In the kingdom of God, to be courageous is to have the spiritual, emotional and moral willpower to speak and act without fear in the face of distress or concerns over a threat or challenge being faced. Courage is a cardinal virtue that is required to handle any godly leadership position or spiritual assignment. To underscore the importance of courage, sayings like “fear not”, “be strong” and “be courageous” were used in several passages of the Bible to encourage God’s appointed leaders. For example, God commanded Joshua to be strong and to be of good courage four times in Joshua chapter one alone. In Daniel 10:19, a heavenly being encouraged Daniel saying, “Fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.” God also encouraged Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Zerubbabel, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul and several others in similar fashion. The Lord will support you, encourage you and grant you the fortitude to overcome every obstacle and challenges of life in Jesus’ Name.

Moreover, God often instructs His children, especially leaders amongst them, to embark on assignments that are new and great, unprecedented, unbelievable, unrealistic and practically impossible by any natural means. The nature of God’s assignments usually strikes fear, doubt and confusion into people’s hearts, making it difficult for them to proceed with such tasks without first receiving divine support and encouragement. Courage therefore derives from the hope and assurance of the divine presence in such circumstances. This was what prompted Moses in Exodus 33:15b to say:
“If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
Confronted with the impossible task of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, he hinged his willingness to move forward on the assurance of God’s presence. David also single-handedly ran through a troop because God was with him (2nd Samuel 22:30). I pray that God’s presence will see you through your present challenges and catapult you to your breakthrough in Jesus’ Name.

Courage is demonstrated in various ways, such as leading God’s people against their enemies, proclaiming the gospel to others, and exercising the authority of God’s kingdom in your sphere of influence. God gives strength to His people and enables them to be courageous by giving them faith. God proves Himself faithful to His promises and His faithfulness enables His people to trust Him for sustenance in everyday life. Children of God are created to be the head and not the tail. You were created to take charge as a leader wherever you find yourself. You therefore need to be bold, strong and courageous because that is your heritage in Christ.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.