COURAGE Today, this world seeks to pressure God’s people to conform and not say or do anything regarding the inconstancies and hypocrisies they observe all around them.  This world, even the religious establishment, expects God and His people to act in a “politically correct” way.  If they dare not, then they are to be seen as “bad,” “the     enemy,” or “troublemakers.”  You may   recall that Jesus and John, the Baptist, and all the faithful servants of God were seen this way in times past.  These chose to have courage knowing who and what was backing them.  They chose to live a courageous life knowing of a God that was worthy of total commitment.  The atheist may or may not have courage; however, all who know God and have a real relationship with Him must have courage.  For one to claim to have faith and then not have courage is to say the least inconsistent.  Believers understand that their powerful God can do all things (Mt. 19:26) and believers know this with certainty (Phil. 4:13).   God expects courage to be evidenced in His people.  Moses and Joshua are commanded by God as leaders of God’s people to be both strong and courageous in the way they conducted themselves (Deut. 31:7-8, 22-23).  All of God’s people are commanded to be both strong and courageous.  In God’s mind there are to be no wimp Christians.  God on at least three other occasions reminds His people to be both strong and courageous (Josh. 1:6; 1 Chron. 28:20; Psalm 27:14).  Our God is no wimp.  He is powerful and mighty and to claim to represent Him as His people and act in a cowardly and fearful way is        insulting to Him.  We must honor God by representing Him with His power and strength being bold when it is “politically incorrect” to be bold.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7).  Satan offers us just the opposite, and we must make sure that we do not accept his superficial offers. Observe what is happening today in the religious world.  In the past two  thousand years the doctrine of God has evolved in a multitude of religious institutions.  These institutions have their own systems of establishment, and they want them perpetuated.  They have their own uninspired and ever changing creeds, councils, missals, catechisms, books of discipline, manuals, etc.  None should dispute that these are put together by sincere and well-meaning individuals.  The problem is that they can’t all be right.  The potential is that they are all wrong in dividing and confusing people who seek God.  It takes courage for anyone in any religious system that presently exists to openly declare what the Holy Spirit has inspired in Romans 3:4, “Let God be true but every man a liar.” It takes courage and boldness to challenge people to step outside their present religious comfort zone to seek simply to honor God in His perfectly inspired and preserved terms alone.  Those who can and will accept this bold and courageous challenge will find the freedom that they inwardly yearn for by simply doing what Jesus and the apostles have told them to do.  Those who accept Jesus’ terms will find His absolute and authoritative truth that frees.  How awesome it is to be free of the church politics that go on in unauthorized organizations that exist and usurp authority from God and His people.   Examples of courage are evidenced in the Scriptures not through some      hierarchal religious system but rather by individuals who walked with God.  Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 14 are ready to take God’s people on to the Promised Land, but the people decided to be democratic and to vote.  The faithful failed, and the cowardly won ten to two.  You may remember that during the generation of Gideon God was able to use 300 to destroy an army of 135,000 in Judges 7.  Saints are to learn that they are to be courageous in all situations and that with God numbers don’t matter.  What matters is simply that you really are on the Lord’s side!  As a youth, David was maybe five feet tall; and Goliath was maybe ten feet tall.  Goliath was a warrior and had a warrior’s armor and weapons to fight against David.  David had no armor and only a sling and five smooth stones of which he only needed one.  In this David is seen to have more faith and courage that all others in the army of Israel.  In the New Testament we see the courage and boldness of Peter and John as they stood to be judged by the religious establishment, and they boldly proclaimed that the religious should make a judgment as to weather they should obey God or man (Ac. 4:19; 5:29).  They were beaten for being so bold, but they knew they were right for they were standing with God. Saints today express courage by seeking first the kingdom of God before they seek their personal or American rights (Matt. 6:33).  Christians express their courage even if maligned, devalued, or hated by others as they follow their Savior  (Mt. 10:22).  It is not the most positive point in becoming a child of God; but it is a fact that if you do what is right before God, you should not be surprised that you will experience abuse or persecution (2 Tim. 3:12).  It takes courage to endure grief in the negative experiences of life.  Let us choose in all things to be motivated by the salvation placed before us IN Christ (1 Pet. 1:5-6).  Take courage, children of God; and remember that in all situations when you are united with God through Christ, you are always a majority and always winners.