The Courage Shortage

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 Corinthian 16:13 

We are in need of men in leadership to be courageous. It is easy to cower in fear over the troubles and problems that face our world, but we are called to be courageous and not to fear.

Courage "is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement (dictionary)."

How to have courage as a leader:

1. Clarity – We need to be crystal clear on what it means to be a follower of Christ. We need to understand the purpose of knowing why you live your life. Courage knows exactly what truth is and stands firm. It does not mean we are always right, but we desire to live for Christ. Eternity is the focus. Energy is spent towards people coming to know Christ. Energy is exhausted in pouring into other people to help them grow spiritually. A courageous leader realizes that tradition is not as important as God’s Word. Man-made rules do not matter more than God's Word. Clarity leads to wise decisions that build God's church.

2. Confidence in God’s Call - A courageous leader knows their purpose. We trust God despite our circumstances. Although we might disagree with decisions of others, we are obedient to authority. We know that God is working and we desire to fulfill His calling. A courageous leader spends time in the Word. Listening and praying through decisions. A courageous leader will listen to God's call more than what other people say.

3. Character - Courage builds upon character. Small, everyday decisions builds character. Being a courageous leader can be a lonely road. Honesty leads to openness between people and ultimately builds trust. The courageous leader reflects the love of Christ to others in how they act. Are we caring for our wives and children? Do we care more about the church or do we care about our families and our health? If we lose our families and our health, we lose! Character is vitally important in our homes. Character in our homes will pour out in our public lives.

Men, we need to step up and be courageous in clarity, confidence in God's call and character.

One of the ways that men need to be courageous is in how they treat women. Across the globe, pornography and sex-trafficking are on the rise. Recently a team from our church went to Ethiopia to help with rescuing girls out of the sex-trafficking. I recently watched a video from the Resurgence on this issue. Pornography is a huge industry, even more than sports. We need courageous men to be pure in heart. We need men to admit their struggle with it and repent of it. Pornography is Satan's biggest weapon in our time. If men are cowards in their morals, everything else will crumble. But, when men become courageous and stand for Christ, an awakening will occur!

Watch this video:

Jacob's Story from Unearthed on Vimeo.

How to be a Coward

What is a coward? "A person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things," or "Excessively afraid of danger or pain (dictionary)." A coward is someone who lacks courage. We live in a culture that glorifies brutality, pride and selfishness. A real man of God is filled with courage. A courageous man will protect the lives of others. A coward looks only to protect themselves. How to be a coward:

1. Live in confusion. Constantly say, “what is wrong with it?” instead of "what is right with it?" Those who lead with wrong motives are mixed up on what is right or wrong. A coward is unable to find the truth because of fear of the consequences. Decisions are made on emotion and not on truth. A coward spends their day confused.

2. Always Criticize – A coward is always critical of authority. The coward will agree face to face but will go behind your back and talk negatively of you. A coward rebels against authority and mocks their parents. They put down others to uplift themselves. A coward never encourages others. A coward can find problems with everyone else and not themselves. A coward hurts others.

3. Compromise – They will take a shortcut at any cost to get AHEAD. A coward will do whatever it takes to make themselves look right in any situation.

To be courageous we have to go through trials and struggles. In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."  ~C.S. Lewis

We have a decision. Are we going to live in confusion, criticism and compromise? God has called us to not fear and trust in His power. The next blog post, we will look at what it looks like to be courageous!

What are your thoughts?  

The Invisible Wall

Invisible walls can spring up in work, family and marriage relationships. Many times the invisible wall comes up because of misunderstanding, unresolved conflict, disrespect, and more. - Students have invisible walls. Walls are built because of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Why do so many students leave the church or never step into a church? Many times their past writes their story. The wall of pain is invisible to them but to others it is obvious. The invisible wall comes across with discouragement and rebellion. The students who are hurting the most are usually the most rebellious. It is an invisible wall that only comes down through the power of the Holy Spirit through meaningful relationship with them.

- Relationships have invisible walls. A miscommunication, pain conversation, financial stress and more. We put on the "happy" face. Our goal is to push the conversation away from the pain because the invisible wall says, "nobody cares, just deal with it on your own." A close relationship offers grace. Grace to share without condemnation. In marriage, listening and remembering is one of the greatest ways to tear down walls. It is easy to "wander" when I'm listening. When I am not "present" I do not show worth to my wife and friends. Listening is a key ingredient in order to tear down the invisible wall.

- Churches can have invisible walls. People come in and out of the service. Attendance can even go up and more people  join. What if there is an invisible wall that only newer people see and older members are oblivious too? A wall of acceptance? A wall of racial prejudice? I usually ask newer people to my church what they think and get their input.

How do we destroy the invisible walls?

Give permission. If you want walls to come down in relationships, you must allow people to be real. Perception must not be the currency of relationships. Building relationships must be the way to remove walls and create close relationships.

Ask and listen. Try to understand the heart of the person who is sharing so that all walls can be torn down. The reason many people have walls up is because we do not listen and remember what they say. I know the times I forget what my wife says, it hurts her and reveals that I care only for myself. Listen and do not add your own commentary. It is their story, their pain, and their struggle.

Make Changes. Do we need to be willing to change? Yes. We can always learn anything from anybody at anytime. Listening and understanding from one another creates a step towards close relationships. It might be admitting a mistake, "I'm sorry for not understanding you like I thought, will you help me to understand your story more?" The invisible walls that we put up hold us back. Holding us back from the relationhips that we all desire. Through the power of Christ, we can love each other like He loves us.

Life is too short to put up walls.

What else can we do to get rid of invisible walls?