What Is Courage?

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time.

Welcome to Season 7 of the True Girl podcast. You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Are you ever scared to stand up for what you know is right? Or have you ever worried about what other people think of you? If your answer to those questions is “yes,” season 7 of the True Girl podcast is for you. We’re on a quest for courage.And, we’re headed to Egypt!

On our trip, we’ll learn all about how to become a girl of courage. “How?” you ask. By tracing the ancient footsteps of a girl a lot like you: Miriam.

Dannah Gresh is going to help us study the life of this amazingly courageous girl. Dannah is the author of a Bible study written just for you. It’s titled Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage. 

Today Dannah is joined by her cohost, Staci Rudolph, at the Gresh farm, where they’re meeting so that they can catch their flight to Egypt. They hope to teach us what true courage is and what it isn’t. 

But . . . uh . . . Staci has a little problem.

Will she make it to the airport in time for the flight? Let’s find out. It’s time for Episode 1, called “What Is Courage?”

Here’s Dannah!

Dannah Gresh: Goodbye Moosie! Goodbye Boo Who! Goodbye Trigger!

Oh, hello Staci.

Staci Rudolph: Hey, Dannah. My suitcase will not stay shut!

There . . . now don’t you go poppin’ open on me again, okay!? I’m warning you!

Oh, no! Not again! Dannah, can I get some help over here?

Dannah: Of course, Staci. 

Phew! Staci, Surely you don’t need all of that stuff. What in the world do you have in that thing anyway?

Staci: Hmm, let’s see. I’ve got: 

• Clothes, of course
• Pajamas
• A jacket
• Some kicks
• My toothbrush and toothpaste, of course!
• Oh, soap
• My hair stuff

And ah:

• My swimsuit
• Sunscreen
• A beach towel—you know I’m hoping to float in the Red Sea, right?

Dannah: Me, too!

Staci: And I’ve got my Bible . . . can’t forget that, right?

Dannah: Right. 

Staci: Oh, my notebook and some gel pens.

Dannah: That all seems pretty important, but you gotta have more than that in here. 

Staci: Well, that’s all of the usual stuff. Now for the fun stuff! 

• I’ve got loose leaf tea. I gotta have my tea, Dannah, you know that.
• My tea infuser
• My basketball, in case we find a hoop!
• Oh, I just threw in my guitar because I’ve got to practice.

Dannah: Okay, Staci, hold it! We’re going to Egypt on a six-day quest for courage, not a six-month vacation!

Now, some of that extra stuff has got to go!

Staci: I know, I know, but what if I need this cute little llama-shaped tea infuser?

Dannah: Okay, Staci, look at me . . . you won’t.

Staci: I guess you’re right. Give me a second to do a little rearranging, alright?. Maybe if I leave a few things behind, my bag will finally stay shut. 

Dannah: I hope so! Hey, how about we start our trip before we get on the road by reading our verse of the day before we load up?

Staci: Alrighty. But I have to open my suitcase and . . .

Dannah: No, don’t! Here, let’s use my Bible. I have it here in my bookbag!

Our verse of the day–and really the theme verse for our trip to Egypt–is Joshua 1:9.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. 

That’s a good one, don’t you think? I love that verse! God was talking to Joshua. He was the new leader of the Israelites after Moses died. Think about replacing Moses! I mean, he led them out of Egyptian slavery and into freedom. Pretty epic, right! But now Joshua had to lead them. Don’t mind me saying, but that would be hard. I’m sure Joshua felt insecure. And God told him, “Be strong! Be courageous! I’m with you!” What a comfort.

Staci: That’s right! True Girl, you might need that comfort for something God needs and wants you to do. Could be something like standing up for what you believe is true at school. But God is with you, True Girl! Be strong. Be courageous!

Dannah: Yeah, Staci. Ya know, God tells us to be courageous over and over again in His Word. 

Staci: Yup. And we’re going to Egypt so we can learn how to do that! We invite you to come with us. We’re gonna be learning from a really great teacher: Miriam. (You know, Moses’ sister, Miriam—the baby-in-the-basket-by-the-Nile-River Miriam!) Anyway, when we visit Egypt, we’re gonna walk where she walked thousands of years ago and see what she might have seen during her time in Egypt. We’ll learn how Miriam became a girl of courage so that we can be courageous, too!

Dannah: But before we can do that, we’ve got a little bit of a problem, and it’s bigger than your overstuffed suitcase, Staci.

Staci: A problem? What problem?

Dannah: How can we learn to be courageous if we don’t know what it is in the first place?

Staci: That’s a good point! True courage can be difficult to define and explain. If we aren’t careful, we’ll begin to believe the lies that the world tells us about it.

Dannah: That’s right! So, before we can know what true courage is, let me tell you something it’s not.

Let’s take a look at lies you may be believing about courage. It won’t take long, and don’t worry, the airport is just a few corn fields away from my farm.

Here’s a lie we hear about courage a lot: courage means doing something extraordinary—and of course extraordinary is just a fancy way of saying something is super special, exciting, or important.

I think it is easy for us to think that in order to be courageous you have to do something big. 

Staci: You mean like jumping out of an airplane with a parachute! Skydiving! Hey, maybe we could try that in Egypt.

Dannah: I guess I mean something like that, but I am not going to be jumping out of an airplane anytime soon. But hey, while we’re talking, grab that suitcase and let’s start to load up. I am going to pop the trunk.

