COURAGEOUS
We have all been aware of the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. To be honest, I had never heard of him! Since his death, I have tried to learn more about him. I do not agree with all I have heard him say, but I believe he was courageous in speaking boldly about his belief in God. There is a video of the song, by Matthew West, “Unashamed,” which shows some quotes from Charlie Kirk. At one point, Charlie Kirk was asked how he wanted to be remembered and he responded, “that he had courage for his faith.” He said “courage is doing the right thing when you don’t know how it will work out. Courage is committing yourself to the correct course of action, regardless to the cost associated with it.” I thought, am I that courageous? There are countries that Christians stand up in courage for their faith and they are imprisoned or put to death every day. Would I be able to stand up boldly for my faith in God? I want to say, yes of course. But would I?
There are so many examples of people who were courageous in the Bible. Matthew West’s song, talks about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego who were thrown in the fire, because they refused to bow before another god. The song also talks about Daniel who was thrown in the lion’s den because he chose to pray. These men courageously stood up boldly for their faith and obedience to God. Some other courageous people in the Bible are: Esther, who risked her life to save her Jewish people-during Moses time, have you ever thought about the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, who did not obey Pharoah to kill all the boy babies-think about David, as a young man, standing in front of Goliath, who was believed to be 9 feet tall, with only a slingshot and a stone-what about Paul in the New Testament who withstood so much physical consequences for his boldness preaching about Jesus! There are so many, during Bible times and now, who give us the example of serving God boldly in courage and faith.
Some verses in the Bible that encourage us to stand boldly, courageously, in our faith to God, are:
-Joshua 1:5-6,9-
“…I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage…”
“…Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
-Deuteronomy 31:6-
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
-2 Chronicles 15:7 (speaking of the reforms by Asa)-
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”
-1 Corinthians 16:12-
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
-Acts 28:15-
(talking about when Paul saw the brethren) “When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.”
There are so many more other verses. The above verses tell me: we can get courage from each other-it takes boldness and strength to be courageous-do not fear-God promises He will take care of us if we are faithful-God goes before us into our future to give us courage-we will be rewarded for our courage-we have to be on guard ready to stand up for Him. (Read Ephesians 6:10-20, about the whole armor of God.) Being courageous involves getting out of our comfort zone and putting action into having courage. Standing up for God, is not only being bold but means we have a deep trust in God’s power and promises. Being courageous, does not mean you are not afraid. But rather, it involves the decision to act with boldness and confidence in God’s will and His promises. In other words, we must believe God has your back no matter what happens! Courage moves you forward. Fear holds you back. True courage is in facing danger when you ARE afraid!
Some meanings of courageous are: unwavering faith in God, which provides inner strength to act bravely despite fear and opposition-steadfast confidence rooted in the belief that God will protect, deliver and be with His people, enabling them to do what is right, necessary and good even in the face of danger or difficulty-inner strength and steadfastness that enables one to face fear difficulty or danger with faith and conviction in a higher power, not thru human strength alone-doing what is right and good despite potential earthly costs.
Paul said in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul definitely went through so many different kinds of trials, but he knew his courage and strength came from Christ. We need to remember that when the trials hit us hard, that God is there with us helping us to have the strength and courage, to take one more step!
One of my favorite verses I turn to in the hard days is: Psalm 27:13-14 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.”
I will close with these words from Matthew West’s song “Unashamed.”
“So, what’s gonna be said of me when it’s all said and done? Will I stand for my beliefs or will I turn around and run? Well, let the whole world hear me say-I’m unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth that changed my life, the name above all names-I’m unashamed and I will live my faith out loud take a stand and stand my ground for the One who took my shame-I’m unashamed!”
Can I boldly say those words about courage that Charlie Kirk said or the words from the above song? Do I reach out to others who are of this world and stand up and let them know who Jesus is? Or do I just center in on helping and proclaiming Jesus to those of my congregation (which of course, we are to do), but what about that big old world out there? I see people every day. But do I hide behind my fear and don’t show them I am a follower of God, especially in my speech and example?
Whether you knew who Charlie Kirk was or not-whether you agreed or not with what he said-whether you liked him or not-whether you will remember what tragically happened to him or not; do you or I have the courage to boldly proclaim the word Jesus and all His saving power, to the people in this world, even to the point of death like he did?
I pray when I leave this earthly life, that those who knew me, will know of my courage to stand for our God, and can say: “…Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” -Matthew 25:21-
I need to do better about reaching out in courage to those around me in this world! What about you?
Till next time!
Keela
(Some have been asking about my book at the publisher. My publisher is keeping me “hopping” daily. The front and back cover are finalized and content is being edited for the third time. I was told at the beginning of this process, that the book will be out first of next year, but seems like they are “on the ball” and getting things done. Thank you for your prayers!)