Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the mastery of it. - Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
What do you think of when you hear the word courage? What are some things in your life that really intimidate you or make you afraid?
People can be afraid of all kinds of things...public speaking, speaking to people about things that are bothering them, saying no to people who are encouraging them to do something that they know is wrong, being rejected, fear of failure, and the list goes on and on.
Courage is an outward display of the inward character quality of confidence. Courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the strength to take risks, face danger, endure difficulties, or to withstand fear. You have to experience fear in order to be courageous.
Something that I read this morning really stood out to me. It said that "a courageous person is one who is indwelled by faith in God, in spite of feeling fearful." A lot of times we make excuses for not stepping out of our comfort zone and doing things we know we should do by allowing fear to stop us in our tracks. Fear tries to keep us where we are so we can't move forward in order to be used by God in a greater measure. We need to take our eyes off ourselves and realize it's not about us! If we didn't experience fear, we wouldn't need faith in God. Where is your faith? Is it in yourself and your own strength and abilities? As long as you refuse to go beyond what you think you can do, you will never reach your full potential. Trust God and allow Him to carry you beyond what you feel capable of doing. Allow Him to show Himself through you. Be His instrument to reach out to others and make a difference in this world. You can do whatever He has put in your heart to do but you must be willing to step out. He will be with you and carry you. Take a leap of faith today and try something new. Once you step out the fear will leave and before you know it you will have accomplished what you considered to be impossible!!
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