Courage Is In Short Supply

"Courage is in short supply these days." I heard that phrase from General Jerry Boykin.  It gave me chills, because he nailed it. He is SO right.

Courage IS in short supply these days.... especially from believers.

I'm not talking about the kind of courage someone would envision. The kind of courage that is ready to physically fight an intruder. No. I'm talking about a spiritual kind of courage. A kind of courage that is ready to stand for a faith it says it believes in.

That kind of courage is scary. It's scary, because it risks being laughed at. Misunderstood. Ridiculed. Hated. Left lonely.

But that's what God asks us to do.

General Boykin made an interesting statement. He said that often, Christians talk about how "God is in control." And He is. His sovereign hand is over everything. But he observed how we often use that statement as an excuse, to sit back and do nothing.

Nothing.

We don't take a stand for what's right. We don't let our voices be heard.

Do you know why some people constantly fill up our news screens? Because they are speaking - no shouting - loud enough for their voices to be heard. Even if they are aimless, they believe in what they are standing for and they aren't afraid to say it and stand for it.

Why aren't we?

I don't want to constantly "zip my lips." I want to speak wisely, and gently. I want to stand with love for humanity. But I also want to speak for what is morally right. I want to stand for my faith. I want to stand for all that is good.

It has to be done the right way; but it has to be done.

God doesn't NEED us to fight for Him. But He WANTS us to. 

I would never abandon my family without fighting for them. If they were lost, I would search for them until I found them. If they were attacked, I would defend them. I expect the same out of myself for a Lord that I say rules my heart and my life.

I HAVE to stand up. I HAVE to speak up. I can't be afraid what others think. Political or not. Spiritual or not. Emotional or not. Physical or not.

I am an heir to the kingdom. And I am here to defend and stand for its legacy. I am here, to fight for its cause. In love. In dignity and integrity.

Are you?