![]() When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.” Spend time with Jesus – a relationship with Him builds courage. Is the courage of your faith stronger than your fear of this world? Clare Boothe Luce once said, “Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.” John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death – and saddling up anyway.” Billy Graham said, “Courage is contagious. When you’ve been with Jesus, like Peter and John, courage comes. When hauled before the earthly authorities for healing a crippled man on the Sabbath, Peter preached! After the sermon, we read that “when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).Īmid your fears, try practicing these tools of courage. The good doctor Luke challenges us with the response of Peter and John in the early days of the church. Lest you despair at those words, remember, we are not alone Kingdom leadership has been a battle against fear from the beginning of church history. Given the dominance of fear, elders will need godly courage to face the spiritual challenges of the 21st century church. What inspiring words to counter their dread! Then Jesus spoke, “Take courage! It is I. As Jesus approached them on the water, they were terrified of the “what if,” this unknown specter rising and falling on the crest of the waves. Are you the kind of person who, when everything is great in life, can’t enjoy it because you are fearfully waiting for another shoe to drop? Think back to the story of the storm-tossed disciples on the Sea of Galilee. ![]() And fear of the unknown is the worst – we can’t do anything about the “what ifs” of life because they haven’t happened yet, but that doesn’t prevent the unknown maybes from haunting us. Fear grips us as we slide into the MRI tube, as we hear the whir of the dentist’s drill, as we slip behind the wheel for a driving exam. Inflation reduces our usable income and increases our fear of the future. Bullies on the playground strike fear in the hearts of good students. At the mention of COVID, fear rears its ugly head. (Last year, shark attacks resulted in only nine fatalities worldwide. But let the media report on a rogue shark attack somewhere along the Atlantic coast, and people everywhere fear going to the beach. Fear is all around us.Īnd have you noticed how the news media shapes our fear? In the US, ninety people die every day in auto accidents, but I can’t remember the last time I drove away from the house in fear. Having taught in Russia and having had students from Ukraine, I fear for our Christian family caught in midst of wicked leaders propelled by the lust for power and control. The “what if” questions popped up in conversation every few minutes. His was a mixture of curiosity and subtle fear. Our oldest grandson (just turned ten years old) spent the night with us recently and was drawn to the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine like a moth to a light. Unfortunately, this mortal life is still fraught with fears of all shapes and sizes. There the lion will lie down with the lamb but not before. In the life to come we are promised a perfect environment, free from sin, temptation, anxiety and fear.
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