Staci: Oh, for sure!

Dannah: Do you think it’ll all fit?

Staci: It better after that packing fiasco!

Dannah: Okay, let me grab that one.

Staci: Hey! It did all fit! We’re ready to go!

Dannah: Yep, we sure are. So, let’s finish up our conversation. While doing something big and extraordinary for God can certainly be courageous, living a courageous life is actually much simpler than that. Let me explain. Staci, can you read Joshua 1:7 for me? It’s right here.

Staci: Of course!

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Hey! That verse sounds just like our Bible verse of the day, Joshua 1:9.

Dannah: Yep, it sure does. But it’s not the same verse.

Staci: So, why do you think God needed to tell the Israelites to be strong and courageous more than once in the same chapter? Seems a little repetitive if you ask me. 

Dannah: Well, God must have wanted them to really get it. The Israelites often gave into fear instead of choosing to be courageous. So, God had to tell them over and over again: Be strong! Be courageous!

Staci: Oh, that makes sense.

Dannah: God's people had to be strong to live courageous lives. But they also needed to be careful to obey. Did you hear that in the verse? When God tells someone in the Bible to be courageous, it often comes with this encouragement: be obedient.

In the book of Joshua, God told his people to enter the Promised Land, but there was a huge problem—the land was full of giants! (Think Goliath-sized guys!) Yikes! Who wouldn’t be afraid of people like that? 

Courage requires obedience because, otherwise, we might chicken out. 

[Rooster crowing]

Haha perfect timing, Franklin!

[to Franklin] Trying to get another appearance on the True Girl podcast are ya? 

All right, you go back to your girls now, okay?

Now, where were we? Oh, courage requires obedience because otherwise we might chicken out. Courage looks more like faithful obedience to God than doing extraordinary things. 

Staci: So, we don’t have to do something big for God in order to be courageous?

Dannah: Nope! Even small steps of obedience can be courageous. And you never know, those little acts of faithful obedience may just turn into something extraordinary.

I need you to know this: courage isn’t something you feel. Courage is a choice to take action in spite of what you feel! I don’t know about you, but I often feel very afraid when I most need to be courageous.

I just want you to know, True Girl, it’s okay to be afraid. It’s normal.

Do you remember those big giants I told you about? They made the Israelites feel fear, and lots of it! But God invited them to choose courage, to be strong, to obey Him in going into that land.

Courage is choosing to trust God when you feel afraid. He will not leave you or fail you, remember that. Not only do you have to choose to believe that He will help you overcome your fear, but you also need to trust Him for the outcome.

Staci: Wow, so I can be courageous even when I’m scared or afraid?

Dannah: That’s right! It’s about obeying God even when you feel those things.

Here’s how I like to define courage, Staci: true courage is doing the right thing even when it’s hard or you are afraid.

Staci: And if we ever need help as we learn to be more courageous, God’s Word should always be the first place we turn to. It’s packed full of truth about courage!

Dannah: Speaking of being “packed full” are you ready to head to the airport? 

Staci: It’s time to go already? 

Dannah: Yep. 

Staci: I’m still sad I have to leave my basketball and guitar. At least my suitcase will close now! 

Well, True Girl, our courage quest begins. Let’s go walk where Miriam walked.

Dannah: And True Girl mom, can I just say thanks for taking the time to connect with your True Girl and helping her become a girl of courage. Hi five to ya! 

We’ve gotta go catch this flight. But catch up to us next week, we’ll be on the other side of the globe!

[Horse neighs]

[To the horse] Oh, goodbye sweet horse babies. I’ll see you when I get back from Egypt. Farmer Bob will take good care of you.

[Goat bleats]

[To the goats] You too Boo Who and Cindy Lou Who. Bye!

[To Staci] C’mon Staci, Egypt awaits!

Staci: Wait for me!

Claire: Well, True Girl, that’s so interesting that courage isn’t just about doing something extraordinary, it’s about obeying God! 

In the Bible study Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage, Dannah unpacks four more lies we sometimes believe about courage. You can get a copy of the book to study the life of Miriam—and her quest for courage—more deeply. Just visit MyTrueGirl.com to find out more.

While you’re there, check out our True Girl subscription box. We deliver discipleship tools right to your front door, including daily devos written just for tweens and to drive home the lesson of the month. 

The box we’re shipping in November 2022—until supplies run out—is “The Shine Box.” It features a biblical lesson in “leaving a little sparkle” for Jesus everywhere you go. We’re taking a No Grumble November Challenge! You heard me right. We shine bright for Christ when our mouths aren’t full of negativity and grumbling! 

So, we’re going to go all month long trying to 1) say nothing negative and 2) “leave a little sparkle” of God’s truth instead! “The Shine Box” comes with an all-new coloring book to help you meditate on Bible verses. 

You can learn more about the True Girl subscription box, and all the other resources to bring moms and daughters closer to each other and closer to Jesus, at MyTrueGirl.com.

Well, I can’t wait to see what places Dannah and Staci visit as they travel through Egypt and walk where Miriam walked! Where do you think they’ll go first?

Here’s a hint: [Sound of a river]

Next week, we’ll catch up with Dannah and Staci in the place where Miriam was when we first read about her in the Bible. Think you know where our first stop will be? Make sure to tune in next week on the True Girl podcast to find out if you’re right! 

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

All Scripture is taken from the NLT.

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