What the Bible says
When Joshua stood at the edge of a hard task, God did not tell him to look within. He said, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed” (Joshua 1:9), and He gave the reason: the Lord would be with him. Moses had said the same: “he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Courage grows from God’s presence and God’s promise, not from confidence in ourselves.
Fear and courage are both about what fills the heart. Paul tells Timothy, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). David asked, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). When the Lord is seen as He is, lesser fears lose their hold, and we can say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6).
The early church needed courage to speak of Jesus under threat. They prayed, “grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word” (Acts 4:29). The answer came: “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). Even their enemies saw in Peter and John “that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Boldness is the fruit of time spent with Christ and the work of His Spirit.
Jesus does not promise an easy road. He says, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our courage rests on His victory at the cross and the empty tomb. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). So Paul could write, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13), and that word still stands for every believer.
14 verses, King James Version
Psalms 27:1
The LORD is my light; whom shall I fear
1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Hebrews 13:6
The Lord is my helper; I will not fear
6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
John 16:33
Be of good cheer; I have overcome
33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Romans 8:31
If God be for us, who can be against us
31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Joshua 1:9
God is with you wherever you go
9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Deuteronomy 31:6
He will not fail you
6Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
2 Timothy 1:7
The Spirit gives boldness
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Stand firm and be strong
13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Psalms 31:24
Take heart, all who hope
24Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
1 Chronicles 28:20
Do the work God gave you
20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
Daniel 3:16–18
Faithful even if God does not rescue
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Esther 4:14–16
Esther’s brave choice
14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 15Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Acts 4:29–31
Praying for boldness
29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Proverbs 28:1
The righteous are bold
1The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (public domain). Read aloud by Anthony.