Finding Courage

One of my great struggles is timidity. Fear. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of not being accepted or approved of. Fear of being derided or lambasted for my beliefs. Far from your classic provocateur, I am not one who enjoys cutting against the common grain. I do not like to stand out. I want to blend in, I do not want to cause fuss. To put it a bit more positively (or negatively), one of my struggles is cowardice.

Some people are wired for the battle. They are naturally bold; if you come hard on them there instinct is to come back twice as hard. Me not so much, and much of my struggles revolve around how do I exactly speak up about my faith when an opportunity arises? How do I stand up for what is right when what is wrong is promoted and celebrated? How do I stand for a message and a belief system that is so counter everything our times holds dear?

Paul famously wrote his son in the faith Timothy a passage I may have to glue on every surface in my house, car, and workplace:

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

The NIV tells us the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but it gives us power, love and self-discipline. It gives us power, the transliterated word dynamis—where we get our English word dynamite: a combustible, violent thing. Timidity is not of the Spirit of God, it has no place in the Christian’s spirit. Paul continues on:

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

Paul cannot seem to get the gospel out of his mind. It permeates his letters, it breaks up his flows of logic. Out of nowhere he again and again breaks into a eulogy of praise to the God and Father of his Lord Jesus Christ—and the saving plan he revealed at the proper time. Paul is the recipient and herald of that gospel and he feels the privilege and weight of that responsibility. His eyes are not on himself, his natural courage. His eyes are not on what that individual might say or that leader may do. His eyes are fixed on His Savior and the call He has received from Him. He is dialed in completely, 100%.

Conclusion

The spirit of God does not give timidity; it gives power, love and self-discipline. Our courage does not reside in our own strength and boldness. It comes from God’s Spirit now indwelling those who believe. If we know Christ, if we walk in His Spirit, we will know His power. Courage comes from God.

Courage also comes when we stop caring so much about the flesh and blood about us; when we give up caring so much about meaningless things like our "status in the eyes of others." Fear of man is illogical when one has a proper fear of God. It is only when we fix our eyes on Him that we are able to run well.