The Braveheart Within All of Us
God says in Genesis, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26a). As imagers, created for the task of having dominion, we are all created with a brave heart. As male or female, God mandated us to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion” (Genesis 1:28).
One cannot take dominion without a brave heart. The original factory setting for all humans is a brave heart. Sociologists tell us that the only fears you are born with are a fear of falling and a fear of sudden loud noises, that’s it. Thus, in the early years of 0-5, most of us are the closest we will ever be to the courage we were born with. This freedom is brave, daring, and happy.
Just look at little kids in the nursery and how much they express themselves. Unless they come from abuse, they don’t know fear yet and tend to be very spontaneous with little inhibition. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying kids are God-like in everything. For sure, they’re not. I’m an expert! Haha. Liz and I have raised seven kids.
But there is something in most children that is not yet tainted by the world, the flesh, and the devil—it is fearless and joyful. It is a brave heart.
Fear and Shame Replace Courage
As we grow older, we begin to experience the demons of this world. They come to steal away our brave heart and replace it with fear and shame.
As life happens, our hearts are crushed; our hopes deferred, and our loves betrayed. We become bitter, guarded, and anxious. Unless we do the hard work of restoration, our lives often spin down into the dark hole of despair and depression.
The Braveheart Restored
Yet Christ came to restore that old heart with a new heart. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). God has given us a spirit of adoption that restores a courageous heart,
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15-16 [New International Version]).
We have been given a courageous heart from our heavenly Father. We are His offspring, and He has a brave heart. We build a brave heart through receiving the Father’s love as His adopted children. Our adoption into the heart of God as His sons and daughters, is the key to restoring our original birthright.
Pastor Steve