Did you ever stop to think that if there is such a thing as good courage, then there must be bad courage too? Well, I did the other day.
Is this lady crazy or courageous?
To be honest, that's often determined by the eye of the beholder. What a Christian does the world might call 'foolishness,' (1 Cor. 1:18) but to a child of God, it is a great reward (Mat. 5:12).
Before you go leaping off the hillside, let's remember that God was the One Who told His people to have good courage, which means it's not always the world looking on that thinks we're crazy. Sometimes, God isn't impressed either.
So, I thought about what bad courage might look like, and within a few moments a list of things came to mind. It's by no means extensive because I only gave it a few minutes, but it was surprisingly easy to do.
Not consulting God. (It seems kinda obvious but then how many times do we forget to pray until we're mid-air?)
Not listening to wise counsel (or at least giving it due consideration).
Not waiting on God.
Now, you might say, "What? Wait? Didn't God command Joshua to have good courage because he needed to GO and conquer?"
Well, what about this verse?
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Ps. 27:14
Twice, yes, twice, this verse says to wait on God. To be honest, I never noticed that. Good courage isn't always about leaping to action. Sometimes, it's waiting. Do I have courage to wait?
Good courage can be stepping out in faith when the rest of the world is saying, "Paul, don't be an idiot. They'll send you to Rome, and you'll die there!"
Good courage can also be waiting on God in a prison cell in Rome knowing God might not send an angel/earthquake to set you free like He has in the past. Good courage is having the faith to go, and the faith to stay no matter what the obstacles are. And somewhere in there, you need the wisdom to know which one God's asked of you, to go or wait.
Have you ever analysed your courage to see if it's 'good courage'?