Kingdom of God – Courage

What is Courage?

The dictionary tells us that courage means the quality of mind or spirit that enables you to face danger, fear or pain with confidence; to be fearless; to be brave; to be strong in the face of pain or grief; to be bold.

Courage is derived from the Latin word ‘cor’ (French ‘coeur’) meaning ‘heart’. Words for “heart” are also commonly metaphors for inner strength. King Richard of England was known as Richard Coeur de Lion (“Richard the lionheart”) because of his courage and bravery. When we are heartened or encouraged by the news, it literally puts courage into us, it strengthens us. Conversely, discouragement literally causes strength to drain away; it weakens us.

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour

Aristotle

Why do we need courage?

Because, as Christians:

• We walk by faith and not by sight. That means that we are called to do or say things that transcend human reason. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12.1). God called Abram – probably a well educated man – to leave a settled and prosperous life in the large, wealthy and civilized city of Ur in modern day Iraq. But God did not give Abram much to go on! Similarly, God often does not reveal all of His plan for you at once.
• We are called to face and deal with stuff from our past that is hindering us in the present and will certainly prevent us from living full and fruitful lives in the future.
• We are called to pursue things that are impossible. “Jesus looked at [the disciples] intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”” (Matthew 19.26). Jesus says the same to us about many challenges we face in our Christian lives (eg praying for the sick).
• We are called to stand for truth and justice, often in the face of opposition and hostility.
• We may be misunderstood by family members and friends who do not understand our commitment to Jesus above all else. We may also be misunderstood by people in the church who think we take it all too far, that we are ‘extreme’.
• As a result, we may be unpopular. Let’s face it, we all want to be popular, we all want to be widely liked. Rejection can be very painful and a hard thing to bear.
• We will face persecution from people outside the church and even from those within it. It might be in the form of ridicule, mockery, false accusation, lies, misrepresentation, deceit, social or economic prejudice, physical or emotional harm or even death.

Change in Peter

In the 72 hours around Jesus’ death, the Apostle Peter did not cover himself in glory. That forgettable time in his life was characterized by fear, desertion, denial, doubt and self-preservation. Along with the other disciples, he deserted Jesus as He was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Shortly afterwards, on three occasions Peter adamantly denied knowing Jesus. At Calvary as Jesus was crucified, Peter was nowhere to be seen. As Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, there was still no sign of Peter. On resurrection morning, it was the women who went to the tomb to complete the preparation of Jesus’ body after the sabbath, not Peter or any of the other men. When the women returned telling of the resurrection, Peter and the disciples did not believe it! When Jesus turned up after His resurrection, He found Peter and the other disciples meeting behind locked doors, fearing they would be the next target of the Jews and/or Romans.

Yet, no more than seven weeks later, in a Jerusalem packed with Jews from far and wide there to celebrate Pentecost, “…Peter stepped forward…and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel… God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today… “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all” (Acts 2.14ff).

I can relate to the fears of Peter. I’m sure you can, too. But what gets my attention is the transformation in him over a few weeks from a cowardly fearful man to a courageous fearless man. What made the difference? The presence of the risen Lord Jesus.

So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Psalm 31.24

Courage for Personal Change

All of us have stuff from our past lives that has caused us fear, anguish or pain – it might be a broken relationship, an addiction, a character flaw. Some might say ‘I don’t want to look at that stuff. It’s too painful. It’s in the past. I’ve moved on’.

However, the truth is that it often still casts a shadow over our present. Things happen, things are said that act like triggers. They are not usually intended to provoke or hurt us, but they have the effect of bringing back haunting memories of the past – and we can find ourselves reacting to these ‘hot buttons’ out of pain or fear…lashing out, or shrinking into our shells, or losing all confidence, or being overwhelmed by shame.

You need the healing power of Jesus. If you are ever to move on without the baggage from the past, you need Jesus to set you free. It takes courage to face your fears or look at your grief or to dismantle protective walls and be vulnerable. Whatever it is, it takes courage to face it and to change it. Summoning up the courage is the first step to change – pray for courage. God will give you courage because He wants to help you change.

Then you may need counselling, prayer ministry, mentoring, coaching or a combination of any of these. Get in touch with me if you need help finding appropriate experts near where you live.

Courage is not living without fear. Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway

Chae Richardson

Some encouraging verses to give you heart or courage!

“Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” (2 Chronicles 32.7-8).

