Are You Brave?
When you hear the word ‘brave,’ what does that mean to you? When we’re children, we’re taught that heroes are brave, firefighters are brave, maybe even that man who trains and tames the lions…he’s brave too. Webster’s defines brave as “ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage,” the second definition reads, “endure or face without showing fear.” I wouldn’t say I’m a scaredy-cat, but neither would I use the word “brave” to describe myself. The longer I pondered the word brave, I started to think of all the ways God tells us that we should be courageous.
There are many scriptures that tell us to be courageous…Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:14…but you know what else these scriptures tell us? Do not fear, fear not, do not be afraid, stand firm, wait on God…all of which confirm what Pastor Jerry has taught us for years…the opposite of fear is not courage, but faith. Faith is believing God and His Word, trusting in His promises, knowing that within Him is the almighty power to uphold us in our time of need. The opposite of fear, without considering the bravery angle, could be seen as a state of serenity, a calmness that surpasses all understanding. When I read about David and Goliath, I can’t find it anywhere that David approached his enemy with knocking knees and trembling hands. No, David was a man on a mission; he was bold and confident because he knew that God had already helped him kill a lion and a bear, why wouldn’t God help him now? I can’t prove it, but I think David did have an unnatural calmness as he approached that Philistine…a peace that can only come in the midst of our battles when we place our hope in Jesus Christ.
The bible says in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” There are way too many scriptures to even make reference, but if just this one in Romans is true, shouldn’t every believer of Jesus Christ be able to put “I’m brave” on their spiritual résumé? It goes on to say in Romans 8:37 “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” We can’t conquer anything without being brave and this verse says we are more than conquerors because He loves us. If we start seeing ourselves as brave, feeling like the warriors that God sees us as, maybe we can stand taller against our giants with confidence, courage, and calmness. When we embrace bravery, we set ourselves up to experience things beyond our expectations.