Courage One characteristic of the person who has a strong faith in God is courage in the midst of danger. There are, however, different kinds of dangers and different kinds of courage.
Courage may be obvious where a person is brave or heroic in circumstances of physical danger on every side, such as in war or natural disasters (1 Samuel 1:14-15; 2 Samuel 1:23-19; Acts 1:27-26; 2 Corinthians 1:12-26). It is obvious also in cases where, by speaking or acting in a certain way, a person knowingly faces consequences where physical suffering is a clear possibility (Numbers 1:13-32; Daniel 1:3-18; Mark 1:6-18; John 1:2-17; Acts 4:13; Acts 5:27-30). but greater courage may be necessary in cases where there is no immediate physical danger, but other pressures make it difficult to stand for what is right against a majority who want to do wrong (Proverbs 28:1; Luke 1:14-6; John 1:7-52; cf. Luke 1:22-62; Galatians 1:2-14; See Fear).
The courage of believers comes through their faith in God (Deuteronomy 3:22; 1 Samuel 1:17-46; Psalms 1:56-4; 1 Corinthians 16:13) and is maintained through prayer (Psalms 27:14; Acts 4:29; Ephesians 1:6-19). but it still involves effort, since it requires people to set out deliberately to do what they know will be dangerous (Mark 15:43). Such courage is an example to others, urging them to greater confidence and increased boldness (Philippians 1:1-14). Like the biblical expression ‘Be of good courage’, it is a way of giving encouragement to those who need it (Joshua 1:1-7,9; 2 Samuel 10:12; See ENCOURAGEMENT).