What an amazing testimony coming from a prostitute. It is a pity she wasn’t around to share this word of truth 40 years earlier. Rahab, who know nothing about God experientially, actually spoke more gut-level, faith-building truth about Him than all the hosts of Israel, barring Joshua and Caleb. She rightly deserves her name to be mentioned amongst the great heroes of faith. (Hebrews 11:31) She believed in our great God more than God’s own people did 40 years earlier!

The children of Israel needed to be people of great courage in order to possess the Promised Land. It was no place for that paralyzing wimpy spirit. The land had been promised to them since the time of Abraham but they had to have the courage, which comes by faith, to possess the promises. We also have many promises that we have not yet realized and possessed. Is it because we are still wimpy and lack the courage to possess these great promises?

2 Peter 1:4 talks about the “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.”  The world needs to see a whole lot more of the divine nature manifested through His people. What about more of His holiness? What about more of His signs, wonders and miracles? What about more of His love? Are not these attributes a very real part of His divine nature? Let’s have a thousand ‘Amens’ to that.

The dictionary says ‘courage’ is ‘the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self possession, confidence and resolution, bravery, valor.’ And here are the synonyms for ‘courage’ - mettle, fortitude, resolution, tenacity, backbone, bravery, nerve, valor, daring and guts.’  These nouns denote qualities of mind and spirit that enable a person to be steadfast in meeting danger or adversity.

► Courage suggests a reserve of moral strength on which we may draw in time of emergency.

► Mettle implies inherent capacity to rise to a challenge. It could also be called pluck.

► Fortitude primarily stresses endurance and stoutness of heart in time of severe trial.

► Resolution is steadfastness of purpose.

► Tenacity stresses persistence in resisting adversity.

► Backbone implies inherent steadfastness, associated with strength of character.

► Bravery means to be valiant.

► Nerve denotes a strong will and firm self-control.

► Valor is boldness in the battle.

► Daring is being willing to take risks and to be fearless, bold and adventurous.

► Guts, less formally, refers to physical and moral stamina in face of hardship or unfavorable odds.

The wimp knows nothing of all these great qualities of courage. The wimp flees in the day of battle. Nehemiah, when threatened with death, states, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” (Nehemiah 6:11) And let’s read Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked (the wimps) flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”  David had it right in Psalm 11:1, “In the Lord I put my trust: How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?”