The Brave

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."Thucydides

     Whether it be Liam Neison in Rob Roy, Mel Gibson in Braveheart or Harrison Ford in Air Force One or the Indiana Jones movies, I enjoy a story about bravery. None of us want a wimpy hero to look up to. We admire bravery even if sometimes we don't exhibit it ourselves.  In all of these stories the hero could have just let things happen; they didn't have to get involved; but instead like Thucydides once said they decided to 'go out to meet it'.


       I believe that is what God expects of us as well. We are to go out and meet the foe instead of letting him beat us up all the time. Of course I am speaking of Satan, our foe. Satan will attack us in many ways but one of his greatest weapons is fear. Fear is crippling to those who are not brave. Fear will cause you pass up the opportunity to witness or to do anything else for the Lord. Fear stops us in our tracks....if we are not brave.

      The Scriptures are full of brave heroes for us to emulate. Whether it be Shammah defending a field against the Philistines in 2 Samuel 23 or David facing a giant an entire army was afraid of in 1 Samuel 17, we can find examples in the Word of how we are to live. God didn't make us to be cowering Christians. We know from Psalm 61:3 that God has "been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe."

      God has always been on our side. He will not expect us to go up against the enemy of our souls alone. He has promised again and again that He will always be with us so once we truly realize this we can be brave and do the things He wants us to do. We need to be bold in sharing our testimony. We need to be bold in leading others to Christ. We need to be brave when we face persecutions and ridicule. And we need to be brave when it seems like all around us is falling apart.


     "In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"(Psalm 56:4)

      What has the Lord asked you to do that you have been held back from doing because of fear? I'm sure He hasn't asked you to face a living giant like David did, but what is the giant that is preventing you from being all the Lord wants you to be? Whatever it is, let me encourage you this day to be bold, be brave, go out and meet what lays ahead of you whether it be glory or danger because the Lord is on your side! He will be with you and never leave you! He will give you the words to say when you need to say them. He has given you the authority, as a Believer, "to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." 

Luke 10:19

        Be brave! 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love"