Let’s be brave and full of faith!
WHAT DO YOU FEAR MOST IN LIFE?
- Life-threatening sickness?
- Financial loss?
- Loss of a loved one?
- Death?
- Failure? Rejection?
- Getting infected with Covid-19?
DEFINITION OF COURAGE
- Courage is the ability to confront something painful or difficult or dangerous despite any fear. It’s not a quality, but a choice; a person feels the fear or pain, or danger but chooses to persevere anyway.
- Courage is driven by a cause; the courageous person believes that cause is worth standing up and fighting for, despite all the clear reasons not to.
2 CHOICES IN FACING DIFFICULTIES IN LIFE
- Face life courageously
- Face life fearfully
1 TIMOTHY 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
JESUS IS THE GREATEST EXAMPLE OF COURAGE Matthew 26:36-42
- Matthew 26:38-39 TPT – 38 And he said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Then he walked a short distance away, and overcome with grief, he threw himself facedown on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if there is any way you can deliver me from this suffering, please take it from me. Yet what I want is not important, for I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him.
- Jesus will take the horrifying and undeserved punishment for every sin that ever was and ever would be committed.
- Jesus will be savagely beaten and whipped. He’ll be forced to carry the instrument of his death, a hard wooden cross, and die one of the most inhumane deaths ever devised and the wrath of God will be poured on him.
- Matthew 26:42 TPT – Then he left them for a second time to pray in solitude. He said to God, “My Father, if there is not a way that you can deliver me from this suffering, then your will must be done.”
- It was an incredibly brave move on the part of Jesus.
- He could have said, “No.”
- He could have decided against going to the cross.
- Jesus had the option. Like us, he had free will.
- He was fully God, but fully human too.
- And humans experience fear.
- But Jesus loves our Heavenly Father and he loves us and he made the bravest choice in history.
- John 10:17-18a – 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
- Matthew 26:53 – Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?
- A sinless Jesus paid the price for our sins so those who believe in Him can spend eternity with Him.
- Knowing our inability to save ourselves, he stepped in to take our places.
- Jesus looked ahead to the end result as he endured scorn, mockery, and beatings before dying. He saw the bigger picture and knew the glorious chapters that would follow.
- He did it out of mercy and love and He did it courageously!
- Jesus showed the greatest act of courage and because of Him, we can be courageous too.
- Do you want to be courageous like Jesus?
6 WAYS ON HOW TO BE COURAGEOUS
1.STAND ON THE PROMISES OF GOD
- One of the ways we can be strong and courageous is to stand on the promises of God.
- What has He said He will do?
- Deuteronomy 31:8 – And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; DO NOT FEAR nor be dismayed.”
- When we are fearful in difficult times and in dangerous times, we don’t look around.
- We look up!
- Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God, I trust and am not afraid.
- What can mere mortals do to me?
- What fear is trying to take a hold of you right now? What threat or trouble are you facing?
- Watch and pray with David, “When I am afraid of _________, I will trust in you, O Lord.”
- Psalm 56:3-4 TPT – But in the day that I’m afraid, I lay all my fears before you and trust in you with all my heart.
- What harm could a man bring to me? With God on my side, I will not be afraid of what comes. The roaring praises of God fill my heart as I trust his promises.
2.KNOW GOD’S PRESENCE IS WITH YOU
- Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
- Psalm 23:4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Psalm 46:1-2;7 – v. 1-2 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, v. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
- Isaiah 41:10 – FEAR NOT, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
- Having brothers and sisters in Christ walking with us can give us courage too. Their mere presence can be a source of encouragement to keep us going in life and in serving the Lord.
- Acts 28:15 – And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and TOOK COURAGE.
3.STICK WITH THE WORD OF GOD
- Joshua 1:7-8 – “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
- Joshua 23:6 – Therefore, be very COURAGEOUS to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left…
4.FIGHT WITH FAITH BE BRAVE
- I Corinthians 16:13 – Watch, stand fast in the faith, BE BRAVE, BE STRONG.
- Matthew 8:26 TPT – But Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you gripped with fear? Where is your faith?” Then he stood and rebuked the storm, saying, “Be still!” And instantly it became perfectly calm.
- Fear opens the door for the enemy to work in our lives but faith opens the door for God to work in our life.
- Luke 8:50 – But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”
5.LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY
- Psalm 112:6-8 – 6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end, they will look in triumph on their foes.
- Psalm 112:5-8 – Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;… a good man… shall not be moved forever… He shall NOT BE AFRAID of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.
- Proverbs 3:24 – When you lie down, you shall NOT BE AFRAID: yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.
SIN BRINGS FEAR!
- Isaiah 33:14 – The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: …
- Romans 1:18 – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
6.REMIND YOURSELF THAT GOD LOVES YOU AND HE IS FOR YOU
- 1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
- Isaiah 43:1 – But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “FEAR NOT, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
- Romans 8:31-32;35 – What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
- DEUTERONOMY 3:22 – Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”
CONCLUSION
God wants us to be BOLD and COURAGEOUS! Let’s be BRAVE and FULL OF FAITH! Let’s be FEARLESS believers, who are STRONG in the Lord, through faith!
