What God’s Heroes Teach Our Kids About Faith and Courage

A few years ago, one of my daughters boarded a bus headed south for a mission trip. She barely knew anyone else going, and right before she left, the nerves hit hard. A mild panic attack, second thoughts, and a heart full of questions: “Can I do this?” “What if something happens while I am so far from home?”

But she got on the bus. Nervous. Scared. And still, willing. She spent the week working on a mission home and retreat center, serving with joy, and sharing the gospel because she knew God had called her to step out in faith.

That’s courage.

Courage doesn’t have to be the kind that shouts the loudest or commands the spotlight, but the kind that chooses obedience even when fear creeps in. The kind that says “yes” when everything in you wants to run the other way.

That’s exactly what we want our kids to understand. Courage isn’t about being fearless. It’s about trusting God enough to take the next step—just like the heroes of the Bible did. Ordinary people, flawed and unsure, who did extraordinary things because they believed that God could be trusted.

God Doesn’t Call the Qualified, He Qualifies the Called

If there’s one truth our kids need to hear, it’s this: God can use them right where they are. They don’t have to be the best, the bravest, or the most put-together.

Scripture is full of people who didn’t seem qualified. Moses was terrified to speak. David was a young shepherd overlooked by everyone. Rahab had a past most people would have written off. But God used each of them to accomplish something incredible.

God didn’t choose them because of their talent, but because of their faith. They were unsure and didn’t feel ready, yet each of them had a willingness to say yes.

That’s the message our kids need. When they feel unsure, overlooked, or not good enough, we can remind them that God isn’t looking for perfection. He’s looking for obedience. He gives the strength, the courage, and the wisdom we need when we follow Him.

In the Heroes Bible study, kids explore the lives of people like Gideon, Ruth, Paul, and others. 

Through these stories, they’ll see how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things when they trust Him.

Courage Looks Different in God’s Kingdom

We often think courage means being bold, loud, or fearless. However, in the Bible and real life, courage usually appears in quieter ways.

It looks like staying when it would be easier to leave or speaking up when it might cost you something, and trusting God when the outcome is unknown.

Adoniram Judson is one example. He spent nearly forty years serving as a missionary in Burma. He faced disease, rejection, the loss of his family, and years of ministry without seeing fruit. But he stayed. He continued to translate Scripture and share the gospel. His courage didn’t come from self-confidence, but from deep faith in the God who had called him.

Judson’s story is one of the many powerful testimonies featured in To Every Nation. This resource helps families explore the lives of real missionaries who trusted God through every trial. As kids read his story, they begin to understand that courage may not look like success. Sometimes, it looks like staying when everything in you wants to leave.

Esther risked everything to speak up for her people. Her courage didn’t come from being fearless. It came from knowing God had placed her where she was for a reason.

Daniel remained faithful even when it meant facing lions. Trusting obedience over safety, and that God was greater than the consequences.

Our kids need to know that this is what real courage looks like. It’s not about being noticed. It’s about being faithful.

Why Our Kids Need This Message

Today’s culture tells kids that being important means being known. That courage looks like standing on a stage or going viral. But God’s Word tells us something totally different.

God’s heroes didn’t seek fame. They simply obeyed. Amy Carmichael left everything familiar to care for children in India. She didn’t know what the journey would look like. She just trusted God and took the next step.

George Müller is another powerful example. He felt called to care for orphans in England, even though he had no money, no support, and no guaranteed provision. But he believed God would supply every need, and he refused to ask people for help. He simply prayed. 

Over time, God provided everything, from food to buildings, often at the very last minute. Müller’s faith wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was steady, quiet, and unwavering. His story helps kids see that courage sometimes looks like trusting God for daily bread and waiting on His perfect timing.

These stories help shape how our kids view success. They don’t need to be famous. They don’t need to have all the answers. They just need to be faithful.

That might look like standing up for a friend. Praying when it feels awkward. Choosing to do the right thing even when no one is watching.

These everyday moments of courage are what shape a life of obedience. And that is exactly the kind of hero God delights to use.

How to Equip Your Kids to Be Faithful, Not Famous

The world rewards popularity, talent, and appearance. But God values something far deeper: faithfulness.

As parents, one of the best ways we can guide our kids is by providing them with tools that help them grow in their understanding of God and trust in His Word. That’s why we created the Heroes Bible study. It helps kids see that the people God used weren’t perfect. They were simply willing to obey.

But tools alone aren’t enough. Our kids also need to see courage lived out in real life.

When Kim, the owner of Not Consumed, learned that her young son had cancer, everything shifted. She was a single mom facing what felt like an impossible road. But instead of giving in to fear, she chose to trust God.

There were tears. There were questions. But there was also peace. Her family prayed together, clung to Scripture, and held on to the truth that God was still good. Her kids didn’t just hear about faith, they watched it in action.

That’s the kind of legacy we want to leave. Not one of perfection, but of faithful dependence on God. The kind that shows our kids what it looks like to be courageous when life feels uncertain.

We don’t need to have it all together. We need to keep pointing our kids back to the One who does.

Our kids don’t need a platform to make a difference. They need hearts that are fully surrendered to God.

The stories of Moses, Esther, Daniel, and modern-day missionaries remind us that courage isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about saying yes when God calls.

That’s what the Heroes Bible study is all about. Helping kids see that God uses ordinary people with willing hearts to do extraordinary things.

Let’s teach our children that they don’t need to be the most talented, the most confident, or the most impressive. They need to be faithful.

And when they are, they will shine for God’s glory in a world that desperately needs to see what true courage looks like.