Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 Courage is a virtue that is in short supply today. The world is looking for people driven by true, deep-seated courage. Not con-artistry. Not people who are false or artificial. True courage comes from someplace other than just emotion, or genetics, or history. There is a courage that comes from God, and you can see it in the life of Peter.

Peter denied Jesus three times. He freaked out and denied that he even knew the Lord. But later, after he was filled with the Holy Spirit, it was observable—quantifiable—that something came on the inside of him that's very important for us today: courage. This courage comes from being in Jesus, having fellowship with God, and being led by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). It says nothing about being strong in your own strength.

God has given us a spirit of confidence. And it's not wavering because it's God's strength, not ours. Paul said this: "He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:6), and that it is "God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

The Lord is our light and our salvation (Psalm 27:1). He is our light in the middle of the dark days of life (Isaiah 42:16). He is our ever present help in times of trouble (Hebrews 4:16).

Confidence is important. It's an imperative. God has called us to maintain a courageous spirit throughout our lives.

Let's do it!
Pastor Jeff For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV




© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.