What makes someone truly brave? William Wallace, Scotland’s 13th-century national hero, led his outnumbered army to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, proving Scotland could defeat the mighty English. The movie Braveheart immortalized his courage with the famous line: “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” The film won five Academy Awards and made more than $209 million worldwide. But here’s the thing—parts of the movie were made up. We don’t know if Wallace actually said those lines, and the movie’s climactic battle scene didn’t happen in an open field (it would have been a massacre). The real battle occurred on a narrow bridge. I’m taking you back to what I believe is the original braveheart—a man whose story is completely accurate and should be made into a movie. His name is Abraham. This story in Genesis 14 shows more about Abraham’s greatness than any other part of his life, revealing how we, too, can be bravehearts. The Apostle Paul reminds us, “Now these things occurred as examples …” (1 Corinthians 10:6, NIV). God is great and wants us to be great. The secret to greatness? Every day, follow God’s way. See how burden, battle, and blessing work together to build the courage you need for the life God’s calling you to live.

Have you ever made a promise to stick with something 100% only to cave at 98%? Clayton Christiansen, the famous Harvard Business School professor, taught that it’s easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than 98% of the time—because at 98%, you’re constantly debating whether “this time” is the exception. Abraham discovered this truth the hard way. God had called him to leave everything behind and follow Him to a new land, promising to bless him personally, nationally, and globally. Abraham packed up and obeyed, mostly. He took his nephew Lot when God said leave everyone, and when famine hit the Promised Land, he panicked and fled to Egypt without asking God. What started as faith turned into doubt, and doubt is simply forgetting God. Every time Abraham dropped from 100% trust to 98% trust, he made decisions that nearly cost him everything. It cost his integrity, his wife, and his witness. When doubt knocks at your door, let God answer. Discover three ways doubt attacks your faith, and how to let God answer every time. Understand how forgetting God happens in stages, so you can catch yourself before you lose your integrity, your peace, and your witness.

Who were Jesus’ favorite Old Testament heroes? If you guessed Moses, you’d be right—Jesus mentioned him 25 times. But number two might surprise you. Abraham, referenced 17 times, appears in Jesus’ teaching nearly as often. Why did Jesus love talking about this man? Because Abraham shows us a relationship with God that doesn’t start with our searching for Him, but with His grace finding us. Three thousand years before Jesus walked the earth, God spoke to a 75-year-old idol worshiper living in present-day Iraq and gave one command: “Go.” Abraham didn’t know where he was going, why he was going, or what would happen when he got there. But he knew who was telling him to go, and that was enough. Every time you trust God’s word and obey His will, you discover what Abraham learned—that when you walk with God, He shows you things you could never see standing still. Learn the three steps that take you from where you are to where God wants you to be.