You Need To Be Brave!
I’m sure you’ve heard that line a thousand times over.
Those words tug at our heartstrings when every ounce of courage seems to have slipped away. Like parched plants yearning for rain, even staring out the window brings a strange comfort.
Those are times when the word ‘brave’ becomes complex.
“Lord, hold my hand,” the words weren’t flowing, I begged.
I was literally staggering to grasp hold of just one verse!
A simple one,
A short one,
Honestly, who am I fooling? I would have taken anything at all!
‘To GO’ or ‘Not to GO’
The mental tug-of-war that begins the moment God says GO can be utterly exhausting.
By the time you’ve read through Exodus, you will get the picture of what I mean.
Picture the Israelites trapped between the Red Sea and the fierce Egyptian army. I often wonder about the look on their faces, mouths slack with despair, right as God says Go Forward.
And my immediate thought is, ‘To what exactly?’
Here’s the thing: sometimes you feel the urge to pack up and just GO.
Bravery often looks like being ready, being willing, and then actually going!
You need to be willing and ready to GO even if you don’t know ‘To what’.
Remember when God said to Abraham, “Leave everything and come with me to the land I will show you”.
Were it not for faith, maybe a very ‘thoughtful’ response would be ‘to where?’
Doesn’t God call us to do the hard things sometimes?
But like you, I’m learning not to ask those sorts of questions: To where, to whom, to what, etc. Because they spell doubt!
As much as we want to believe we can just pack our bags and GO, it’s rarely that simple.
Sometimes fear keeps my feet glued in place. I try to outthink my way through it.
This could go sideways too.
Maybe this new door would slam in my face.
Those ‘Maybe I should… no, never mind’ moments creep in.
When God calls you, don’t give in to fear; rather
choose instead to lean into His Word.
So often, we find ourselves in this strangely familiar situation.
We get excited, pack our things, and set out with God’s call, only to freeze up when it’s time for the next step.
So why is being brave so difficult?
For many of us, memories of past rejections and failures rush in like wild winds.
For others, the sheer size of our next assignment feels overwhelming.
And for many, it’s the label of ‘not qualified’ that seems to hang around our necks. Whichever category you find yourself in, grace is available for you.
Like Peter, we are glad to step out of the boat.
We are brave enough to step into the water.
That proves we already have what it takes inside us to take the first step, then the next, and the next. Only we keep our brave hearts focused on Jesus.
If only we could see that just showing up is an act of bravery too. Only then do we remember our bravery comes from Christ, and we can do just about everything He calls us to do.
I want to take that first step, then the next, and then keep going… I don’t mind the wind, as Peter did.
The wind could be our past rejections and failures,
Or distractions that hinder us
Or the fear that says we will never make it
Or all the lies the enemy pushes into our heads that are contrary to what God says about you.
No matter what wind wants to challenge your brave heart or hinder your faith, Jesus is the Master of the wind…He knows how to calm it and put it in its place.
So, what’s the deal now?
Would you step out of the boat?
Do you see the Lord bids you to come to Him?
Do you know you are brave enough to follow Him?
>>4 Scriptures For When You Struggle To Be Brave<<
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he
will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good
courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I
say, on the Lord.
Psalm27:14
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that
hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
By His Great Grace,
Ifeoma Samuel.
There is rest for the weary. The burden is heavy. We drag along life’s burdens and own them like our mission. We exhaust ourselves, trying hard to fix problems day in and day out.
Frustration, anxiety, helplessness and worry lead us down the path of restlessness. Then we wonder why we live hassled, harassed and tensed lives.
If this article resonated with your heart then “Rest Bible Study” is for you!
Leave feedback about this