When we think of courage, we connect with taking risks. Jumping the Grand Canyon on a motorbike or going down the Niagara Falls in a barrel. These are called courageous acts because people risk their lives by doing these things.
But I would suggest to you that none of these daredevil acts come from who we really are. Our true inner self. They come from a desire to test our physical limits and to become famous and popular.
Spiritual courage is a different animal. Spiritual courage is following the deepest, godly desires of our hearts at the risk of losing fame and popularity. It is losing in order to gain. It is dying to self in order to receive eternal life.
It takes courage to live for God in the workplace. It takes courage to live for God at home. It takes courage to live for God in places surrounded by godliness.
In fact, I would say that it takes more courage to live and walk in godly integrity than it does jumping off a bridge with a cord around your ankle.
Take courage today! Live for God!
Where does that courage come from? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's presence. The Holy Spirit's power.
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Spiritual courage, is to stand in the face of adversity with full confidence that there is victory at the end of the battle and rewards at the end of the war.
Everyday we’re involved in spiritual battles that are meant to discourage us from continuing our journey in Christ and to abandon hope in our Savior. Discouragement can come in big and small packages. Like Pastor said Sunday our adversary knows us quite well and knows what packages to deliver. For the most part, I believe that some people believe in God, just like they believe in the devil. Yes, both God and the devil exist, but neither one is really that concerned about me. That kind of thinking could not be further from the truth. That is where the spiritual warfare comes in. The battle lines are drawn. The armies are formed and there is a world to be conquered. By the way, we out number the enemy two to one.
God desires that no man perish and the devil like a roaring lion goes about the earth seeking whom he may devourer. There is a spiritual battle over every soul. The devil takes some willingly with no fight on their part and others he meets with resistance. Everyday there is reaping on both sides. For the fully devoted Christian, the battles are more intense like Pastor said Sunday morning. The temptations can be relentless and sometimes unbearable. Sometimes they are so strong we succumb to their power and fall. The greatest tragedy of someone falling to temptation, is not getting back up (repenting) and continuing the fight. Speaking from personal experience, I can truthfully say sometimes it’s nice and easy to just lay still and play dead. I’ve been so tired sometimes in my Christian walk that I just want to lay still and just play dead, so I could rest. I thank my God that He didn’t let me entertain these thoughts for to long. If you lay still for too long, soon or later someone will come around and make sure your dead, by giving you the final blow that you won’t recover from. I’ve seen Christians fall and not get back up, because it’s easier to stay down. They were disillusioned in their faith, because it was faulty. They were taught wrong. The word of God wasn’t the Standard to live by or the moral code to guide their lives. They forgot and I forgot that it’s not my battle, but the Lords battle. I’m just a solder. That’s why it is so important for you to read and understand the word of God for yourself, relying on the Holy Spirit to teach you.
Why do we as Christians do what we do? On what do we base our actions on? I can’t believe some of things that are debated in Christianity today as being acceptable or unacceptable. It takes spiritual courage to go against what your Christian peer group is dictating. I’m not just talking about teen peer pressure, their adult peer pressure. We all attend the same church and we all might be members of the same denomination, but our beliefs and opinions on the basic teachings of Christ are very different. Basic beliefs are being brought into question.
Creation vs. Evolution, six day creation, Adam and Eve in the garden, Noah and the Ark, the 10 plagues brought on Egypt, parting of the Red Sea, the battle of Jericho, Virgin birth of Jesus, Jesus life on earth, Jesus death and resurrection, Jesus soon return.
No matter where you stand on these important Biblical truths, it takes spiritual courage to stand whether your right or wrong. I’d prefer to be on the right side of my beliefs. What I have read and seen in history, is someday we might be asked to renounce our beliefs. Would you be willing to die for any of your beliefs as they stand right now. Like I stated above, Christianity today is a belief system that is changing with every wind of doctrine. The Early Church fathers died for what they believed and today we’re discussing the relevance of those same beliefs. In the Original Covenant (Old Testament) you could tell a Jew from a Gentile by the way they lived. In the Early Church, you could tell a Christian by the way he lived. Today you can’t tell the church from the world, because for the most part we are all living the same. It takes spiritual courage to be truly different (not weird) and adhere to a lifestyle that Jesus has called us all to. A life style where we deny ourselves and look after the interests of those around us. To truly love God and to love His people. This lifestyle is hard, it demands discipline and commitment. Most of the time there is no reward, for our immediate gratification. We’re ask to lay our lives down, and to pick up a cross daily and to follow Him. He promised us hardships, persecution, abuse. And for those that endure, life everlasting. Where do you stand on the battle field? Are you ready to fight or are you playing dead? Look to our King, look to Jesus and he will give you courage, to stand against all the evil tricks of the devil. Be strong and be courageous in Jesus Name. At the end of the book it says we win.
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