Courage And Character

Love you all, praying for you.
 
I just love God’s Word – it doesn’t just train you in righteousness, it trains you in excellence.  It works.  It’s proven.  It is trustworthy, it never fails.  Courage And Character.  Different, but inclusive.  One is an assessment, the other is an action.  Can you have one without the other?  What is Character? – what you do when no one is looking.  What is Courage? – what you do when no one else will.  Character – The peculiar qualities, engrained by nature or habit, that distinguishes you from others - your character.  You can be of good character, or bad character.  Sound of character or lacking in character.  Can you have one without the other?  Can you have courage but lack character.  Perhaps.  Ecclesiastes 7:19 – Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.  Proverbs 16:32 – He that is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he that ruleth his spirit (that has self-control) than he that taketh a city.  So a person with courage and strength to take a city, might not possess the character to keep it.  Can you have character without courage?  Courage without character is mere bravado – a boast or a brag, a menace or threat, lacking substance to truly follow through, or to overcome for honorable purpose.  Does a bully really have courage?  No.  They merely display selfish overbearance.  Weakness posing as strength.  When challenged with equal or greater strength, or less strength but great courage, they usually fold.   Similarly – can you possess good character if you lack courage?  The ability and willingness to stand for what is right when no one else will, or when the odds are against you.  Courage. Bravery.  Boldness.  Fortitude. That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, ignoring fear out of a sense of honor, righteousness and duty.  What you do regularly - forms character.  So how do you grow in character and courage?  The English word – character – does not appear in the King James – it uses words like virtue, moral excellence, integrity, and trustworthiness to describe it.  Interestingly that word virtue – means voluntary obedience to truth.  And it includes strength, bravery, and valor as a part of virtue, courage is a part of character.  When it comes to virtue, Courage is associated with Character.  God wants you to have courage, and He wants you to have character.  Deuteronomy 31:6 – So be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.  For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  (He will never fail you or abandon you).   Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.  Ezra 10:4 – Arise, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you, so take courage and do it.  Psalms 27:13-14 – I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait patiently for the LORD, be strong and courageous, and wait patiently for the LORD.   Psalms 31:23-24 – Love the LORD, all you his faithful people!  For the LORD protects those who are faithful to him, but the proud he pays back in full.  Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.  God wants you to be of good courage.  Because He promised to be with you.  He will never abandon you.  And He wants you to grow in Character – in reputation and esteem.  Ephesians 5:11 – Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible. (GWT – Light exposes the true character of everything.) 2 Peter 1:5 – For this very reason, (what reason? The inheritance reserved for you in heaven…) you must make every effort to add to your faith, character, and to your character, knowledge. Character (virtue, moral excellence, integrity)  Hebrews 13:5 (NASB) Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you.”    Acts 17:11 – Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Philippians 2:22 – But you know Timothy’s proven character, how as a son with his father, he has served with me in the gospel.  (v20) I have no one else like him, who genuinely cares about your welfare.  Proverbs 31:10 – A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  Ruth 2:1 – Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character.  I Cor 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”  Romans 5:3-4 – Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  I Peter 1:6 – In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to endure various trials, so that the proven character of your faith – more precious than gold (which perishes even though refined by fire) – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.  Philippians 1:11 – May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.   God wants you to have courage – as a part of your character.  So how do you get courage.  Know that He goes with you, He will never leave you or forsake you. And how do you grow in character?  #1 Obey what you know so far, #2 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  #3 Speak words of faith, #4 Stay in God’s Word – to add knowledge to your character.  #5 Keep yourself free from the love of money, value character over money.  #6 Be genuinely concerned about the welfare of others like Timothy.  #7 Avoid bad company, choose friends wisely.  #8 Count all your trials as joy.   Rejoice in your trials, because they will result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus appears.  Praying that God’s Word, and Your Obedience, will grow you in courage and character – so His praise and glory will always come. 
 
Love you all,
dad