I’m going to talk to you about something that as a Christian we all need.  You know, we all are probably familiar with the movie, The Wizard of Oz, right?  Well what did the cast need….a heart? Yes.  A brain? Ha yes.  But what was it that the Lion, which represents one of the fiercest and strongest of all animals need:  courage.  Courage - we easily can overlook this aspect of our Christian walk - I think we can go through a checklist sometimes: Jesus, check.  Salvation, check.  Church, check…and so on. But what about courage? Is that something we even think about?  Well, after looking into God’s Word, there’s some pretty cool stuff about courage, and how important it is for us to have it.

1.)  Courageous Christians DO NOT FEAR.

Let’s first look at the definition of courageous:  The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty , to act in accordance to ones beliefs in spite of criticism, WITHOUT FEAR! 

Fear will debilitate our Christian walk and fulfilling what God had called to do.  If Joshua would have sunk into fear, what would have happened to the Israelites?  Let’s turn to Joshua 1:9 - Instead the Lord admonished him “be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Fear can be the barrier between the mediocre and the extraordinary.  Let me repeat that: fear can be the barrier between the mediocre and the extraordinary.  Romans 8:15 says “you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you when He adopted you as His own children.

Now let me set this straight - I’m not talking about a fear of the boogie man under the bed, or of the massive spider under your seat, I’m talking about a fear of stepping out for the Lord, of committing to His will, walking in complete trust. A lack of courage due to fear is a lack of fulfilling your calling.   Praise God there is help for this fear:  Let’s look at 1 John 4:18 “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.”  It’s the love of Jesus that casts out fear.  It seems so simple…cause it is.  It’s like this phrase:  Have no fear, Jesus is here!

2.) Courageous Christians are READY FOR BATTLE

1 Corinthians 16:13 states: “Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong“  As Christians we must be ready to fight for God, against the adversity that Satan brings.

We are to be on guard constantly, Proverbs states we are to guard our heart and the Word of God (4:23/7:2).  The enemy wants nothing more than for us to fall - to be defeated.  We must be on guard - to be courageous warriors prepared for anything ahead of us.  And praise God - He has provided exactly what we need:

Armor of God - We may all be familiar with this, but it was so important to be reminded of the power and tools we possess in the Lord:

 ”Be courageous in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.  then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6: 10-13

-breastplate of righteousness

-shoes of the Gospel of Peace

-shield of faith

-helmet of salvation

-sword of the Spirit

-prayer

We are reminded to stay alert at all times and be persistent - being on the front lines of battle takes courage, but through the equipping God provides us, we can stand as courageous Christians.

3.) Courageous Christians PERFORM THE SUPERNATURAL

Let’s look at Acts 3 and 4.  In these chapters, Peter and John encounter a lame man outside of the Temple.  We are all familiar with this story.  The lame man asked for money…and he received a lot more than what he expected.  Peter declared “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk”  He ran, walked, jumped and praised God - this commotion cause people to take notice, and they were amazed at the miracle - they were ready to receive God’s Word, and Peter began to preach.

Shortly thereafter they were taken before the council - Acts 4:13 states:  When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”    Because of their COURAGE - they knew they had been with Jesus. 

Do you know what happened after this?  When Peter and John were released and returned to other believers, a prayer from that generation came forth, desperate for courage from God to perform the supernatural and preach the Gospel.  Let’s look at their prayer and what happened:  Acts 4:29-31:

“And now, O Lord, here their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.  Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then they preached the word of God with courage.”

WOW! Because of their craving for courage, and desire for the supernatural, God answered their prayer, shaking their world and filling them with the Holy Spirit!! That’s something we so desperately need!  That move of God was a result from Courageous Christians. Are you one of them?

We’ve been hearing about the supernatural lately - words of knowledge, healing…but before we can fully experience the supernatural, we must ask God for courage.  Just as the generation of believers with Peter and John begged the Lord for courage, we too need to ask God. We need to be a generation that stand for the things of God….

We have a choice…can sit on sidelines..mediocre or be bold.

Ask God to give you courage, to be raised up, be refreshed with the Holy Spirit, and to be a COURAGEOUS CHRISTIAN.