E 246: We Have a Courage Crisis

ONE DAY CLOSER with Mark & Dave

Mark and I both attend the same church and the past few weeks we’ve been lead in a series on Courage, that we thought was worth sharing.

According to many pundits, educators and corporate titans there is a serious Crisis of Courage in our younger generation. Apparently, there is a lack of creativity, inspiration or motivation to stand out and excel in the workplace. Which led me to ask the question - WHY?

It would be easy to blame our education system, both high schools and higher learning institutions like the universities, but that wouldn’t cover the Tradecraft industry, which is also short of wannabe apprentices.

So I dug deeper in search of the root question, or group of questions that might give us insight into how to help the next generation course correct.

1. Is it because they haven’t been given an example to follow ?
2. Is it because they haven’t found a hill worth conquering ?
3. Do they lack a vision or dream worthy of pursuing?
4. Do they lack the motivation or passion to even start? Or maybe…
5. The experience or knowledge to execute?

This introduces a deeper set of questions, which tees up the key message our pastor was sharing. In my opinion, ALL are birthed by lack of CONFIDENCE.

So the pastor tees up the message with these questions.

Am I legit?

Am I Competent?

Am I Authentic?

Am I Effective?

Is God with me or is this just me?

In an attempt to answer these questions, let’s refer to what the Bible says. The phrase “Do not fear” appears more than 365 times in the Bible. That’s a lot! And for that phrase to appear that often, implies that there must be a lack of faith or a lack of CONFIDENCE with those the message was given to.

Joshua 1:1-9: Moses is dead, that season is OVER. Time to MOVE on and out.

Step up…it’s your turn…accept the responsibility and lead.

God tells him this TWICE before we get to verse 9.

Joshua must have struggled with courage. He lived most of his early life in the shadow of Moses. Five steps to Joshua’s battle

1. Am I legit? He wasn’t Moses, he was his “assistant”.
2. Am I competent? He was promoted from supporter to leader.
3. How can I be authentic? He was the Stewart of the Promise…not the author.
4. How can I be effective? He was called to be faithful and the new leader.
5. Is God with me in this or is this “urging” or “calling” just me? Well God spoke directly to Joshua on this one. Walk in faithful presence.

Often we are confronted with doubts, questions or distracting voices and people that simply want to attack or steal our courage and faith, or download their beliefs, agendas or failures onto the next generation as a last ditch effort to “be significant.” Think higher education, anti-whatever-syndrom, protests, etc.

Here’s the Pastors Conclusion as to How to prepare to live a life of action:

1. Fuel up for the Journey / What will you need? (A car, gas for the car, a direction, a map, a time line to establish expectations, contingency plans)
2. Commit to showing up. Wrestle long and hard about your idea or calling. Define why it’s a calling and not a bad idea.
3. Do big things in small steps. You’ve heard the saying, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Define your strategy. Be realistic and be adaptable.
4. Be patient and consistent (practice everyday)
5. Don’t quit in the dip when it gets hard or you get discouraged. Anything and everything WORTH PURSUING WILL BE CHALLENGING

And don’t forget the last seven words of CONFIDENCE given to you in Joshua 1 verse 9: “GOD IS WITH YOU, WHEREVER YOU GO”

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