Key verse:1 Samuel 17:32: “David said to Saul, ‘let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him,” (NIV).

Courage is not easy and doesn’t happen by accident. The greatest act of courage doesn’t come from the fearless. Courage is speaking boldly in the face of fear or challenge. Courage is speaking bold words.

As Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other, Goliath came out and shouted that he will defy the armies of Israel. The Bible recorded that when the armies of Israel saw Goliath, they all fled from him in great fear (1Samuel 17:32). David heard the words of Goliath and something stirred up inside of him. David said to Saul: “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Saul had waited for a long time, at least 40 days to hear somebody say those words, “I will go fight the giant,” and to hear those words now from the mouth of a young boy, it doesn’t sound like a joke. The good news was that someone has finally summoned up courage to fight Goliath, but the bad news was that David was a little shepherd boy. He wasn’t a strongman or a proven soldier. The words of David to Saul, “your servant will go and fight the Philistine,” were the bold words that inspired courage to go fight Goliath and bring him down.

The instrument in the hand of the devil through which he communicates fear is the spoken word. In 1 Samuel 17:8-11, we saw Goliath shouting to the armies of Israel and they were all terrified. You must engage bold speaking to unleash the wonders in the word of God. Faith is dormant and it takes our declaration of faith to deliver. We are saved by the confession of our faith (Romans 10:10). Don’t speak your circumstance, but your expectations. Choose to speak boldly what you believe even when others are speaking contrary because your result will be different. In Numbers Chapter 13, 10 spies reported: “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight,” (Numbers 13:33).

But Joshua and Caleb gave an inspiring and courageous report: “Fear not the people, for they are bread for us,” (Numbers 14:9). You either choose to become like a grasshopper in the eyes of your enemies or your enemies become like loaves of bread for you. Life is about perception; your perception draws your reality.

Courage is the inner fire that keeps you moving forward when everything inside is screaming to quit. Courage doesn’t make adversity to disappear; it doesn’t erase pain or make the struggle easy. What it does is to empower you to face struggle with your head held high to learn from it and come out stronger on the other side.

Every challenge you overcome with courage builds your character, sharpens your wisdom and expands your capacity for greatness. There is a saying, “smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors,” and the same goes for life. It is the storms and rough waters that develop your strength and resilience. It takes courage to keep sailing through the storms. Growth is not comfortable because it involves stepping outside your comfort zone. Most people think that staying in their comfort zone prevents them from failure, embarrassment or disappointment, but in reality it protects you from progress. Every time you choose comfort over discomfort, you are actually training your brain to believe that discomfort is dangerous.

It will affect your mental health. But here is the truth; real confidence isn’t built by avoiding discomfort. It is built by facing it.

• Today’s Nugget: Stop Hiding from Discomfort. Phone Contact: 07032361509. E-mail: [email protected]. Joel Ejiofor, life coach/strategist.