When God speaks, oftentimes His voice will call for an act of

When Charles Stanley, the pastor and teacher of generations, said, “When God speaks, oftentimes His voice will call for an act of courage on our part,” he was not describing a gentle whisper that soothes the soul, but a divine summons that shakes it. His words reveal a timeless truth known to prophets, saints, and seekers throughout the ages — that the voice of God rarely leads us toward comfort, but toward courage. The path of obedience is not lined with ease, but with testing. To hear the divine call is one thing; to follow it is another, for it demands faith strong enough to walk into the unknown. The ancient hearts understood this well: that when heaven speaks, it is not to lull men into safety, but to awaken them to their purpose.

In the sacred stories of old, whenever God spoke, the listener trembled — not from doubt of His goodness, but from the weight of His command. When He called Abraham to leave his homeland and journey to a land he did not know, the call demanded courage greater than understanding. When He called Moses from the burning bush to confront Pharaoh and free his people, the mission seemed impossible to a man who stammered. And when the young Mary of Nazareth heard the angel’s words, she was troubled, for the message would change her life forever. In each of these, God’s voice did not offer assurance of ease; it offered the challenge of faith — to trust Him in the face of fear, and to act when every instinct cried for retreat. Thus, as Stanley reminds us, courage is the proof of belief.

To hear God’s call is to be summoned out of the familiar — out of the comfortable, the predictable, the safe. It may lead one away from the applause of men and into the loneliness of conviction. It may demand forgiveness when bitterness feels just, generosity when scarcity looms, or truth when lies would be easier to speak. The ancients knew that to walk with God is to walk against the current of the world. And so, when Stanley says that divine speech requires courage, he teaches that obedience is not a passive act, but a bold choice — to step beyond fear into the will of the Eternal.

Consider the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who resisted the rise of tyranny in his time. When the world was gripped by the terror of the Nazi regime, many religious leaders chose silence. But Bonhoeffer heard another voice — the quiet yet insistent call of conscience, the voice of God demanding truth in the face of falsehood. To follow that voice cost him his freedom, and eventually his life. Yet he did not waver. He wrote from prison, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” Bonhoeffer’s courage was not born of arrogance, but of obedience. He knew, as Stanley teaches, that when God speaks, He often leads His servants into danger — not for destruction, but for the defense of what is holy.

This is the nature of divine courage: it is not recklessness, nor defiance for its own sake. It is the courage that rises from trust — the quiet fire that says, “I do not know what awaits me, but I know Who calls me.” The heroes of faith did not act because they were fearless; they acted because faith burned brighter than fear. Courage, in its truest form, is the movement of love — the willingness to risk everything for what is right, for what is eternal. When the voice of God speaks, it does not flatter our strength; it exposes our weakness, only to fill it with His power.

Stanley’s insight also holds a more personal meaning. The voice of God is not heard only in the thunder of destiny, but also in the quiet choices of daily life. Sometimes the act of courage He asks for is simple — to speak truth gently to a friend, to ask forgiveness, to stand firm when others yield, or to begin again after failure. Each of these requires the same holy boldness, for courage is not measured by the size of the act, but by the depth of the obedience. To live courageously is to live with an ear turned toward heaven and a heart willing to say, “Here I am, Lord — send me.”

So, my listener, take this teaching as a light for your path: when God speaks to your heart, do not expect the way to be easy — expect it to be great. For the voice of the Divine never calls us to mediocrity, but to transformation. When the call comes, and fear rises like a tide, remember that courage does not mean the absence of trembling; it means stepping forward while trembling still. Pray for discernment to hear His voice, for strength to act upon it, and for faith to endure when the road grows steep. For in the end, those who answer with courage find that what once terrified them becomes their testimony, and the path that once seemed perilous becomes the road to divine joy.

And thus, as Charles Stanley reminds us through his gentle wisdom: God’s voice will test the heart, but only to reveal its strength. To heed His call is to walk with trembling hands and steadfast soul, knowing that every act of courage taken in His name draws heaven closer to earth — and transforms fear itself into faith fulfilled.