Hello everyone! Below is another speech I wrote, that I felt God laid on my heart to share with you all. I will also add some scripture and a little more insight that I thought of when I wrote this down. Enjoy!
There is a true story of a young girl who was suddenly thrust into a contest, and because of her beauty and outstanding character, was chosen to become queen of a vast kingdom. During this time, she hid the secret of being a Jew in her heart, but when a crisis struck she was faced with two decisions. She could either expose the fact that she was a Jew, in order to save her people from annihilation: even though she might lose her life in the process; or she could stay quiet and hope that deliverance would arise elsewhere. After spending time in prayer and fasting, Queen Esther chose to go to the king and tell him everything as well as to plead for the lives of the Jews. Now you have to realize that even though she is queen, she doesn't get to see the king whenever she wants to. In order to gain entrance in the great hall, you must be summoned or else you would perish, as was the law of the time. Knowing this, Esther still obeys God and goes before the king saying, "If I perish, I perish."
Well, we may not all be facing such a dire situation as this, but we will all most assuredly have our courage tested throughout our lifetime. In this post, I wish to stress to you all how important courage is for everyone to have and where courage comes from.
You see, there is a problem in our world today, in which the people would much rather run and hide when they are faced with trials and testing, instead of using courage to face them head on. Does this mean that we will not have any fear at all when we go through trials? Of course not! As Mark Twain said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather it is taking action in spite of our fear." There is another good quote by a cowboy we know as John Wayne, "Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."
Now you may be asking yourself what is the meaning of courage. So I will tell you what I found out after doing some research. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger or trials with self-possession, confidence, and resolution.
There is a great need in our world for people to be willing to stand out and be courageous. After all, where would we be if it wasn't for all the courageous men and women throughout history? If you were to go around and ask others what kind of people built our nation, they are probably not going to say it was cowards who lacked faith and courage. No! They are going to tell you that our nation was built by the sweat and blood of courageous men and women who stood and fought for what they believed in no matter what the cost.
The Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776, in order that we might have freedom. Fifty-six brave men proudly signed the Declaration knowing that they would pay the price for doing so. What happened to those men who signed a document that was considered treason to the crown? They became targets for British vengeance, and for some, their lives were filled with risk and danger that would take great courage to endure.
Thomas Jefferson barely escaped from the British when they sought to capture members of the assembly. George Clymer and his family suffered after a group of British soldiers attacked their home and left it in disarray. Francis Lewis suffered a similar fate as well as having his wife taken prisoner for many months and because of confinement, she died a year or two after her release. His son was also taken prisoner and died in captivity. These are only a few of many true stories about the sufferings of the men and their families who were courageous enough to endure the hardships and sufferings so that we would be free.
Whether it will be something big or small, we will find ourselves in need of some type of courage. You see, courage does not just mean you have to perform a heroic deed. It takes courage to say no when someone is tempting us to do or say something we know goes against what we believe in; to confront a friend when they are doing something wrong; to face up to things we've done wrong in our lives; to stand up for the truth even if we're outnumbered; and it takes persistent courage to stay strong in our faith in God when it seems like the whole world is against us.
The Bible says in Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." It is important to remember when we are going through trials and testing that God is a faithful and loving God who keeps His word. So, if God says that He is always with us, then indeed He is. There is a poem by John B. Gough that goes along with what I have been saying.
If a man stands for the right and truth,
though every man's finger be pointed at him in scorn,
he stands in a majority;
for God and good angels are with him,
and greater are they that are for him than they that are against him
I know how easy it is to become discouraged when facing hardships and trials, and I am not just saying that to prove my point either. I have gone through some difficult situations where it would seem so easy to just walk away and not courageously stand up and fight back. That is when we need to pray and ask god to give us the courage to overcome instead of being overcome.
Now some people might say, "Well why don't you just walk away from these trials and forget about the problem? It is much more comfortable that way." let me give you an example of what might happen if we just walk away. Let's say there was a knight who went to war, but when he arrives at the actual battle, he sees that the enemy outnumbers his comrades and becomes afraid. He can either let fear rule and run away, or he can stay and fight despite his fear. It would be safe to say that if he chooses to run away; the minute his enemies see his back to them, they would probably shoot him in the back in order to try and kill him. If, however, he shows courage and stays to fight, he will be able to see his enemy better, and have a chance to dodge the arrows that come his way.
More than likely, we are going to go through some pretty hard times and it is going to take courage from God to endure to the end. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
Just like Esther who showed amazing courage; when we seek God for direction and courage, He will answer us. Now I ask you this, "Would you be willing to courageously stand up for the cause we believe in, even though we knew that doing so meant the loss of friends, money, position, family, or even our very lives?"
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