You have to have courage to be obedient to God.

Charles Stanley, a shepherd of hearts and a voice of steadfast faith, once spoke a truth that pierces through the noise of the modern age: “You have to have courage to be obedient to God.” At first, these words seem simple, but beneath them lies the weight of every choice made between faith and fear, light and shadow, obedience and ease. To follow God, to walk the narrow path of righteousness, demands not comfort but courage — the courage to stand against the tides of the world, the courage to surrender one’s will to a higher one, and the courage to trust when the road ahead is veiled in mist.

For obedience is not weakness; it is the highest act of strength. To be obedient to God is to align oneself with truth even when truth wounds, to speak with integrity when silence would be safer, to walk in love when hatred surrounds. The coward obeys only his own desires, but the brave submit their heart to the divine command. Such courage is not loud or reckless — it is the quiet fire that refuses to die, the inner strength that whispers, “Even so, I will trust.” To obey God is to stand in defiance of one’s own pride and the world’s temptations. It is the rebellion of the soul against fear itself.

Throughout the ages, countless souls have borne witness to this sacred courage. Consider Abraham, who was called by God to leave his homeland, his comfort, and his kin, and to go “to a land that I will show you.” He did not know the destination, only the direction. Yet he obeyed. Imagine the trembling of his heart as he stepped away from all he knew. That was not blind faith — it was courageous obedience, born of trust that the unseen Hand would guide him. Every prophet, every saint, every disciple who has ever walked with God has known this struggle: the choice between comfort and calling, between safety and surrender.

So too did Moses face this truth when he stood before Pharaoh, trembling but resolute, with nothing but the word of God in his mouth. He was not fearless — no man is — but he was faithful. That is the essence of what Charles Stanley teaches: that courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to obey despite it. The soul that follows God must sometimes walk alone, misunderstood by men, mocked by the proud, and resisted by the powers of this world. Yet to obey God is to carry within oneself the peace that defies all outward storms. The obedient heart is not enslaved; it is free — for nothing binds it but love.

This courage does not arise from human strength alone. It is born of faith, watered by prayer, and rooted in trust. To be obedient is to believe that God’s will is wiser than one’s own, that even in suffering, He is leading toward purpose. Many seek the glory of God, but few seek the humility of obedience, for it demands the death of the ego — that ancient tyrant within us. But when one kneels before the Divine not in fear but in love, courage blossoms like a flame. And in that flame, all doubt is burned away.

There is a story told of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who defied the tyranny of Hitler’s regime. When obedience to God demanded resistance to evil, he did not turn aside. He knew his choice would lead to imprisonment and death, yet he declared, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” Such words are not of despair, but of unyielding faith — the courage to obey even unto the end. Bonhoeffer’s life became a testament that obedience to God may cost one’s freedom, one’s comfort, even one’s life — yet it grants the soul an immortality that no sword can destroy.

So, my child of this restless world, take these words to heart: you must have courage to obey God. When the world tempts you to compromise, when fear whispers that obedience will cost too much, remember that every act of faith plants a seed of eternity. Do not measure your path by ease, but by truth. Be still enough to hear the voice of the Divine, and brave enough to follow it. Pray not for an easier life, but for a stronger heart — a heart that trembles, yet obeys.

For in the end, the obedient soul is the victorious one. The world may see obedience as surrender, but the heavens see it as triumph. The one who bows before God stands unshaken before all else. Let this, then, be your prayer and your practice: “Grant me the courage to obey, even when I do not understand.” For the path of obedience is narrow, but it leads to the wide fields of peace; it is steep, but its summit touches the stars.