As Joshua took over leadership of the people of Israel from Moses, God said to him three times in a few verses ‘Be strong and [very] courageous‘. The third time He says: “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1.9). God said this to Joshua because He knew that Joshua had reasons to be fearful and discouraged! The people had constantly mumbled and grumbled and rebelled against Moses (and therefore God) and it was unlikely to change any time soon!

The key in the above verses is the presence of God, the giver of courage. God is with you by His Spirit. He is victorious and He wants you to triumph too. He is for you. He has good plans for you. You cannot be separated from His love. He will strengthen you and give you courage. You cannot fail!

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In 2014, R met a neighbour one morning, who was clearly low. R asked her what the matter was. The neighbour replied that they had found a new property to rent, but that they could not move there as the landlord had discovered they had County Court judgments against their names. R offered to pray with her about this, but the neighbour was not receptive to this saying God answered the prayers of others, but not hers.

The next day, R took her courage into her hands and visited the neighbour. She persisted in offering to pray for her about the judgments, which they did. Later that day following school pick up, the neighbour came out to see R with a big smile on her face. She told her that within a short time of praying earlier that day, she had received a phone call saying that there had been a mistake and there were no County Court judgments against their names after all.

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Courage to Stand for Truth & Justice

Moral issues. As society reflects Christian values less and less, it is tempting to go with the flow and to condone everything and anything. Of course, people can do anything they want within the law, but it won’t necessarily have God’s approval and blessing. I believe God calls us to live single celibate lives or faithful married lives. Any other form of relationship settles for less than God’s best. Will you stand for this Biblical truth and, where appropriate, exhort others to embrace it?

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow

Mary Anne Radmacher

Abortion is a big issue in western culture. There have been over 9 million abortions in the UK since it was legalized in 1967. There have been over 50 million in the US since 1970 when it was legalized there. Only a small percentage of abortions are medically necessary. Of course, merciful God forgives and heals when there is repentance. It’s a very sensitive issue, often with opinion polarised on both sides. It takes courage to speak out for the unborn. However, it isn’t the main theme of this blog. If you are passionate about this issue, have a read of Canon J John’s blog on the matter at https://canonjjohn.com/2019/09/11/god-and-our-culture-of-abortion/ and also look at the work of Brephos at https://www.brephos.org/?mc_cid=ce5582059e&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

Social issues. I pick on one issue to illustrate this. William Wilberforce’s law went through the British parliament in 1807 abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire. The movie ‘Amazing Grace’ was all about this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxjfIyFK-X4. Yet, 200 years on there are more slaves now than there were in 1807, a truly appalling statistic.

Trafficking is the buying and selling of men, women and children for profit. It is exploitation plain and simple – sexual slavery, forced labour, forced marriage, war (child soldiers) or organ transplantation. It totally deprives the victims of all freedom. It’s believed that 2 to 4 million people are trafficked every year. 80% of victims are female, 50% are children. Victims are often scarred for life. They suffer threats of violence to themselves or family members, and often serious abuse.

Organisations like Justice & Care (https://www.justiceandcare.org) and the A21 campaign (https://www.a21.org/index.php?site=true) are fighting back. Justice & Care was founded by James and Julia Thomas (members of HTB church in London). A21 founded by Nick and Christine Caine (linked to Hillsong church, Australia). Staff working for these organisations need great courage because they often do this work at great risk to themselves.

In our very individualistic, selfish western society, the challenge to you and me is to support work like this. Pick one – any charity that God puts on your heart – and support it prayerfully, financially, publicly, practically. Don’t do nothing – do something!

‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’

Nelson Mandela

Courage to Advance the Kingdom

In Acts 3 & 4, Luke tells the story about the healing of the lame man and the repercussions of his healing. Peter and John could have given him some money, but they gave him a new life instead. Their courage runs through this story like a thread…

• Courage to offer the lame man of more than 40 years (Acts 4:22) something that only God could give him – working legs!
• Courage to command healing, knowing they would look foolish if God didn’t back them up!
• Courage to speak to the assembled crowd.
• Courage to challenge those in the crowd to repent.
• Courage in the face of arrest and detention in jail.
• Courage to confront the rulers and elders the next day after a night in jail. ‘The Council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John for they could see they were ordinary unschooled men’ (Acts 4.13).
• Courage in the face of threats from the Council if they did not keep quiet about Jesus.

Here’s how they prayed when they were released from jail and reunited with the other believers…

“’…and now O Lord, hear their threats and give us your servants great boldness [courage] in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus’. After this prayer, the meeting place shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29).

