JJDIDTIEBUCKLE - Courage and Decisiveness

With the preteens I am concentrating on using specific books of the Bible to reinforce a series of lessons. While there are examples of each of these character traits everywhere in the Bible I am trying to stick to just the book of Proverbs. I hope that using just one book will encourage them to read more on their own. The best possible scenario is that their curiosity is peeked just enough to get them comfortable with researching on their own.

Courage - courage is confidence in spite of fear.
Decisiveness - quick, consistent and firm decisions.

A Marine for God must make good decisions but we must also face our fears or doubts. It seems over dramatized to make such a strong example (fighting a physical war) with a seemingly mundane activity like religion. The religious struggle is waged within the details of our lives. You could walk through a hail of bullets once but you face the fear of insecurity almost every minute of every day. Courage is not the only trait we need. We must also face temptation with the ability to act quickly and decisively.

The most important part in the implementation of violent force is the full commitment on the part of the perpetrator. If you have decided to shoot, then shoot to kill. If you have decided to strike, then strike with enough force to ensure victory.

There is no time for warning shots in our struggle with sin. We must act quickly and firmly. You might say that courage and decisiveness are the foundations of commitment.

One of the enemies of courage is laziness. Why face your fears when you can defer the fight to another day. It doesn't feel like failure, just postponement. You can always quit smoking once you finish this pack. You can quit drinking when you finish this beer. You can be more loving, generous or spiritual starting tomorrow. It is this reason that we must make quick decisions. This is not a rushed or hasty decision but rather a quick decision. Gather the information, double check your thoughts both long and short term effects against your first opinion, then make the decision.

Here are some proverbs that I used with the preteens for these two traits:
3:24-26, 12:25, 22:13, 28:1, 29:25.