Courage.
“A confident character; to not be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate. The ability to do things which one finds frightening.” (Wiktionary)
“Courage is that quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness or without fear or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution.” (Webster Dictionary)
Courage.
Not a word that you usually find among the top 10 list of godly female character traits. No, we tend to dwell on the sweeter, more delicate feminine qualities like love, compassion, gentleness, and patience. While these are all very godly character traits for women to possess, in real life it doesn’t take long to realize that you can’t really exhibit any of these virtues the way God intended without first possessing courage.
Why? Because it’s dangerous to love like Jesus loved.
Sometimes expressing compassion means stepping into some messy, ugly situations.
Being gentle in a world that’s filled with anger and hatred can make you a prime target for hurt and pain.
Without courage, you will never have the fortitude to be patient when God puts you in a waiting pattern or doesn’t immediately deliver you from a difficult situation. The truth is, if you’re going to be a woman of God, you’re going to need courage.
If we look at the great women in the Bible, we see that courage was always one of their defining characteristics.
It took courage for Sarah to willingly leave the comfort and wealth of Ur and follow her husband on a journey to who-knows-where. If you study the passage, you see that it would be the equivalent of moving out of uptown Manhattan and going on a never-ending camping trip. Still, she had the courage to do it.
It took courage for Deborah to not only give the word of the Lord to the captain of the Israelite army, but in the end, actually lead the army into battle.
It took courage for Ruth to leave everything she knew in Moab to accompany Naomi to Israel.
In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail displayed her courage when she intervened between her abusive husband and an angry David ultimately saving the lives of everyone in her household.
Of course, we all know the courageous story of Esther who put her very life on the line in an effort to save her people.
The list could go on and on.
It took courage for Mary, an immature teenager, to endure the shame and gossip associated with her unexpected pregnancy.
It took courage for her cousin, Elizabeth, to allow Mary to move into the home of a priest believing that Mary’s pregnancy was a miracle and not what other people thought.
It took courage for Rahab to hide the spies when it would have been easier to turn them in to the men of Jericho.
It took courage for Hagar to submit to God’s will and return to her angry, abusive mistress’ home until Ishmael grew up.
Courage.
Throughout the Bible, whenever we read about a woman fulfilling her role in God’s kingdom, courage is the common thread running through each story. In the same way, if we are going to fulfill the calling that God has on our lives, then we, too, need to become women of courage.
Why? Because even though our challenge and difficulties may be different, they are still as daunting.
To be a godly woman of character in 2015 you’ll need courage to differentiate between right and wrong and to do what’s right and fight what’s wrong.
You’ll need courage to go against the culture and firmly stand on the moral absolutes of the Bible saying, “I believe” and then live accordingly.
It will take courage to be different, to stand out from among the crowd, to be a trend-setter rather than a blind follower.
It takes courage to raise a child in today’s world---to fight against socialism, atheism, liberalism, and humanism that want to brainwash your child to follow their belief systems.
It’s gonna take guts to be the Mom who says, “You can’t do this, and you will do this.” Even more, it’s going to take an intense amount of emotional and spiritual fortitude to look a teenager in the eye and say, “Because God’s Word says so” to the question, “Why not?”
In today’s world, it takes a woman of courage to train up a child in the way they should go and not just go along with the flow and follow the crowd both within and outside of the church walls.
It takes courage to be a woman of purity in a very impure world.
It will take courage to face the challenges and difficulties that come into your life and overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Like Sarah, women of today need the courage to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Like Ruth, we need courage to leave our old lives behind and walk into the new life God has for us.
Like Deborah, we must be women of courage willing to go to war against the spiritual enemies in our lives and overcome our generational iniquities and start a new life and new legacy of freedom.
Following in the footsteps of Abigail, we need to be women of courage who intervene in prayer on behalf of our families and friends so that their lives can be saved from destruction.
Each of us will face times in our lives when like Esther, we will have to answer the call to do what we were born to do in such a time as this.
As with Mary and Elizabeth, the road won’t always be easy. In fact, it may be lined with people who would rather judge you than encourage you to follow God’s plan for your life.
Like Rahab, there will be easier choices you could make that wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding.
You may even be called, like Hagar, to submit to some circumstances and situations that you’d rather escape.
However, true women of courage don’t run. They obey. They do what God has called them to do knowing that in the end, He knows what is best.
Ultimately, this is the hope that drives a woman to be courageous---knowing that God is with her leading and guiding and that she is part of something bigger than herself. She is part of God’s plan.
A woman of courage understands that she can be confident that as it says in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Throughout our lives, all of us face times when we need to be women of courage. Some days require more dramatic amounts of courage, but really, every day requires some level of strength and courage to follow God and do the right thing even when we’re afraid. The truth is that living the Christian life isn’t easy. Thankfully, we do not have to do it alone.
As God told Joshua in Joshua 1:9, “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.”
Like Joshua, because God is with us, we do not have to be afraid or discouraged. Instead, we can be strong and courageous, well-rounded women of God who embrace our own “such a time as this” and fulfill the destiny that God has for our lives. It’s time for us to join the great women of faith who have gone before us and choose to courageously follow God wherever He leads and allow Him to shape us into the godly women He wants us to be.
It's Time to Be Women of Courage!!!!
