Standing up for God when you’re afraid isn’t just the right thing to do.

It also builds your faith and your character.

Reputation is what you want people to think you are. Character is what you really are. Character is who you are when no one is watching.

Character and faith are like muscles. The only way you build a muscle is by stressing it. That’s what we do in weightlifting. When you lift weights, you’re straining your muscle, you’re stretching your muscle, and you’re stressing your muscle. Your muscle doesn’t grow unless it’s strained, stretched, and stressed.

The same is true with your “courage muscle.”

You’re not developing any spiritual, emotional, or relational muscle when you give in to fear instead of standing up to it. When you play it safe, and let fear win, you lose the courage to follow God’s will for your life.

When you stand strong for what God wants instead of buckling to fear, your courage grows.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving forward with what God wants anyway.

The Bible says, “Never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord . . . With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News” (2 Timothy 1:8 NLT).

What are you willing to do in order to be true to your faith? Are you willing to be teased? Are you willing to have someone look at you funny? Are you willing to have people gossip about you?

Historically, Christians have gone before lions and been crucified for their faith in Christ. Even today, people are being martyred for their faith. It’s much more common than you may realize.

Stand up for God. When you overcome your fears, your character grows, and your faith does too.