Tag: Courage

Courage

Courage is a choice made in the moment it is needed.

We could talk about areas that create fear and the fallout from it. We could also examine a number of ways to overcome fear.

We know the value of healthy fear when danger can inflect harm.

What really enables us to overcome the battles and storms of life that seem to intimidate and discourage us? What empowers us to overcome the insecurities, doubt, and distractions that prevent the choice of courage?

Through it all, one powerful thought is needed for leaders. God is with us and He is for us. Read Romans 8:31-39.

Developing Leaders

Confidence. Courage. Compassion. Integrity. Each of these qualities are a vital part of developing the type of leaders needed today.

Douglass MacArthur said, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”

If leaders today will demonstrate the type of qualities identified and the integrity to stand behind those qualities, their leadership will always stand strong and point others to the God who brought them to this position.

Bravery

To be brave is connected to showing courage. Bravery is an action taken at the moment it is needed.

Most who claim to be brave fail to demonstrate what is needed when the moment arises. Sadly, it seems to be easier for people today to move on rather than act bravely. The church needs leaders who recognize the need of this moment and act bravely.

When we look at Jesus, we see the greatest act of bravery in history.

Leaders must follow His example and humbly submit to the will of the Father, giving themselves in service to the kingdom.

Goals and Courage

Goals are essential to success. We build morale and sustain momentum to reach our long-term goals by the short-term goals we establish.

Courage is a decision to act bravely when we are scared. When that time comes, we need leaders who have the courage to lead with their eye on the goal(s).

Dr. Anil Kumar Sinha said it this way, “Successful people keep their eye on the goal. If they encounter obstacles, instead of focusing on the obstacle, they find a way around it by keeping their goal in mind. It is a mindset of courage which makes it easier to pursue success.”

A Leader’s Influence

Does leadership influence culture, or does culture influence leadership? There is a great deal of controversy over the answer.

There are times when it seems the culture influences leadership. At other times, leadership influences culture, as with Harry Truman during World War II.

Amazingly, the definition of leadership often changes in relationship to the culture and the current leadership.

While we may never have a definitive answer, one thought is clear: God intends spiritual leaders to influence the culture and not the reverse.

The task before us is to be the influence in our world. We must arise and accept the challenge with courage and boldness.

Courageous Leadership

Leaders need courage, but what does that mean?

We often think of courage as a quality or characteristic that people possess or develop. Some people have it and some do not.

However, courage is a decision to act bravely when you are scared to death. It is easy to say we have courage when everything operates smoothly, but what about in times of challenge, controversy, or conflict?

It takes courage to stand against the influences of false teaching, to address disciplinary matters, to stand for right decisions (even if unpopular or unaccepted by some), and do so with a gentleness and love that demonstrates concern for every individual.

Healthy Leadership

Leaders who desire to please everyone, in reality, end up attempting to please only those who matter least.

Leaders need wisdom to identify the people who aren’t good for them. A few qualities stand out: negativity, cynicism, malicious, deceptive, self-centered, and venomous are unhealthy for any relationship.

The ability to walk away rests upon knowing the value of one’s own mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, and walking away takes courage.

The wisdom to know the people who aren’t good for us and the courage to walk away from them are steps toward a happier and healthier leadership.

Discouragement and Leadership

We learn a great deal from Nehemiah as a leader. He was a man of prayer, passionate for God and his people, courageous in the face of opposition, and he encountered discouragement but was not distracted.

Threats from external enemies, ridicule, and plots of ambush, make it easy to see how one could get discouraged. Nehemiah, however, was not distracted. The task was great, his faith was strong, and nothing kept him from finishing the objective.

Leaders can get discouraged.

Satan wants to discourage leaders so they will quit.

We must be determined, strong in faith, prayerful, passionate, courageous, and un-distracted when finishing the objective.

Timeless Advice

We all enjoy learning timeless nuggets of advice, those pieces of information unaltered by time, generation, or culture. Often times, we can overlook them for something believed to have greater value.

Joshua was given one of these nuggets, “Be strong and very courageous.” God emphasized strength and courage three times in this context.

As we consider the timeless nature of this advice, there are powerful implications for spiritual leaders. God specifies that Joshua’s success depended on following this advice.

The success of our leadership today depends on following the same. How different would our world be if spiritual leaders had the strength and courage to do so?

Wisdom and Courage…

Wisdom and courage warrant discussion on many levels and have for a long time. These two qualities or attributes are critical to the development of leaders.

Mark Amend says, “Wisdom is learning to let go when you want to hang on. Courage is learning to hang on when you want to let go.”

Learning to let go even when our emotions are telling us something contrary and learning to hang on when the appearance of letting go makes sense are foundational components to demonstrating wisdom and courage.

Spiritual leaders today need to learn the potent combination of both.