Doesn’t it strike you as odd that they prayed for courage when it is clear they displayed great courage throughout this incident? Here’s the point – the courage you have today can evaporate like the morning mist. Look at Elijah and the prophets of baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah showed immense courage in taking them on. Yet, his courage evaporated in the face of the murderous threats from the wicked Queen Jezebel! (see 1 Kings 18.16-40).

Pray for courage tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Pray daily for courage.

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This good news story is from 2016… “I came to your church on Sunday night with a friend from work. Towards the end of the service, people were invited up for prayer ministry and a few examples were given of people who had been prayed for, and how they had been healed. I have always been sceptical over how many people are actually healed. I know this isn’t a good stance to take, especially being a recovered alcoholic myself. The prayer team came forward and we started to worship. I had been suffering from a badly swollen ankle having fallen over awkwardly a week ago on it.  A few hours earlier, I had shown my friend. He thought I needed to go to the hospital to get it looked at. I told him I’d go on Tuesday as I had time off work then. I have never been up for prayer before, partly down to my sceptical thoughts but also down to fear. As we got half way through the song, I knew my friend would be thinking I should go up for prayer. This made me take a leap of faith (more of a hobble actually)! You invited me to sit down; then you laid hands on my ankle and prayed for healing. I felt no warm feeling, no tingling or anything else so didn’t think anything had happened. But when I stood up, there was no pain! This really surprised me. I walked up and down the church and, although still swollen, there was no pain. I thanked you for praying for me and walked off (not limping) with my friend. A few days later, my ankle was still pain free and the swelling had reduced by about 90%.”

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Courage needs a partner – wisdom, to discern what God is doing (more on this under W for ‘wisdom’). Don’t try to make things happen. Try and discern what God is doing and/or saying and join in. Don’t force the issue. Note what happened in Acts 3. Peter and John were simply going to the temple to take part in the 3pm prayer service. They were not on a mission to find a target for prayer! The lame man approached them, not the other way round. “When he saw Peter & John about to enter, he asked them for some money” (Acts 3:3). When the lame man got their attention, I think Peter and John knew quickly that God wanted to do more for the man than he bargained for!

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts

Winston Churchill

We need to remember what God has done in the past as it encourages us in the moment. More on this under T for ‘testimonies’. “The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle. They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his instructions. They forgot what he had done – the great wonders he had shown them” (Psalm 78:9-11).

The courage of the army of Israel melted away because they forgot about the nature and activity of the God who was with them. When we forget the stories of His activity, our courage fades, our faith shrinks and the possibilities diminish.

Here’s a suggested plan:

• Bring to memory times when God has come through for you. If you don’t already, start writing down those occasions. Keeping a record will be a useful aide memoir, helping you to remember His faithfulness.
• In which area of your Christian life are you governed more by fear than by courage? Something from your past that still haunts you? Your finances? Your future life partner? Sharing your faith? Ask God for courage in that area, and for wisdom to know what steps to take in order to move forward with it.
• Why not tell God you are willing to partner with Him. Pray that God will let you see and/or hear the openings He creates, the opportunities He puts across your path. Then pray for courage to step out, take risks – to speak about faith in Jesus, to offer prayer for healing, etc.

Here’s a song that speaks of courage…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r49V9QcYheQ

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A regular attender of my church’s midweek celebration reports, “My son A was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was two years old. He has been taking medication since then, with an increase in dosage nearly every year. Five years ago, he was given additional medication to try and control/reduce his fits. But even with all that medication, A would still have at least one fit per week, and sometimes every day. The intensity of his fits had also increased from a quick head drop lasting 10 seconds to his upper body jerking for up to two minutes.

I started attending your church in September 2014 and, after hearing all the Good News stories, I asked God for the courage to go up for prayer for A. I did, and I prayed with a member of the prayer ministry team. There wasn’t an immediate change until the start of 2015. I then noticed that, rather than every day, his fits would be every other day and they wouldn’t last as long. In February 2015, A had tonsillitis and barely ate for a week. He takes his meds with food, so for a few days he had little or no meds at all. But during this time, he didn’t have any fits. I slowly gave him his meds as he started eating again and found that he was having less fits than before and he was therefore able to take less meds. It wasn’t until the end of March that I realised that his fits had gone down to one a week and less intense, lasting for less than a minute. In April 2015 he had one fit only, in May none at all and in June just two. I am so thrilled with what God has done.”

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Prayer (in the words of Acts 4)

Heavenly Father, give us (your servants) great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. Amen