The daring adventure of being brave seems to be such a simple concept in movies. That moment where an overwhelming sense of bravery overtakes a person, and they defeat the evil against them. It seems so simple and easy to follow. But it really isn’t in real life.
Bravery is an incredible word that is used to describe a person’s inner strength when it comes to certain challenges. When I think of the word bravery, it reminds me a lot of the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”
Bravery is not about physical strength, it is not even about the level of one’s capacity to run head-first into something dangerous. Bravery is the consistent mindset of a person when given a challenge to overcome, and they do it with an inner strength. This strength is given by God.
In C.S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, there is a quote that says, “You have listened to fears, child,’ said Aslan. ‘Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?” I love this quote because not only does it reflect what God is like to us, but it presents the idea that we are brave and strong because of God.
Believe
Reflecting on the year that has been, what I have done, what I could have done better, and how far I have come since this time last year, are huge things to reminisce about. One thing I keep having to remind myself of is do not be overwhelmed by the events of life. Life is built up of moments, good and bad, but they won’t last forever.
The thing we, as children of God, need to always think about is how much He has planned for us. Our lives are full of abundance, but whether or not we choose to believe that, it will always affect our outlook on life.
Allow God
In moments where we can’t seem to grab hold of our purpose, believe for the reveal of that job God promised us, that relationship we keep praying for, or that dream we hold onto ever so tightly, that is when we need to turn to God; to His word, completely submissive, and give it all to Him.
The Bible says in Psalm chapter 37, verse 4, ‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.’ He knows our hearts and what lies beneath it. He knows what our dreams are and what we desire most. Why would the God of all creation ignore what sets our souls on fire?
When we doubt God’s ability to provide, or to deliver what we have desperately been praying for for so long, we are actually depriving ourselves of great blessing and opportunity to witness God doing what he does best.
Putting aside all that corrupts the mind, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’
I must be obedient to God, and by following God’s word and listening to Him in every situation, I actually allow God in to make me brave.
I must also allow God to be God, without taking power of the situation away from Him. By this, I mean, when we take what God has promised into our own hands, due to impatience or frustration, it never works out for us. The only way we see things come into prosperity and blessing is by giving all we pray for and desire in life to God and allow Him to take it in His hands and make do with it what he wants.
Back seat driver
I have driven in my car many times with many different people, and one thing that always makes the journey a little more interesting is when I am driving with a back-seat driver. It is ironic because although they may know how to drive, I am the one in the front seat. Their life is in my hands, and whether or not we make it to our destination safely, comes from my ability to be able to drive, not the passengers.
Sometimes we treat God like this and we become the back-seat driver. God is a mystery, but He knows what He is doing. It doesn’t matter how overloaded with emotion, anxiousness, stress, or frustration I am, the undeniable ability to believe in the promise that God will pull me through, is what I need to turn my focus to.
Romans chapter 8, verses 37 says, ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’
What does it mean to be a conqueror? It means to defeat something that holds us back from something greater—to overcome. And God says that we are more than conquerors. But how are we more than conquerors? Through Him who loved us. We are nothing without God. But with Him, we have the potential to do anything!
Bravery may just be a word, but the meaning behind it means so much more to God than we realise. God is the bravery within us. He makes us strong and confident. He helps us when we are faced with adversity. He always wins, and as long as we are walking with Him, we will too.
Sit back, take a breath, and look at your obstacle. Do not fret, it is just a momentary struggle. Now tell it that your God has it handled, because He does, and my goodness does He have an incredible plan for you. Focus on him.
‘Be still and know that I am God.’ (Psalm chapter 46, verse 10).
Are you brave again?
Cartia Moore is a sword fighter, trained and skilled in the art of fencing. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Screen & Media Studies, and minoring in Drama and Creative Writing. Her focus is film, television and swordfighting sequences. She is a youth leader with a passion for bringing young girls to God and helping them to seek and find their worth and value in Him.
Cartia Moore’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/cartia-moore.html