Courage is one of the many principles of Christian leadership and leadership in every sphere of life.  Courage to stand alone even when others are not willing to stand by you.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. (Joshua 1:9) NKJV

“Do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions” (Ezekiel 2:6) NKJV

WHAT IS COURAGE?

A definition of courage puts it thus:

Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty – Websters New Encyclopedic Dictionary.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act despite feelings of fear: feel the fear and go on to act at any rate.  That’s what it means to be courageous.  Every leader must learn to defeat his fear and release his faith by intentionally venturing into that new opportunity.  The Bible records several stories of men and women of courage, who stood strong and firm in the face of challenges.

David was a courageous leader.  As a little boy, he courageously faced a heavily armored, battled – hardened giant of the Philistines who of course, possessed years of military experience and expertise. But David undauntedly proclaimed to King Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine, your servant will go and fight him” (1 Sam 17:32).

What do you say about Queen Esther who risked her life and her privileged position in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia with his throne at Shushan.  She took this risk just to save her people.  This king was highly respected in those days, his government was well fortified with strong decrees and regulations that governed the palace making it difficult, even impossible for anyone to defy.  Yet a courageous Esther stood up in the face of mighty men with military strength who protected and guarded the palace not minding what might be her fate.

“Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: Go, gather all the Jews who are present in shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day.  My maids and I will fast likewise.  And so I will go to the King, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15 – 16). NKJV

Difficult situations and obstacles can only give way when leaders become vehement, daring, bold, prayerful, and courageous.  Think about Prophet Jeremiah who willingly risked death by warning the rulers of his nation of their coming extinction if they did not repent from their idolatrous ways; he was not put to death, but suffered subjection in various ways including imprisonment and torture.

I should as well mention Daniel for his bravery.  He withstood the lion’s den with courage. Such courage was extra ordinary. He refused denying his beliefs in the face of such great trial of faith. It takes courage to be a leader during times of adversity.  Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was at intervals been persecuted alongside his followers.  Sometimes they were beaten, ridiculed, and killed.  Yet, courage, supported by inner conviction, is what kept them going. 

Every leader irrespective of what challenges they may encounter, must remain courageous if they must have a testimony of victory.  Remember, lions do not fight a dead animal.  It is your future, your destiny, and that of your people, your organization that is at stake.  So, be courageous to win and you will.

THE PROPELLING FORCE

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers (Joshua 1:6).

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them” (Deut. 31:6)

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged” (1Chronicle 28:20).

God told Joshua to be courageous and lead His people into the Promised Land, though, enemies were there to oppose.  Moses told the people of Israel not to fear their enemies.  David told Solomon his successor to be courageous and not be discouraged.

The power of courage can help transform the life and perspective of any leader who possess it.  Without courage, it is practically difficult for any person to initiate and kick-start any lofty objective to optimum realization.  Courage is that propelling force that makes you see the impossible as possible in every situation. It makes you see victory before the adventure, success before the test, and testimony before the trial. 

See Joshua 1:6 – (This land was filled up with enemies on every side).

Deut. 31:6 – (Moses to the people of Israel).

1 Chronicles 28:20 – (King David to his successor, King Solomon).

In such tough situations, these leaders needed constant reminders to be courageous and daring.  The same applies to the modern leader.  If you take away courage from a spiritual leader, you will be left with a mere church manager, even worse a routine bureaucrat who only obeys the rules of the system and maintains it for either his stomach sake or for the sake of organizational loyalty.  Courage is often decorated with strong self confidence in what one possesses and in what God can do.  Such boldness is characterized by dodged determination to succeed irrespective of what others may say or do to stop one from moving forward.

BEWARE OF LAND MINES

“Wisdom is profitable”

Sometimes respected senior leaders who are over you in the system may not be very pleased with your success.  They may smile at you at times, never you take their smiles for granted or as sign of approval or admiration.  They may be the very ones planting land mines on your way hoping to see you crash along the road to your envisioned success.  It takes courage to deal with envy and jealousy especially if it is coming from those over you as a result of your God-given privileges, favour, or gifting.  Anything can trigger jealousy and envy that can exhibit itself in total anger and bitterness of heart.

In Paul’s letter to the young Timothy, Paul exhorts him to be courageous in pursuing his mission.  “For God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).  Young leaders need encouragement from older ones.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  It may be so frustrating to work under someone who will never appreciate your efforts, but is only out to plant land mines on your way.  It’s a shame to have a father who refused to be called a father or have a senior who refuses to act as such.

God tells prophet Ezekiel:

“Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions” – Ezekiel 2:6

See also what God tells Joshua:

“Have I not commended you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged” – Joshua 1:9

It is interesting to know that courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act despite feeling fear: “feel the fear and do it anyway”. The Bible records stories of heroes and leaders who exhibited many kinds of courage.  Physical, political, and moral.  David was one man who encountered discouraging situations, yet came out stronger.  As a shepherd boy he confronted the heavily armoured, battle-hardened giant, he told king Saul, “let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him” (1 Sam. 17:32).  What can I say about Queen Esther who took the risk of her life and her position to save her people from extinction.  “If I perish, I perish”.  What about prophet Jeremiah who was willing to risk death to warn the rulers of his nation of their coming extinction if they did not change their idolatrous ways; he was not put to death, but was subjected to various imprisonments and tortures.  Daniel braved a lion’s den and the king’s wrath rather than deny his beliefs.  And Jesus and his disciples were subjected to legal persecution, beatings, ridicule, and death.  Courage, supported by inner conviction, is what kept them going.