The God-given strength of heart to obey God, speak truth, and do right in the face of fear, opposition, or danger. Biblical courage is not the absence of fear but the refusal to let fear govern — because the Lord your God is with you (Joshua 1:9). It flows not from confidence in self but from confidence in God. Courage is required to preach the gospel, rebuke sin, defend the innocent, lead family and church, and stand unmoved when culture demands compromise.
COUR'AGE, n. Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution. It is a constituent part of fortitude; but fortitude implies patience to bear continued suffering. True courage is the result of reasoning; it is steadiness of soul, not rashness.
Culture has separated courage from virtue, producing a counterfeit: the 'courage' to transgress norms, come out, rebel against tradition, or silence others. This is not courage — it is pride dressed in borrowed vocabulary. Real courage — speaking against abortion in a pro-choice culture, defending biblical marriage in public, rebuking a friend's sin in love — is suppressed and labeled hate speech. The bravest thing a man can do today is be openly, unapologetically Christian.
Joshua 1:9 — "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened... for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Psalm 27:14 — "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage."
1 Corinthians 16:13 — "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
Acts 4:29 — "Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness."
G2292 — tharreō (θαρρέω) — to be courageous, to be confident; to take heart
H2388 — chazaq (חָזַק) — to be strong, to be courageous; the command given to Joshua repeatedly
"Courage is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible — without it, wisdom stays silent, justice turns cowardly, and love grows cold."
"The man who will not stand for what is right when it costs him something has no courage — only the appearance of it in easy times."