We’re 19 days into 31 Days in the Life of a Christian Writer, and today’s prompt is: BRAVE.

So … what does being brave look like for the Christian writer?

I heard a great quote the other day from a friend at church. He was referring to the story of Esther in the Bible, and how she displayed such radical courage to approach the king, fully aware that her action might result in death. But then my friend said this: Fear always precedes bravery.

Think about it: Is an act really brave if it doesn’t first defeat the dragon of fear?

If that’s the case, what fears in your own writing do you need to conquer? What’s holding you back from taking that brave step of faith?

For me, it’s often the feeling of being inadequate for the task at hand, or assuming someone else could do it better. But when those thoughts intrude, I need to remind myself that the One who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. I need to tell myself that my God is greater, and with His help I can scale a wall. I need to drink in the truth that His power is made perfect in weakness, and take the example of Paul to boast in my weaknesses — for when I am weak, He is strong.

To me, bravery looks like obedience. It looks like stepping forward in faith when you can’t see what’s beyond the horizon.

It looks like boldly announcing the belief, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”

For the Christian writer, being brave looks like setting aside fears of failure or criticism.

It looks like doing the work you’ve been called to do.

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Here are two great devotional options if you’re looking to go deeper with this theme of being brave, both written by members of the Five Minute Friday community!

Order Brave Faith: A 31 Day Devotional Journey
by Mary Geisen

Pre-order Being Brave: A 40-Day Journey to the Life God Dreams for You
by Kelly Johnson

This post was written in five minutes as part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes Challenge.

Disclosure: Affiliate links used in this post.