Some Thoughts on Courage

Courage comes from facing your fears •We fear tomorrow at the expense of today •Fear can confuse the mind; fear can paralyze the heart •Fear about tomorrow costs us the joy of today •Fear can conquer evil; fear can falter in its own shadow. •Fear causes the “fight or flight” conflict to arise •Fear can cause cowardness in the face of danger •Fear can make the danger seem greater than it is Courage comes from speaking truth to power •Whether that power be political or ecclesiastical •Power can confuse knowledge for truth •Power can know a problem but offer no answer •Power can see pain in people but seek no cure •Power can seek to eliminate its adversaries •Power often seeks domination and manipulation •Power can see need but be blind to want •Power corrupted is power wasted •Power can see people as fodder for its use •Power can become immune to compassion and care •Power can lie without feeling moral accountability •Power often wants admiration rather than confrontation •Power can do good; power can do evil Courage comes from trusting in God Proverbs 3:5–6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths". Psalm 62:8: "Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Joshua 1:7–9: "Be strong and very courageous. Psalm 91: 1-2: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” John 14:1. 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Matthew 6:25–27: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?” In Jesus, we don’t have to be afraid, for perfect love casts out fear