Courage Doesn't Happen by Chance

Acts of courage don’t happen on accident.

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You may not know when trials will come, but you can be prepared for them.

I call this preparation the art of disciplined development.

Disciplined development is deliberate.

In Genesis 14 the patriarch Abraham gets word that his relative Lot has been taken hostage by enemy kings.

When [Abraham] heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan (Gen. 14:14).

Abraham musters his troops for war. His household army goes and rescues Lot. But did you catch something significant?

His troops were trained—they were, past tense, already developed.

When wartime comes—and courage is called for—the prepared will know how to fight.

The question is, are you prepared for the battle? Are you presently training—that is, disciplining and developing—for the hour, unbeknownst to you, when you will need to rise up and stand tall?

For Christians in every age, true training comes by studying and strengthening themselves in the Word.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8).

Have you been trained by the Word? What new or revamped Bible study habit do you need to start today?

For more insights on courage, check out these articles:

• Why Courage Still Matters

• Lessons in Courage

• When You Feel Like Quitting