Stand to Reason’s vision statement—the goal we’re reaching for—is this: “Confidence for every Christian, clear thinking for every challenge, courage and grace for every encounter.” Greg addresses the third part of that vision in this month’s mentoring letter, giving three tips for cultivating courage. The first tip is the simplest, but it’s not easy:
My first tip is the most important one: Face up.
In Matthew 10, Jesus didn’t mince words when He gave his disciples a “pep talk” before sending them on their first short-term mission. He told them they would be persecuted, hated, maligned, beaten, betrayed, and murdered. Hard facts? Yes. Frightening? Of course. Why was Jesus so blunt?
In WW2, some of the most courageous soldiers were the ones already convinced they would not survive the war. Since they were dead already in their own eyes, they simply accepted the threat and moved forward with resolve. In the same way, there is a courage that comes when we make peace with the fact that faithfulness to Christ is going to cost us. We will never be welcomed by the world, so why worry about it? ...
So decide today—mark your calendar—that you are already dead in this fight. You will not survive this war. You are fully in. You are fully His. You accept the consequences. Let the ridicule and rejection come. You are ready for it. You expect the worst from men, and you expect the best from God. Do not fear.
Read the other two tips here.