Biblical Strength and Courage

Biblical Strength and Courage 

Introduction 

We often hear about how strength and courage are what helps us to be successful in everyday life. In the Bible many examples of strength and courage look very different than what the world views strength and courage as. The world sees strength as who can hold the most weight. The world places their identity in doing it all successfully and by themselves. That they themselves can carry the weight. The world sees courage as someone willing to fight and give whatever it takes to succeed. 

The Bible tells a bit of a different story. That strength and courage are not reliant on us but on God. That there is strength in surrender. There is strength in not going alone but allowing God to speak into it. It takes tremendous courage to step out, relying on God as our strength. 

Examples of Strength and Courage in the Bible 

Let’s take a look at the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). These three men were the only ones who stood up for their beliefs. They did not allow the fear of King Nebuchadnezzar to keep them from worshiping the one true God. These three men demonstrated courage. They showed that they had no fear of man, only fear and awe of God. 

They would not bow down to false idols. They did not allow King Nebuchadnezzar to scare them into worshiping him. With the courage and faith they displayed they were ready to die for the Word of God. They believed that the God they serve would deliver them from King Nebuchadnezzer’s hand. 

They were not afraid of man but only of God. They stepped out in the courage to stand up for their faith because they knew God was with them. They were not alone in the fire but standing with God linking arms with the Father together, they stepped out in courage. 

We can also look at the story of David (1 Samuel 17). David himself did not have the strength to take on Goliath. When we read the story we see that David stepped out in trust that the Lord would protect and provide for him. David was just a little man; he didn’t have battle experience. David did however know how to protect his flock. He knew how to keep them safe. He protected his flock just as God protected him. There is strength in stepping out partnered with God, more strength that we could ever have on our own. That is what gave David the strength to take on Goliath.

How a YWAM DTS helped me find courage 

Before coming to YWAM DTS I feared diving into the Bible on my own. I had often felt like I was behind on my Biblical knowledge. Like I should know more than I do. There was intimidation surrounding the Bible. 

I felt so behind that I didn’t even want to try and catch up towhere I thought and believed I should have been after 22 years of going to church. I allowed the fear of man and the enemy’s lies of being behind to hold me back from diving in. 

During my YWAM DTS we had a week long teaching of Biblical Overview. During this week, we talked about some difficult questions. For the first time, I allowed myself to wrestle with the fact that I thought I was behind when it came to the Bible. It took a lot of courage to ask what I thought were simple questions that, in my mind, everyone else knew. At first, I was too scared to ask questions because I was comparing myself to everyone else. 

The truth is each one of us is on our own journey. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and ask for what you need. Whether opening the Bible and asking God the hard questions or doing something you think might look weak or behind to others. 

Conclusion: 

A YWAM Discipleship Training School didn’t just help me grow in my courage but showed me where God was meeting me. It was how everything we do here at YWAM Asheville is designed to point us to God. That everything we do is bathed in prayer. We don’t step out on our own. We step out relying on the Lord. We step out in faith that the Lord will provide. 

Following Jesus fully and completely doesn’t mean you are the strongest, most courageous person. It means that we are a person who is willing to admit to our faults. That we are allowing people into our imperfections and most importantly we are allowing God into our imperfections. 

We are asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us where we are not walking in the awe of God. We are continuing to ask Him to cultivate and till the soil of our life. YWAM Asheville didn’t only help me to grow in my trust of the Lord but it has helped me to see the strength of partnering together with God and His people. We can’t carry it alone but when we partner with God, He picks up our burdens and relieves the weight from our shoulders.