Showing posts with label Courage. Show all posts

Monday, November 3, 2025

Living Our Faith Boldly and Courageously According to Scripture

As followers of Christ, we are called to live our faith not timidly, but boldly and courageously. The Bible reminds us over and over that faith in God is not meant to be hidden or silent—it’s meant to shine as a light to the world. Living boldly doesn’t mean living without fear; it means trusting God in the midst of uncertainty, stepping out in obedience even when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Courage Begins with Trust in God

Courageous faith is rooted in trust. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” True courage comes when we surrender our fears and rely completely on God’s wisdom and guidance.

David, a young shepherd, exemplified this trust when he faced the giant Goliath with nothing but a sling and his faith in God (1 Samuel 17:45-47). His confidence wasn’t in his own strength but in the Lord’s power. When we face our own “giants”—whether they’re challenges, fears, or doubts—our courage grows when we place our confidence in God rather than in ourselves.

Bold Faith Requires Obedience

Living boldly in faith often calls us to obedience that challenges our comfort. Abraham demonstrated this when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Genesis 22:12 records that Abraham’s obedience proved his reverence for God. Even when we don’t understand His plan, courageous obedience means we choose to trust that God’s purpose is greater than our fears.

Peter also modeled bold faith when he stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water (Matthew 14:29). Though the winds were strong and the waves were high, Peter moved forward at Jesus’ command. Likewise, we are called to step out in faith, trusting that Jesus will steady us when life’s storms threaten to pull us under.

Person raising hands in a field, holding a Bible - Living Our Faith Boldly and Courageously According to Scripture

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Courage Means Standing Firm in Truth

The Bible is full of men and women who boldly stood for truth in the face of adversity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar, declaring their loyalty to God alone (Daniel 3:16-18). Esther risked her life to speak up for her people, courageously declaring that she would go before the king even if it cost her everything (Esther 4:16).

In today’s world, living courageously may mean standing up for biblical truth, loving others when it’s not easy, or holding to your convictions when culture pushes otherwise. Philippians 1:27 encourages believers to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.”

Living Courageously Through Christ

Our ultimate example of courageous living is Jesus Himself. He faced rejection, persecution, and even death on the cross, yet He never wavered from His mission. Because of His victory, we can live with confidence knowing that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

When we live courageously for Christ, our lives become testimonies of His power and faithfulness.

If you’re ready to strengthen your faith and live boldly in every area of life, my 30-Day Be Courageous Devotional Journal will guide you through Scripture-based reflections on courage, faith, and perseverance. Find it here!

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Living Our Faith Boldly and Courageously According to Scripture

Thursday, January 3, 2019

My word is COURAGE. What is your word for 2019?

Image Credit: Samuel Scrimshaw - Public Domain Image - via Freely Photos

Courage

Happy New Year

A few years ago, a friend brought it to my attention that she had been challenged to choose one word to focus on for the year. This "one word" was intended to take the place of her New Year's resolution. New Year's resolutions are made with good intentions, and if you are still rocking yours, more power to you! Keep up the good work! For many people, though, a New Year's resolution is a source of stress and then ends up becoming the cause of much frustration and a sense of failure when the criteria for said resolution isn't met successfully.

What if, instead of a New Year's resolution, we choose a word to focus on throughout the year? What if we choose a word that helps us stay focused on deepening our relationship with our Lord from January to December?

Since my son is deployed this year, I had thought about choosing the word "courage." This word was confirmed for me a on December 30th when I took the Dayspring 2019 Word of the Year Quiz. My result was . . . you guessed it . . . COURAGE.

This is the perfect word for me for 2019 because courage is something I will truly need to focus on in order to get through the year. This separation from my son, the young man I still see as my baby boy (boy mom's understand - haha) is much harder than I expected. I thought I would handle it better since we had so much time to prepare, but can any mother really prepare to send her son off to war?

I won't lie. I'm struggling. I need courage:

to face each day without my boy.

to stand firm when everything within me wants to crouch down in paralyzing fear.

to rest in the promises of God when I am weary from anxiety.

to trust God with my son's future when my mama's heart just wants to bring him home to safety.

to encourage other young wives and moms when I feel like I'm the one who needs encouragement.

to follow the advice of one of my military mom friends when she told me to remember to turn my times of fear into times of worship and praise.

Perhaps you have already chosen your word for 2019. Perhaps your word is "courage" like mine. If you have not chosen your word for 2019, consider taking the Dayspring Word of the Year Quiz. Obviously I thought it was a helpful tool. I'd love to know what your word is so feel free to tell me in the comments below!

Happy New Year!

Thursday, October 18, 2018

20 Encouraging Scripture Cards for Deployed Military Men and Women (Living Through Deployment Series)

Image Credit: Abundant Family Living

Today begins a new series here on Abundant Family Living. My son has been in the Army National Guard for 7 years now, but today, things changed. Today is the day he reported for his first day on active duty status. OPSEC guidelines (Operational Security Guidelines) prevent us from sharing dates, times, and places so I won't be revealing those here on the blog until or if ever a such time is appropriate, but when the time arrives, this will be the second time I've lived through a deployment. The first time began in 1992 when I watched my husband, a young US Marine, head for Somalia. At the time, I was pregnant with my son who will deploy at a time and to a place unnamed for now. I've known this was coming for a long time so I thought I would handle this pretty well. After all, I've done this before so I can do it again. Let me tell you though. No amount of time this side of Heaven and no amount of previous military family experiences could have prepared this mama's heart for watching her son prepare to head for the dangers of a foreign land to fight a so-far 17 year war. My heart is breaking into a million pieces along with many other moms, wives, husbands, children, and all sorts of people who love these brave men and women.

This ornament is available here.

I have been thinking about what I might be able to send with my son to help encourage him in his faith during this long span of time away from his family, his home, and his church. I know that I could never bear this calling - this high calling - chosen by God to be the wife and mother of two brave military men - without a firm foundation of faith.

There is an old saying that says, "God will not put on you more than you can bear." My friend, my partner in the bearing of heavy burdens, this is not true at all.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. - 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

God does allow us to be burdened more than we can bear. In fact, according to 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, He allows us to be burdened EXCESSIVELY more than we can bear so that we will not trust in our own strength but in God.

I've decided that one of the things I want to send with my son is a stack of cards. On each card will be a Bible verse of encouragement. Each verse is intended to help him gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as he endures certain weaknesses. If you have a loved one deploying or you have a loved one enduring a different kind of hardship, perhaps these cards will help your loved on too. In fact, I will be creating two stacks, one for my son and one for me. I know that I will be enduring all these weaknesses too. We all do from time to time in our daily circumstances.

I want to share these with you. I'll be offering them for free right here in this post. The only thing I ask is that, if you want to share them with someone else, you will refer them back to this blog post.

20 Encouraging Scripture Cards for Deployed Military Men and Women

Simply right click. Then save to your computer. I will be printing these out on card-stock in the 4X6 size. Then, I'll write a personal message to my son in my own handwriting on the back of each card.