Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

Courage is…

• Speaking up when you feel your voice may not be heard
• Saying no to a temptation when you are in the minority
• Admitting you are wrong when you don’t know if the other party will admit their wrong too
• Making that next step toward improving yourself in the face of the unknown
• Correcting your child at the risk of them withholding their love at that moment
• Getting up promptly to face the day even when you seem to feel overwhelmed
• Trusting God will come through for you, not in the way you want, but in the way you need

In the familiar bible story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David exhibited courage in multiple ways before he finally conquered the giant…

• Although a teenager, he willingly faced a giant who towered over him at more than nine feet tall (verse 4)
• David wanted to face the enemy even though he was in the minority as everyone else around was terrified of the giant (verse 11)
• He persisted for the opportunity to fight even though his status was insignificant because he was the youngest among eight brothers (verse 14)
• David remained interested in what was going on even though his eldest brother was angry at him for it and even accused him of being deceitful and prideful for being among the troops (verse 28)
• He still wanted to face Goliath even though the king dismissed him as not having a chance of winning against the giant (verse 33)

Fortunately, David remained focused on who was on his side – God – and acted boldly (verse 37)…

• He believed in the tools he had, which were a staff, sling and five smooth stones (verse 40)
• David’s conviction enabled him to envision how he was going to defeat the giant (verse 46)
• David did not walk but ran toward his opponent (verse 48)
• God enabled the single stone David threw to accurately hit the bullseye, Goliath’s forehead, and put his lights out (verse 49)

Courage enables you to conquer your giants. What is also interesting is the conquest will benefit not only you but others as well. Take courage.

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Write down one way in which you can exhibit courage today.