COURAGE (I)

COURAGE (PART ONE)

Act with courage.

And take notice: Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters; also the Levites will be officials before you. Behave courageously, and the Lord will be with the good. ( 2 Chronicles 19:11 KJV)

The English word for courage comes from the French word coeur, which means ' heart'. That's why we say, "Dont't take heart." The truth is
(1) It takes courage to face the truth about yourself. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth sahall make you free" (John 8:32 NKJV). But before the truth sets us free, it usually puts us through the wringer, because the truth about ourselves is not something we like hearing. (2) It takes courage to change when staying as you are feels more comfortable. If you're willing to leave your comfort zone, step out in faith and follow God, you'll be tested. But you'll also reach heights you thought were beyond you. And you'll go further than others who possess greater talent than you do.
(3) It takes courage to stand for your convictions when you know they'll be challenged. Any time you're willing to stand for something, or try something, somebody will take a shot at you. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: " Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon there's always someone to tell you you're wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires the same courage a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men to win them." When Nehemiah's enemies threathened him , he said," Should a man like me run away? ... I will not" (Ne 6:11 NIV). As a result he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a record fifty-two days, and got a book in the bible named after him.
How's that for courage??