Courage

Facing challenges can be like stepping out on the water. It can be a source of great anxiety and fear, causing us to retreat. Peter faced this challenge quite literally when Jesus called out to him as He was upon the water. But before he took his first steps, there were prior steps that enabled him to make this bold move.

Avoid the Comfort Zone

One of the first steps before facing challenges is identifying where you might turn to for alleviation or avoidance of the challenge. For Peter, it may have been to  remain in the boat the moment Jesus called out to him. For most of us, it might not be something to this extent but may be a habit, attitude, or behavior that helps us feel more secure or in control.

Sometimes we may not immediately be able to identify the discomfort until we catch ourselves leaning into our comfort zone. Whatever this might be, we have to learn to reject its meaning to us as being comfortable, safe, and desired. Instead of seeing it for only its short term benefits and relief, imagine the future in this place and if this is where you would want to be or further on. 

If the answer is further on, cut ties with your comfort zone, it is not your friend nor does it care to be. A lot of the time, moving further in life involves challenges and the comfort zone inhibits this process.  See it as its purpose to keep you from progressing in life, a danger and stagnation to goals and dreams, rather than a place of safety and assurance. This mindset shift will lead you to be uncomfortable in your comfort zone. No more hiding, it’s time to prepare to step out.

So, what if you honestly believe that your comfort zone is harmless and you do not mind where you imagine yourself to be by staying near it and dragging it around with you?

Clear Focus

So now that we are totally repulsed by what we consider our own personal comfort zones, different for everyone, consider where you need to go next. The answer is not to move so quickly just yet. Not every act of bravery wins battles, but ones of purpose and strategy. The guide for successfully facing challenges in any area of your life is found in the Word, and who is the Word? Jesus!!! Notice how I used the word toward instead of against, more on that in a moment, because before we move forward, we have to know which direction to face the challenge because though we may not be facing in the direction of our comfort zone, we still may not be facing the right direction. 

This is where we need to have clear focus and Jesus is the one we need to focus on. By focusing on Him, we learn how to recognize Him and His voice when He calls out to us to walk on the water. Do you really believe that Peter would have stepped out if he hadn’t recognized Jesus or His voice? 

At that time, the winds and the waves may have been scary, but I am sure what the Bible describes as them seeing something that appeared to be a ghost upon the water, was even more terrifying. The same concept applies that the thought of facing challenges seems more daunting than the challenges themselves. Little known to the disciples was that in that moment that Jesus was enacting what they themselves were capable of doing if they chose to keep Him the center of their attention. He embodied the representation of  transcending all challenging circumstances as He approached them walking upon the water. As they focused on Him, they were able to recognize Him.

Finding Jesus in the midst of what seems daunting and impossible is the key that gives us the opportunity to focus on Him and know which direction to turn toward overcoming a challenge.

How ironic though, that by the disciples originally believing to see a ghost was a foreshadowing of what was to come, this by Him sending the Holy Ghost to be with us and give us the courage to face challenges.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.

Matthew 14:27

Take Courage

Easier said than done, especially when it is time to step out and face a challenge. Remember the ghost that was not really a ghost? Yes, it’s important to recognize that what may appear “scary” may just be our perception and not actual reality. We decide for ourselves what to fear no matter whether it’s for good reason or not. 

If we compare the process of facing the fear in correlation to the story, we will find that the time Jesus sent them out is similar to our going about our daily lives as believers in Christ. The storm arising is from challenges that come in our path with our initial response to it being fear. Seeing Jesus walk upon the water is the choice that comes when we either decide to remain in fear or fix our eyes on Him in the midst of the chaos and storm.

Yet in the midst of this, when we become afraid, Jesus is there telling us to take courage. Notice that He said to take courage before instructing not to be afraid. Have you heard that replacing a bad habit with a positive one is more effective than simply getting rid of the bad habit. The same holds true here that overcoming fear is not necessarily learning how to remove the fear but to have courage in the face of it. 

To take courage means to receive from God strength, perseverance, and encouragement. The definition of courage “is the ability to do something that frightens one” as well as “strength in the face of pain or grief.” So courage is emotional resilience given by God to undertake challenges in the presence of fear.

A lot of the time, fear does not magically go away on it’s own but requires Biblical strategy to handle and eventually be rid of by replacing with courage, that is why it is mentioned several times in the Bible to attain courage first before having no fear. So, our first attention should not be on the fear itself and how to eliminate but rather to acknowledge it then immediately take courage from God. Bravery, on the other hand, is synonymous to courage except that it is not accompanied by fear. By replacing fear with courage, we will eventually become brave as fear will no longer have any place in our hearts.

There are also several other verses in the Bible that point to taking courage before not having fear. This shows that the Word acknowledges fear to be a real hindrance that requires courage by focusing on Christ who then gives you what is needed to face the challenge. 

When we focus on Jesus in the midst of the storm, how much more is it diminished just as the winds and waves were to the disciples as they beheld Jesus walking on water. With Him in our line of sight, we can directly receive courage from Him when it is time to step out on the water.

 Summed Up

In this blog post, we discussed the initial steps it takes before stepping out onto the water in correlation to the story of Jesus walking on the water. The steps required to step out revolve around shifting our perception and mindset by:

Realizing that our comfort zone is not a place of safety but puts us in danger of stagnation

Focusing on Jesus gives a clear path towards how a challenge should be faced.

Taking courage from God is necessary to replace fear and step out on the water.