spirit of humility), can be very helpful in strengthening our courage. Apollos, a contemporary of Paul, was described as very “powerful in the scriptures” and was (therefore) quite bold in speaking on behalf of Christ (Acts 18:24-28).
COURAGE FROM A CLEAR CONSCIENCE
Proverbs says: “the wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov 28:1). This passage appears to connect a bad/guilty conscience with being fearful vs. a ‘righteous’ person with boldness i.e. courage. I understand this passage to mean that ‘righteous’ describes a person who is void of offense toward God and man, not someone who is lives a ‘perfect’ life. In other words, a person who has a clear conscience. Paul writes to his mentee Timothy that the ‘goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith’ (I Tim 1:5). Paul does not specifically say that ‘courage’ comes from those virtues, but it certainly takes some degree of courage to love others. In addition, a clear conscience helps hinder Satan from attacking our mind and putting or allowing to arise within our head self-condemning thoughts. If our mind is free from self-condemnation and is armed with the benefit of an examined faith, (sincere faith) we are less likely to succumb to intimidation from the enemy of our faith and therefore ‘flee’ i.e. lack courage. Paul himself, when appearing at what could easily have been a highly intimidating trial before Felix the Roman governor, stated that: “I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men” (Acts 24:16). Paul spoke with great confidence and boldness at his trial and I believe his clear conscience played a role in his having courage.
COURAGE FROM THE EMPOWERING HOLY SPIRIT
Paul reminds Timothy that the origin of timidity is not from God since he says: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear) but (rather) a Spirit of power, love, and self-control” (II Tim 1:7). The apostles acted with great boldness and courage when threatened by the Jewish authorities when the apostles were declaring the resurrection of Jesus (see Acts 5:29-32).
It would seem then that seeking God’s empowerment via His Spirit via prayer and entrustment of ourselves to Him is also essential in experiencing the internal empowerment to act with courage. How much of apostolic boldness/courage was based on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives vs. the empowerment resulting from their conviction of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus? Without convictions we are more or less spineless, but with them, rightly acquired from the scriptures, as well as from our knowledge and experiences, we are capable of being strengthened in the depth of our courage. Perhaps we could say that our convictions act like the ‘tool’ that the strong arm of the Holy Spirit uses to hammer away at evil and falsehood.
COURAGE FROM TRUSTING GOD, DOING THE RIGHT THING, and ABANDONMENT OF SELF-PRESERVATION
There are multitudes of scriptures declaring God’s protection from harm for His servants. (e.g. Psm 23:4) However, living on this troubled and sometimes chaotic and evilly impacted planet prompts the conclusion that sometimes ‘bad things happen to God’s people’. I believe it to be extremely helpful to develop over time an increasing indifference to personal harm when living in obedience to God and doing the right thing (think of Queen Esther-‘if I perish I perish’ (Esther 4:16)
In Acts 20, the apostle Paul sets forth a powerful message to the Ephesian elders about his conduct as a servant of Christ. He stated that his conduct was one of modeling for the elders what it means to serve God and others in defending and promoting the Kingdom. What is a profound and insightful statement from Paul regarding his motivation is found in vs 24: “For I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself so that I may finish my course, and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God”.
Our ‘normal’ human instinct of self-preservation easily overrides our attempt to act courageously in a particular circumstance if so acting puts us at risk of loss, physical or otherwise. If we have others who are dependent on us, that even further complicates the challenge to act with courage and makes courageous decisions and actions more difficult, since others might experience loss as well as us due to the consequences of our decision. But it seems that, at the end of the day, the only truly strong pathway to help us engender greater courage in our heart and mind is to abandon self-preservation, leaving the outcomes of our courageous acts to God.
SUMMARY OF ACTION STEPS ON THE PATHWAY TO COURAGE
Below is an attempt to summarize the above components of courage. Perhaps you may find yourself drawn to implement some or even all of them.
- SET YOUR HEART (determine/resolve beforehand that you will seek to act/respond with greater courage.
- SOAK AND SOLICIT-i.e. bathe yourself in prayer and solicit the prayers of other prayer warriors on your behalf seeking God’s provision of courage, wisdom, and strength.
- PUT ON YOUR ARMOR-knowing you have a certain kind of protection will strengthen your boldness and enable you to stand (see Ephesians 6).
- STRENGTHEN YOUR SWORD SKILLS-deepen your knowledge of and skill at applying the scriptures- (‘the sword of the spirit’) i.e. increase your competency in the scriptures so as to increase your confidence and therefore your level of courage. Increase your knowledge about the subject matter you will be addressing-i.e. don’t be ignorantly bold.
- EXAMINE YOUR DEPTH OF DEVOTION-do you actually desire above all else to honor your Lord?
- INQUIRE OF YOUR CONSCIENCE-any unconfessed sin against God or man?
- OFFER UP YOURSELF TO GOD (Romans 12:1-2) and ABANDON SELF PRESERVATION (Acts 20:24)
- REMIND YOURSELF OF GOD’S POWER AND DELIVERANCE OF YOU IN THE PAST (David’s ‘lions and bears-see I Samuel 17:34-36) and HIS ABILITY TO ENCOURAGE YOUR HEART TO FACE CHALLENGES.
- ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO EMPOWER YOU.
- DON’T GIVE UP EVEN AFTER MULTIPLE FAILURE(S) DUE TO WEAKNESS AND TIMIDITY. GOD DELIGHTS IN EMPOWERING THE ‘WEAK’.
No doubt there are other steps that could be added but I believe these are a useful and effective description of some basic steps on the pathway to courage. Perhaps it may be helpful to focus on just a few at a time.
May our Lord strengthen and empower each of us to stand, speak and act boldly, humbly, and graciously for Him.
“Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46
CJS
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