You can be afraid and still step up

You’re Waiting to Feel Brave. God Is Calling You Now. Keep your eyes on Christ. Let other men stand beside you. Take the ground in front of you. by Chris Mann

Oct 07, 2026

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." — Joshua 1:9

God said this to a man, Joshua, who was staring down the barrel of an impossible job.

Moses, the greatest leader of the Israelites since Abraham, was gone.

And now Joshua was in charge.

Talk about a leadership challenge.

This might sound like a deep breathe and lean in moment, or maybe a fake-it-till-you-make-it one. But it’s not either.

The source of strength isn’t Joshua himself, nor is he supposed to get by on spit and a prayer.

God always gives everything needed to follow his commands. In this case, he commands strength and courage first, then hands over the reason it's possible: I will be with you. Joshua isn’t supposed to save himself or figure it out. God has that power, and God is with Joshua.

That feels nowhere near heroic, which is good news for us, because we rarely do.

How many times have you received an invitation to something, and immediately thought “Nope. No way. Can’t do it.”

Maybe that invitation will show up from your family tonight. Maybe it’s the idea of a pledge to pray for men who might need you.

You don't need the fear gone before you step up, in big or little ways. You just need eyes on Christ. If he wants you to carry out the task, he’ll provide what you need.

And also; this is also not a call to be taken up alone.

Joshua had elders around him. They were men who remembered God's faithfulness, and could remind him of it. That's what brotherhood does: other men holding the promise steady when your grip on it slips.

This is why brotherhood is part of our heroic pledge, to build up and strengthen the prayer support we send others. God is with us, often working through the presence of others. There are places in life we just can’t get to alone.

It is easy to underestimate the power of prayer. Most of us are running around on a 2% battery, and it shows. We’re tired, irritable, short with people, hard on ourselves.

Prayer is recharging. A small daily prayer builds you back up. Prayer brings down fresh air from heaven into your soul, so that you can take a full breath, and stand straight.

And you can help do that for others, when they are too weak to do it themselves.

The heroic pledge is an act of heroism, because you’re stepping up for yourself, and for others, before anyone asked you. And then you’re holding your ground.

So, take the ground in front of you today. One step. That’s it. Don’t cover a million miles. Just one. God already said He'd be there waiting.

Be strong. Be courageous.

You are not alone in this.