If there is one thing that we need in our world today, it is courage. A people who are willing to stand up and stand out for the name of Jesus. A people who are like Daniel.
I try to imagine what it was like for a young teenager to lose everything he had ever known and be taken to a place he had never been, with only a belief that his God was still bigger. But that is precisely what happened and exactly what Daniel lived. That took courage.
Daniel had no idea that God was going to raise him up and give him an influence that only God could imagine.
So, what is courage?
Courage begins with commitment – a commitment to what God asks and to what He says in His Word. You see, courage is birthed out of obedience. It simply believes, God said it, and that is enough.
Daniel not only knew God’s law, he was convinced there was no other way to live, and we need to do the same. Courage is not something that rises to the forefront when we are being tested, it is the natural resolve of something already proven within us.
You see, following God does not mean living out biblical principles only when it is convenient or easy. Obedience is our consistent lifestyle no matter what circumstances we face. Without this understanding, we will waffle and waver when times of testing arise.
Thinking from Daniel’s perspective, he was never a captive of the Babylonian empire, he had already become a captive of the Lord his God. And the same needs to happen to us. We decide right now who is Lord of our life, and thus, a Godly courage will rise up in the face of any and every obstacle we encounter.
God rewarded Daniel’s faithfulness by allowing him to gain greater influence in the Babylonian and Persian empires. Because of Daniel’s commitment to God, he had a Godly impact that extended for many years.
Now listen, the Lord does not raise us all up to such high positions of influence as He did with Daniel, but He wants to use each of us to impact others for Christ in whatever sphere of influence we have been given. That will only happen as we are committed to trust and obey Him. Courage will be the fruit of that every time.
