Courage

I once heard 'courage' defined as 'not the absence of fear but facing that fear and running out to meet it.' Have I ever told you that I hate flying? Oh, I know, a lot of people have a fear of flying, but I don't. I suffer from motion sickness, whether I am in a plane or a car or a boat or anything else that moves,  and because of that I have a fear of throwing up in front of people and disgracing myself. That might sound silly to you but it does make traveling something that I could avoid; or turn and face it head on. I choose to face it head on and so I take Gravol for the motion sickness and Atavan for the fear of being sick and I travel anyway.I am not going to let a fear stop me from all the things I can do in my life, but many people do.


We all have fears but whether we choose to let them stop us from living is up to us. God told Joshua in chapter 1 verse 9: "

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

No matter what we are facing we can have courage if we remember that God is with us no matter where we go. He knows what it is that we will be facing before we even have to face it and He will have our backs. We walk with God. Psalm 91 says it best: 

 ¹He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

 ²I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

 ³Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

 ⁴He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 ⁵Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

 ⁶Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

 ⁷A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

 ⁸Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

 ⁹Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

 ¹⁰There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

 ¹¹For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

 ¹²They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

 ¹³Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

 ¹⁴Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

 ¹⁵He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

 ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

God has promised to be with us and He will deliver us from evil. He will protect us and give us the courage that we need to face each situation. We can be confident that no harm shall come to us unless it has passed through God's filter first if we walk with Him. He alone knows what I will be facing and He alone has placed His angels as a guard around me because I walk with Him. I can have courage, I can face my fears, because I know God is on my side. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose....If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:28-31